Nigel Hawthorne

Sir Nigel Hawthorne died aged 72. He was born in England, but moved to South Africa when only 4. He returned to England as a young man and began to make his name in such productions as Joan Littlewood's Oh What a Lovely War and Peter Nichols' Privates on Parade. His major TV breakthrough came as Sir Humphrey in Yes, Minister - then Yes, Prime Minister. He won many awards for his role as King George III in Alan Bennett's play at the National Theatre and then in the film Madness of King George. His most recent major role was as King Lear in Japan and at the RSC in l999. Since 2000 he had been battling with cancer and died on December 26, 2001.