Stoppard also won an Oscar for the screenplay for 'Shakespeare In Love' and contributed to the Indiana Jones and Star Wars franchises
By Max Pilley 29th November 2025
Tom Stoppard at the Tony Awards on June 11, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Dominik Bindl/Getty Images)
Mick Jagger has led the tributes to the legendary playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard, who has died at the age of 88.
The news was confirmed by United Agents today (November 29), who said he died “peacefully” at his Dorset home surrounded by family. “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,” a statement read.
Over a long career, Stoppard won five Tony Awards for his work in theatre, with his most celebrated plays including Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead, Jumpers, Arcadia and The Real Thing.
He also worked regularly in cinema, writing the first draft of the screenplay for Steven Spielberg’s Empire Of The Sun and the final re-write of Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade. He also contributed to Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith, was nominated for an Oscar for co-writing Terry Gilliam’s Brazil and won Best Original Screenplay for Shakespeare In Love.
Tom Stoppard was my favourite playwright. He leaves us with a majestic body of intellectual and amusing work. I will always miss him. pic.twitter.com/c9c2Y3ohZn
— Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) November 29, 2025
Jagger shared a tribute on X, writing: “Tom Stoppard was my favourite playwright. He leaves us with a majestic body of intellectual and amusing work. I will always miss him.”
Check out other tributes here:
Tom Stoppard R.I.P. An absolute genius. pic.twitter.com/H7DPaoymE6
— Seán Ono Lennon (@seanonolennon) November 29, 2025
Stoppard was the greatest. RIP
— Michael McKean (@MJMcKean) November 29, 2025
Rest in Peace dear Sir Tom Stoppard, 88. He was an Oscar-winning literary genius, and one of the world’s greatest dramatists. Thank you for leaving us an extraordinary body of work that will live forever. ❤️#TomStoppard pic.twitter.com/N6dWxJCBnC
— gloria mann (@GloriaMann22) November 29, 2025
RIP Sir Tom Stoppard, 88. Oscar-winning literary genius, and one of the world’s greatest dramatists. What a writer! Sad news. pic.twitter.com/vBDYLZ7JnM
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 29, 2025
RIP the legendary Tom Stoppard. Among his more famous achievements, he radically rewrote Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (under the pen-name Barry Watson), adding most of the thrilling beats and hilarious gags.
One of my favourites: the cut to Brody, after being hyped up as… pic.twitter.com/bHm927mZkK
— Nick de Semlyen (@NickdeSemlyen) November 29, 2025
West End theatres will dim their lights for two minutes at 7pm on Tuesday 2 December in remembrance of renowned playwright Tom Stoppard who has died aged 88.
Over a distinguished career spanning six decades, he won three Laurence Olivier Awards and five Tony Awards, and received… pic.twitter.com/lmj5x4HM6L
— Olivier Awards (@OlivierAwards) November 29, 2025
Born Tomáš Sträussler in Czechoslovakia on 3 July 1937, he attended boarding school in India after his Jewish family fled the Nazis, finally settling in the UK after the Second World War.
He began working as a theatre critic and his first completed play A Walk On The Water was first staged in Hamburg in 1963. His career gained momentum in 1966 when Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead, a rewriting of Hamlet from the perspective of two minor characters, picked up acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival.
The adjective ‘Stoppardian’ has been added to the English dictionary, to describe writing that combines wit, linguistic flair and philosophical complexity.
