Stage and Screen Veteran John Woodvine Passes Away at 96

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that John Woodvine, a longtime star of the stage and screen, has passed away at the age of 96. In a career that spanned six decades, the performer appeared in more than 70 productions, including those at the Old Vic, the National Theater, and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Notable stage roles included Banquo in the RSC production of Macbeth (led by Ian McKellen and Judi Dench), and the villainous Ralph Nickleby in the celebrated RSC production of The Life and Times of Nicholas Nickleby. He later reprised his performance when the production went to Broadway.

He was also seen on Broadway in productions of King Richard II, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Troilus and Cressida, all of which transferred from the Old Vic. In 1987, he won an Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance for his performance as Sir John Falstaff in the Old Vic's production of The Henrys.

Woodvine also regularly appeared onscreen and was seen in such films as The Devils, Young Winston, An American Werewolf in London, Dragonworld, Vanity Fair, and Miss Potter. Recent screen credits included The Crown, Decline and Fall, and Enys Men, which marked his final onscreen appearance.