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Stoppard won an Oscar in 1999 for Best Adapted Screenplay for ‘Shakespeare in Love’
Caitlin Hornikin New YorkSaturday 29 November 2025 17:31 GMTComments
CloseBrandon Uranowitz ('Leopoldstadt') explores Jewish 'family, identity and memory' in Tom Stoppard's sprawling play
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Award-winning playwright Tom Stoppard has died aged 88.
His representatives at United Agents confirmed the news in a statement, confirming to multiple outlets that Stoppard “died peacefully at home in Dorset, surrounded by his family.” Further details were not immediately available.
“He will be remembered for his works, for their brilliance and humanity, and for his wit, his irreverence, his generosity of spirit and his profound love of the English language,” the statement continued. “It was an honor to work with Tom and to know him.”
Stoppard amassed three Olivier Awards, five Tonys and an Oscar throughout his decades-long career in television, theatre, and film. He was also knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997 for his contributions to theater.
His Broadway debut came in 1967 with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, which earned him his first Tony Award for Best Play. He won again in 1976 for Travesties, 1984 for The Real Thing, 2007 for The Coast of Utopia, and most recently in 2023 for Leopoldstadt.
open image in gallerySir Tom Stoppard has died aged 88 (Family handout/Matt Humphrey/PA)
open image in galleryStoppard won three Olivier Awards, five Tonys and an Oscar during his storied career (Getty Images for Tony Awards Pro)Stoppard was also well-known for Jumpers, Arcadia, The Invention of Love, The Hard Problem, and Rock 'n' Roll.
His plays explored politics, philosophy, and human nature, and were often complex yet thought-provoking. His clever wordplay helped coin the phrase “Stoppardian,” describing works that rely on wit and comedy to advance philosophical themes.
The playwright added an Oscar to his collection in 1999 when he won Best Adapted Screenplay with Marc Norman for Shakespeare in Love. The hit film won seven total Oscars, including Best Picture.
His other film credits included co-writing the script for Brazil (1985), and several adaptations, including J.G. Ballard’s novel for the 1987 Steven Spielberg film Empire of the Sun, John le Carre’s The Russia House (1990), E.L. Doctorow’s Billy Bathgate (1991), and Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina (2012).
open image in gallerySabrina Guinness and Tom Stoppard pictured at the 2023 Tony Awards in New York City (Getty Images)Stoppard was born Tomas Straussler in Czechoslovakia in 1937. During the Nazi occupation, he fled to Britain where he learned a new language and pursued a career in journalism. He became a theater critic while penning radio and television plays before going on to become a proper playwright.
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After finding success with plays, Stoppard also became a sort of script doctor with uncredited roles on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, among others.
Stoppard was married three times; first to Josie Ingle from 1965 to 1972 followed by Miriam Stoppard from 1972 to 1992. He married Sabrina Guinness in 2014.
He is survived by his four sons.
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