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Ian Holm was born to Scottish parents James and Jean (née Holm) Cuthbert in Goodmayes, England. Both parents worked in the medical field. He move with his family to Worthington when his parents retired. A chance encounter with Henry Baynton, a well-known provincial Shakespearean actor, helped Holm train for admission to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His studies there were interrupted a year later when he was drafted to serve in the British Army. He attained the rank of Lance Corporal while stationed at Klagenfurt, Austria. His studies were again interrupted when he agreed to go on an acting tour in America. He finally graduated from the Royal Academy in 1953. He began his stage career in 1954 with a minor role in Othello in Stratford-upon-Avon, noted for its connection to Shakespeare.
Recognition[]
Ian had a well established presence on the stage during his time with the Royal Shakespeare Company, before he began branching out to television and film. He won his first Tony Award in 1967 for his role in Harold Pinter's The Homecoming. He took on several minor roles in film after that, and continued his work on stage, moving to radio plays with the BBC, including playing Frodo Baggins in a BBC radio adaptation J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
In 1976, Ian developed severe stage fright during a production of The Iceman Cometh that forced him to discontinue his work on stage, and he would not return to the stage for 18 years. Fortunately, he was able to rescue his career with his work on television and in movies. He began receive notice in films with his role in Ridley Scott's Alien in 1979, and he continued acting through the 80's and 90's. He began receiving nominations for, and then winning, various awards for his acting. His real break came when he achieved wide-spread recognition after playing the role of Father Vito Cornelius in the 1997 sci-fi film The Fifth Element. In 2001 he appeared in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings, a role he would reprise in later movies. In the Hobbit movies, young Bilbo was played by Martin Freeman, with Ian appearing as the elder Bilbo at the beginning and the end of the series.
Knighthood[]
As well as industry recognition for his work, Ian received royal recognition. In 1989, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). In 1998, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to drama.
Life and Death[]
Ian was married four times and had a fifteen-year relationship with a famed photographer, all of which resulted in three daughters and two sons.
In 2001, Ian was treated for prostate cancer, and he was later diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He lost the battle with the disease on June 19, 2020, in a hospital in London, England. His ashes are interred in Highgate Cemetery West in north London.