Sir Antony Sher (14 June 1949 – 2 December 2021) was a British actor, writer and theatre director of South African origin. A two-time

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...

winner and a five-time nominee, he joined the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

in 1982 and toured in many roles, as well as appearing on film and television. In 2001, he starred in his cousin

Ronald Harwood Sir Ronald Harwood ( né Horwitz; 9 November 1934 – 8 September 2020) was a South African-born British author, playwright, and screenwriter, best known for his plays for the British stage as well as the screenplays for '' The Dresser'' (for ...

's play ''Mahler's Conversion'', and said that the story of a composer sacrificing his faith for his career echoed his own identity struggles. During his 2017 "Commonwealth Tour",

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

referred to Sher as his favourite actor. Sher and his partner and collaborator Gregory Doran became one of the first same-sex couples to enter into a civil partnership in the UK.

Early life and education

Sher was born on 14 June 1949 in

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

, South Africa, the son of Margery (Abramowitz) and Emmanuel Sher, who worked in business. He was a first cousin once removed of the playwright Sir Ronald Harwood. He grew up in the suburb of Sea Point, where he attended Sea Point High School. Sher moved to the United Kingdom in 1968 and auditioned at the Central School of Speech and Drama and the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...

(RADA), but was unsuccessful. He instead studied at the

Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, formerly the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art, was a drama school, and originally a singing school, in London. It was one of the leading drama schools in Britain, and offered comprehen ...

from 1969 to 1971 and subsequently on the one-year postgraduate course run jointly by

Manchester University The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

Drama Department and the Manchester School of Theatre. Sher became a British citizen in 1979.

Career

In the 1970s, Sher was part of a group of young actors and writers working at the Liverpool Everyman Theatre. Comprising figures such as writers Alan Bleasdale and Willy Russell and fellow actors Trevor Eve, Bernard Hill,

Jonathan Pryce Sir Jonathan Pryce (born John Price; 1 June 1947) is a Welsh actor. He is known for his performances on stage and in film and television. He has received numerous awards, including two Tony Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards as well as nom ...

, and Julie Walters, Sher summed up the work of the company with the phrase "anarchy ruled". He also performed with the theatre group Gay Sweatshop, before joining the

(RSC) in 1982. While a member of the RSC, Sher was cast in the title role in

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

's '' Tartuffe'', and played the Fool in ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

''. His major break came in 1984, when he performed the title role in ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

'' and won the

. Also for the RSC, Sher performed the lead in such productions as ''

Tamburlaine ''Tamburlaine the Great'' is a play in two parts by Christopher Marlowe. It is loosely based on the life of the Central Asian emperor Timur (Tamerlane/Timur the Lame, d. 1405). Written in 1587 or 1588, the play is a milestone in English liter ...

'', '' Cyrano de Bergerac'', '' Stanley'', and ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'', and in 2014 played Falstaff in ''Henry IV'' Part 1 and ''Henry IV'' Part 2 in

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...

and on national tour. He played the eponymous 'King Lear' from 2016 to 2018. He also played Johnnie in

Athol Fugard Harold Athol Lanigan Fugard (; 11 June 19328 March 2025) was a South African playwright, novelist, actor and director. Widely regarded as South Africa's greatest playwright and acclaimed as "the greatest active playwright in the English-speaki ...

's ''Hello and Goodbye'', Iago in ''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

'', Malvolio in ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'', and Shylock in '' The Merchant of Venice''. Sher received his second Laurence Olivier Award in 1997 for his performance as

Stanley Spencer Sir Stanley Spencer, CBE Royal Academy of Arts, RA (30 June 1891 – 14 December 1959) was an English painter. Shortly after leaving the Slade School of Art, Spencer became well known for his paintings depicting Biblical scenes occurring as if ...

in ''Stanley''. In 2001, Sher played the role of the composer

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...

in Ronald Harwood's play ''Mahler's Conversion'', about Mahler's decision to renounce his Jewish faith prior to his appointment as conductor and artistic director of the Vienna State Opera House in 1897. Speaking about the role to ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''s Rupert Smith, Sher revealed:

When I came to England in 1968, at 19, I looked around me and I didn't see any Jewish leading men in the classical theatre, so I thought it best to conceal my Jewishness. Also, I quickly became conscious of
apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...
when I arrived here, and I didn't want to be known as a white South African. I was brought up in a very apolitical family. We were happy to enjoy the benefits of apartheid without questioning the system behind it. Reading about apartheid when I came to England was a terrible shock. So I lost the accent almost immediately, and if anyone asked me where I was from I would lie. If they asked where I went to school, I'd say Hampstead, which got me into all sorts of trouble because of course everyone else went to school in Hampstead and they wanted to know which one. Then there was my sexuality. The theatre was full of gay people, but none of them were out, and there was that ugly story about Gielgud being arrested for
cottaging Cottaging is a LGBT slang, gay slang term, originating from the United Kingdom, referring to anonymous sex between men in a public lavatory (a "cottage" or "tea-room"Andre "tearoom; t-room ''noun'' a Washroom, public toilet. From an era when a grea ...
, so I thought I'd better hide that as well. Each of these things went into the closet until my entire identity was in the closet. That's why this play appealed to me so much: it's about an artist changing his identity in order to get what he wants.

In 2015, he played Willy Loman in ''

Death of a Salesman ''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by the American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a ...

''. He also had several film credits to his name, including '' Yanks'' (1979), ''

Superman II ''Superman II'' is a 1980 superhero film directed by Richard Lester and written by Mario Puzo and David Newman (screenwriter), David and Leslie Newman from a story by Puzo based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the second installment i ...

'' (1980), '' Shadey'' (1985), and '' Erik the Viking'' (1989). Sher starred as the Chief Weasel in the 1996

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

of ''

The Wind in the Willows ''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and get ...

'' and as

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a ...

in the 1997 film '' Mrs Brown''. Sher's television appearances include the

mini-series In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

'' The History Man'' (1981) and '' The Jury'' (2002). In 2003, he played the central character in an adaptation of the J. G. Ballard short story "The Enormous Space", filmed as ''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

'' and broadcast on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

. In '' Hornblower'' (1999), he played the role of French royalist Colonel de Moncoutant, Marquis de Muzillac, in the episode "The Frogs and the Lobsters". Sher's more recent credits included a cameo in the British comedy film '' Three and Out'' (2008) and the role of Akiba in the television play '' God on Trial'' (2008). Sher was cast in the role of Thráin II, father of Thorin Oakenshield in

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy (2012–2014), both of which ar ...

's '' The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'', but appears only in the Extended Edition of the film. In 2018, he played the title role in ''King Lear'' and was the only person to play both the Fool and King Lear at the Royal Shakespeare Company. He returned to Stratford-upon-Avon in 2019 to perform in ''Kunene and the King'' with

John Kani Bonisile John Kani (born 30 August 1942) is a South African actor. He is known for portraying T'Chaka in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films '' Captain America: Civil War'' (2016) and ''Black Panther'' (2018), Rafiki in ''The Lion King'' (201 ...

Other work

Sher's books included the memoirs ''Year of the King'' (1985), ''Woza Shakespeare: Titus Andronicus in South Africa'' (with Gregory Doran, 1997), ''Beside Myself'' (an autobiography, 2002), ''Primo Time'' (2005), and ''Year of the Fat Knight'' (2015), a book of paintings and drawings, ''Characters'' (1990), and the novels ''Middlepost'' (1989), ''Cheap Lives'' (1995), ''The Indoor Boy'' (1996). and ''The Feast'' (1999). His 2018 book ''Year of the Mad King'' won the 2019 Theatre Book Prize, awarded by the Society for Theatre Research. Sher also wrote several plays, including '' I.D.'' (2003) and ''Primo'' (2004). The latter was adapted as a film in 2005. In 2008, ''The Giant'', the first of his plays in which Sher did not feature, was performed at the

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. History The original ''Hampstead Theatre Clu ...

. The main characters are

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...

(at the time of his creation of

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

, and Vito, their mutual apprentice. In 2005, Sher directed ''Breakfast With Mugabe'' at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. The production moved to the Soho Theatre in April 2006 and the Duchess Theatre one month later. In 2007, he made a crime documentary for

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

, titled ''Murder Most Foul'', about his native South Africa. It examines the double murder of actor Brett Goldin and fashion designer Richard Bloom. In 2011, Sher appeared in the BBC TV series '' The Shadow Line'' in the role of Glickman.

Personal life, illness and death

In 2005, Sher and the director Gregory Doran, with whom he frequently collaborated professionally, entered into a

civil partnership A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, primarily created to provide legal recognition for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage, with ch ...

in the UK. They married on 30 December 2015, a little over ten years after the registration of their civil partnership. On 10 September 2021, it was announced that Sher was terminally ill and Doran took compassionate leave from the RSC to care for him. Sher died from cancer at his home in

on 2 December 2021, aged 72.

Stage performances

Theatre

* 1972–74: Multiple roles at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool. * 1974:

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...

in Willy Russell's '' John, Paul, George, Ringo ... and Bert'' at the Everyman Theatre, where it opened in May 1974. Transferred to the Lyric Theatre in August. * 1975: '' Teeth 'n' Smiles'' by David Hare at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

where it opened in September 1975, subsequently transferring to Wyndham's Theatre in May 1976. * 1979: ''American Days'' by

Stephen Poliakoff Stephen Poliakoff (born 1 December 1952) is a British playwright, Film director, director and screenwriter. In 2006 Gerard Gilbert of ''The Independent'' described him as the UK's "pre-eminent TV dramatist" and that he had "inherited Dennis Po ...

at the ICA, London. * 1982:

Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English screenwriter, producer, director and former actor with a film, theatre, and television career spanning more than 60 years. His accolades include prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlin In ...

's ''Goosepimples'' in the West End. * 1982: The Fool in ''

'' at the

Royal Shakespeare Theatre The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) (originally called the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre) is a Grade II* listed 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the English playwright and poet William Shakespea ...

. Transferred to the

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London, England, and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings a ...

in 1983. * 1984: ''

'' with the

. Transferred to the Barbican Centre in 1985. * 1985: '' Torch Song Trilogy'' at the

Albery Theatre Albery is a name. It may refer to: Given name * Albery Allson Whitman (1851−1901), African American poet, minister and orator Surname * A. S. Albery, British politician * Bronson Albery (1881−1971), English theatre director and impresario * Do ...

, West End. * 1985: '' Red Noses'' at the Barbican Theatre, London. * 1987: Shylock in '' The Merchant of Venice'' with the RSC. * 1987: Henry Irving in ''Happy Birthday, Sir Larry'' at the

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

, London (

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

80th birthday tribute). * 1988: Vendice in '' The Revenger's Tragedy'' with the RSC. * 1990: Peter Flannery's ''Singer'' with the RSC, Barbican Theatre. * 1991: Kafka's '' The Trial'' and Brecht's ''

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui ''The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui'' (), subtitled "A parable play", is a 1941 play by the German playwright Bertolt Brecht. It chronicles the rise of Arturo Ui, a fictional 1930s Chicago mobster, and his attempts to control the cauliflower ra ...

'' at the National Theatre. * 1992: Tamburlaine in ''

'' with the RSC at the Swan Theatre, Stratford. * 1993: Henry Carr in ''

Travesties ''Travesties'' is a 1974 play by Tom Stoppard. It centres on the figure of Henry Wilfred Carr, Henry Carr, an old man who reminisces about Zürich in 1917 during World War I, the First World War, and his interactions with James Joyce when he w ...

'' at the

with the RSC, later at the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy ...

, West End. * 1994–95: ''

Titus Andronicus ''The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus'', often shortened to ''Titus Andronicus'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first t ...

'' at the Market Theatre, Johannesburg. Transferred to the National Theatre and for a UK tour. * 1997: '' Stanley'' at the National Theatre (repeated on Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theatre) * 1997: '' Cyrano de Bergerac'' at the Lyric Theatre, West End. * 1998–99: ''

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...

'' at the Barbican Centre with the RSC * 1999: ''

'' at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, with the RSC * 2000–01: ''Macbeth'' and ''The Winter's Tale'' with the RSC * 2002: RSC's Jacobean season transfers to the West End. * 2003: '' I.D.'' at the

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre is a 325-seat producing house located on Almeida Street off Upper Street in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre opened in 1980, and produces a diverse range of drama. Successful plays are often transferred to West E ...

, London * 2004: '' Primo'' at the Cottesloe Theatre, Royal National Theatre, London (repeated on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre, July–August 2005) * 2007: Kean in ''Kean'' at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford. Transferred to the Apollo Theatre, West End in May. * 2008:

Prospero Prospero ( ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's ''The Tempest''. Character Twelve years before the play begins, Prospero is usurped from his position as the rightful Duke of Milan by his brother Antonio, ...

in ''

The Tempest ''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...

'' at the Baxter Theatre, Cape Town; Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon; and on tour in Richmond, Leeds, Bath, Nottingham and Sheffield * 2010: Tomas Stockmann in '' An Enemy of the People'' at the

Sheffield Crucible The Crucible Theatre, or simply The Crucible, is a theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which opened in 1971. Its name refers to Crucible steel#History of production in England, crucible steel, which was developed in Sheffield in 174 ...

* 2011: Phillip Gellburg in Arthur Miller's '' Broken Glass'' at the Vaudeville Theatre * 2012: Jacob Bindel in ''Travelling Light'' at the

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...

in ''Hysteria'' by Terry Johnson at

Theatre Royal Bath The Theatre Royal in Bath, Somerset, Bath, England, was built in 1805. A Grade II* listed building, it has been described by the Theatres Trust as "One of the most important surviving examples of Georgian theatre architecture". It has a capacit ...

, later revived at

in 2013. * 2013: Wilhelm Voigt in '' The Captain of Köpenick'' at the Olivier Theatre, Royal National Theatre, London. * 2014: Falstaff in ''

Henry IV, Part 1 ''Henry IV, Part 1'' (often written as ''1 Henry IV'') is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King Henry IV of England, beginning with the Battle of H ...

'' and '' Henry IV Part 2'' with the Royal Shakespeare Company. * 2015: Willy Loman in ''

'' by

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

with the

. * 2016: The title role in ''

'' with the Royal Shakespeare Company (reprised in 2018). * 2018: Nicolas in '' One for the Road'' from ''Pinter One'' at the Harold Pinter Theatre with The Jamie Lloyd Company. * 2019-20: Jack Morris in ''Kunene and the King'' with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

BAFTA TV Awards

0 win, 1 nomination

Laurence Olivier Awards

2 wins, 5 nominations

Drama Desk Awards

1 win and 1 nomination

Evening Standard Theatre Awards

1 win and 1 nomination

Evening Standard British Film Awards

1 win and 1 nomination

Screen Actors Guild Awards

1 win and 1 nomination

Theatre Awards UK (TMA)

1 win and 1 nomination

Tony Awards

0 win and 1 nomination

Honours

* 1998: Honorary

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

(Hon. Litt.D.) from the

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

* 2000: Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) for services to theatre * 2007: Honorary Doctor of Letters (Hon. Litt.D.) from the

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of ...

* 2010: Honorary Doctor of Letters (Hon. Litt.D.) from the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) (, ) is a public university, public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest univer ...

References

External links

* *
Article in ''The Spectator''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sher, Antony 1949 births 2021 deaths 20th-century British Jews 20th-century English LGBTQ people 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English memoirists 20th-century English novelists 21st-century British Jews 21st-century English dramatists and playwrights 21st-century English LGBTQ people 21st-century English male actors 21st-century English memoirists Actors awarded knighthoods Alumni of Sea Point High School Alumni of the Manchester School of Theatre Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art British documentary filmmakers British gay writers British LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights British LGBTQ novelists British LGBTQ screenwriters British male dramatists and playwrights British male television writers British people of South African-Jewish descent Deaths from cancer in England Drama Desk Award winners English gay actors English male film actors English male novelists English male stage actors English male television actors English male voice actors English people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent English television writers English theatre directors Gay Jews Gay memoirists Jewish British male actors Laurence Olivier Award winners Male actors from Cape Town Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Royal Shakespeare Company members South African Army personnel South African emigrants to the United Kingdom South African Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire South African LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights South African male actors Theatre World Award winners Writers from Cape Town