ABSTRACT
Antony Sher was born in Capetown, South Africa in 1949. He has appeared extensively with the RSC, notably as the Fool in Adrian Noble’s production of King Lear, the title roles in Tartuffe, Molière (both filmed for the BBC), Richard III, Tamburlaine the Great, Singer and Cyrano de Bergerac. Sher also played Jean Cocteau in Pete Postlethwaite’s production of Astonish Me, Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, Vindice in The Revenger's Tragedy, Henry Carr in Tom Stoppard’s Travesties and Leontes in The Winter's Tale at Stratford and the Barbican. He portrayed Johnny in Athol Fugard’s Hello and Goodbye at the Almeida. For the National Theatre Sher has played Austin in Sam Shepard’s True West, Joseph K. in The Trial, the eponymous role in Steven Berkoff’s production of The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui, Astrov in Uncle Vanya, and the title role in Pam Gem’s Stanley, which transferred to New York. At the Royal Court, he has played in A Flea in Her Ear, David Hare’s Teeth and Smiles, The Glad Hand and Shades of Brown. Other roles have included Arnold in Torch Song Trilogy, Muhammad in Mike Leigh’s Goosepimples at the Albery, and Clive/Cathy in Caryl Churchill’s Cloud Nine at the Hampstead and later in the West End. Sher received the Olivier Best Actor Award for Stanley, Torch Song Trilogy and Richard III, for which he also won The Evening Standard, City Limits and Drama Magazine Best Actor Awards.
