Overview
- The Oscar-winning dramatist died on November 29 at age 88, closing a six-decade career across British and American theatre.
- He won a record five Tony Awards for Best Play, from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead in 1968 to Leopoldstadt in 2023.
- His body of work spans 34 plays with 19 Broadway productions, alongside screen credits including Brazil, Empire of the Sun, and Shakespeare in Love.
- Born Tomáš Straussler in Czechoslovakia, he fled Nazi persecution as a child, and the later discovery of relatives lost in the Holocaust shaped his final play.
- Tributes are underway, with Toronto’s Mirvish Productions set to dim lights at its venues on Thursday.