Ian Holm
- Known For
- Acting
- Born
- September 12, 1931 in Goodmayes, Essex, England, UK
- Died
- June 19, 2020
- Active Years
- 1951–2024 (74 Years)
- Total Credits
- 198 credits in database
Acting Born Sep 12, 1931 Died Jun 19, 2020 Goodmayes, Essex, England, UK 198 credits
Biography
Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert CBE was an English actor born on September 12, 1931, in Goodmayes, Essex, England, United Kingdom. He passed away on June 19, 2020, at the age of 88. He began his career on the British stage as a leading member of the Royal Shakespeare Company before establishing himself as a prolific and successful performer in films and on television, accumulating 187 known acting credits. His accolades include two BAFTA Awards, a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in 1967 for his role as Lenny in the Harold Pinter play The Homecoming, and a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor. He also received nominations for an Academy Award and two Emmy Awards. In 1989, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.
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Career overview
Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert CBE was an English actor born on September 12, 1931, in Goodmayes, Essex, England, United Kingdom, and passed away on June 19, 2020, at the age of 88. He began his career on the British stage as a leading member of the Royal Shakespeare Company before building a successful and prolific career as a performer on television and in films. He was known for acting with 187 known credits listed on the Movie Database.
Throughout his career, he received numerous accolades and honors. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1989 by Queen Elizabeth II. His accolades included two BAFTA Awards and a Tony Award, which he won in 1967 for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Lenny in the Harold Pinter play The Homecoming. Additionally, he received nominations for an Academy Award and two Emmy Awards, and he won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for a stage performance.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Alien: Romulus
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Discovering Hamlet
1066: The Battle for Middle Earth
RatatouilleThe Real Middle EarthThe Treatment
LegendsStrangers with CandyChromophobiaO Jerusalem
Lord of WarThe Adventures of Errol FlynnThe Queen of Trees
The Day After TomorrowThe AviatorGarden StateDragon's World: A Fantasy Made RealA Filmmaker's Journey: Making 'The Return of the King'
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingPrisoner of ParadiseMonsters We Met
The Fellowship of the Ring: The Fellowship of the Cast
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingFrom HellThe Emperor's New ClothesSecret Agent
Bless the ChildThe Miracle MakerJoe Gould's SecretBeautiful JoeEsther Kahn
eXistenZAnimal FarmThe MatchShanghai ViceWisconsin Death Trip
Alice Through the Looking GlassKing LearTale of the Tides
The Fifth ElementThe Sweet HereafterA Life Less OrdinaryNight Falls on ManhattanIncognito
Loch NessBig NightA Little Fish in Deep Water
Little Red Riding HoodLandscapeThere Is a Light That Never Goes Out
Mary Shelley's FrankensteinThe Madness of King GeorgeThe Deep Blue SeaChappaquiddickMustang: The Hidden Kingdom
The Hour of the PigThe Return of the BorrowersThe World of Peter Rabbit and Friends: The Tailor of GloucesterThe Mysterious Career of Lee Harvey Oswald
The World of Peter Rabbit and FriendsBlue IceThe BorrowersThe Last RomanticsElizabeth R: A Year in the Life of The Queen
PerformancePerformancePerformancePerformanceUncle Vanya
ChillersHamletA Season of GiantsStalin
Henry VThe Endless GameThe Endless GameThe Kingdom of FunThe Tailor of Gloucester
Game, Set, and MatchAnother WomanKorea: The Unknown War
The Fishing PartyMurder by the BookCry From Home
Screen TwoScreen TwoBrazilTelevisionDreamchild
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the ApesThe Cost of TreacheryLaughterhouse
Natural WorldThe Return of the SoldierBette Davis: The Benevolent Volcano
Inside the Third ReichSoft TargetsThe Bell
Full Filmography
198 titles- Alien: Romulus (2024) as Rook (Facial and Vocal Reference)
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) as Old Bilbo Baggins
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) as Old Bilbo Baggins
- Discovering Hamlet (2011) as Polonius (archive footage)
- 1066: The Battle for Middle Earth (2009) as Geschichtenerzähler
- Ratatouille (2007) as Skinner (voice)
- The Real Middle Earth (2007) as Narrator
- The Treatment (2007) as Dr. Ernesto Morales
- Legends (2006) as Self - Narrator (voice)
- Strangers with Candy (2006) as Dr. Putney
- Chromophobia (2006) as Edward Aylesbury
- O Jerusalem (2006) as Ben Gurion
- Lord of War (2005) as Simeon Weisz
- The Adventures of Errol Flynn (2005) as Narrator (voice)
- The Queen of Trees (2005) as Narrator
- The Day After Tomorrow (2004) as Terry Rapson
- The Aviator (2004) as Professor Fitz
- Garden State (2004) as Gideon Largeman
- Dragon's World: A Fantasy Made Real (2004) as Narrator
- A Filmmaker's Journey: Making 'The Return of the King' (2004) as Self
- D-Day 6.6.1944 (2004) as Narrator (voice)
- The Making of 'The Return of the King' (2004) as Self
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) as Bilbo
- Prisoner of Paradise (2003) as Narrator (voice)
- Monsters We Met (2003) as Narrator
- The Fellowship of the Ring: The Fellowship of the Cast (2002) as Self
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) as Bilbo
- From Hell (2001) as Sir William Gull
- The Emperor's New Clothes (2001) as Napoleon Bonaparte / Sergeant Eugene Lenormand
- Secret Agent (2001) as Narrator
- Bless the Child (2000) as Reverend Grissom
- The Miracle Maker (2000) as Pontius Pilate (voice)
- Joe Gould's Secret (2000) as Joe Gould
- Beautiful Joe (2000) as George The Geek
- Esther Kahn (2000) as Nathan Quellen
- The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000) as Patrick
- eXistenZ (1999) as Kiri Vinokur
- Animal Farm (1999) as Squealer (voice)
- The Match (1999) as Big Tam
- Shanghai Vice (1999) as Himself - Narrator
- Wisconsin Death Trip (1999) as Narrator (voice)
- Simon Magus (1999) as Sirius / Boris / The Devil
- Shergar (1999) as Joseph Maguire
- Alice Through the Looking Glass (1998) as White Knight
- King Lear (1998) as King Lear
- Tale of the Tides (1998) as Narrator
- The Fifth Element (1997) as Cornelius
- The Sweet Hereafter (1997) as Mitchell Stephens
- A Life Less Ordinary (1997) as Mr. Naville
- Night Falls on Manhattan (1997) as Liam Casey
- Incognito (1997) as John (uncredited)
- Loch Ness (1996) as Water Bailiff
- Big Night (1996) as Pascal
- A Little Fish in Deep Water (1996) as Narrator
- Little Red Riding Hood (1995) as Don Mini
- Landscape (1995) as Duff
- There Is a Light That Never Goes Out (1995) as Narrator (voice)
- Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) as Baron Frankenstein
- The Madness of King George (1994) as Willis
- The Deep Blue Sea (1994) as Sir William Collyer
- Chappaquiddick (1994) as Narrator
- Mustang: The Hidden Kingdom (1994) as (voice)
- The Hour of the Pig (1993) as Albertus
- The Return of the Borrowers (1993) as Pod
- The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends: The Tailor of Gloucester (1993) as The Tailor (voice)
- The Mysterious Career of Lee Harvey Oswald (1993) as Narrator (voice) (UK version, Timewatch: The Mysterious Career of Lee Harvey Oswald)
- The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends (1992) as The Tailor (voice)
- Blue Ice (1992) as Sir Hector
- The Borrowers (1992) as Pod
- The Last Romantics (1992) as F.R. Leavis
- Elizabeth R: A Year in the Life of The Queen (1992) as Self - Narrator (voice)
- Performance (1991) as Duff
- Performance (1991) as King Lear
- Performance (1991) as Sir William Collyer
- Performance (1991) as Astrov
- Uncle Vanya (1991) as Astrov
- Naked Lunch (1991) as Tom Frost
- Secret History (1991) as Narrator
- Bloody Sunday (1991) as Narrator
- Kafka (1991) as Dr. Murnau
- Chillers (1990) as Christopher Waggoner
- Hamlet (1990) as Polonius
- A Season of Giants (1990) as Lorenzo de' Medici
- Stalin (1990) as Self - Narrator (voice)
- Henry V (1989) as Captain Fluellen
- The Endless Game (1989) as Control
- The Endless Game (1989) as Control
- The Kingdom of Fun (1989) as Narrator
- The Tailor of Gloucester (1989) as The Tailor
- Game, Set, and Match (1988) as Bernard Samson
- Another Woman (1988) as Ken
- Korea: The Unknown War (1988) as Narrator (voice)
- The Fishing Party (1986) as Narrator
- Murder by the Book (1986) as Hercule Poirot
- Cry From Home (1986) as Narrator
- Screen Two (1985) as F.R. Leavis
- Screen Two (1985) as Albertus
- Brazil (1985) as Mr. Kurtzmann
- Television (1985) as Self - Narrator (voice)
- Dreamchild (1985) as Reverend Charles L. Dodgson / Lewis Carroll
- Mr. and Mrs. Edgehill (1985) as Eustace Edgehill
- The Browning Version (1985) as Andrew Crocker-Harris
- Dance with a Stranger (1985) as Desmond Cussen
- Wetherby (1985) as Stanley Pilborough
- Visions of Power (1985) as Narrator
- Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) as Capitaine Phillippe D'Arnot
- The Cost of Treachery (1984) as Narrator
- Laughterhouse (1984) as Ben Singleton
- Natural World (1983) as Narrator
- The Return of the Soldier (1983) as Doctor Anderson
- Bette Davis: The Benevolent Volcano (1983) as Narrator (voice)
- Inside the Third Reich (1982) as Dr. Joseph Goebbels
- Soft Targets (1982) as Alexei
- The Bell (1982) as Michael Meade
- 40 Minutes (1981) as Narrator
- Chariots of Fire (1981) as Sam Mussabini
- Time Bandits (1981) as Napoleon
- Strike: The Birth of Solidarity (1981) as Lech Walesa
- S.O.S. Titanic (1980) as J. Bruce Ismay
- The Misanthrope (1980) as Alceste
- We, the Accused (1980) as Paul Presset
- Tales of the Unexpected (1979) as Alan Corwin
- Alien (1979) as Ash
- All Quiet on the Western Front (1979) as Himmelstoss
- Holocaust (1978) as Heinrich Himmler
- Les Misérables (1978) as Thénardier
- Flayed (1978) as The Man
- The Thief of Baghdad (1978) as The Gatekeeper
- Do You Remember? (1978) as Walter Street
- The Lost Boys (1978) as J.M. Barrie
- The Lost Boys (1978) as J.M. Barrie
- BBC2 Play of the Week (1977) as The Man
- BBC2 Play of the Week (1977) as J.M. Barrie
- Jesus of Nazareth (1977) as Zerah
- Jubilee 1977 (1977) as Bill Ramsey
- The Man in the Iron Mask (1977) as Duval
- March or Die (1977) as El Krim
- Ramsey (1977) as Bill Ramsey
- Robin and Marian (1976) as King John
- Shout at the Devil (1976) as Mohammed
- Private Affairs (1975) as David Garrick
- Mr. Garrick and Mrs. Woffington (1975) as Mr. Garrick
- NOVA (1974) as Narrator
- NOVA (1974) as Narrator (voice)
- Juggernaut (1974) as Nicholas Porter
- Napoleon and Love (1974) as Napoleon Bonaparte
- The Lives of Benjamin Franklin (1974) as Wedderburn
- Masquerade (1974) as Blake
- The Wood Demon (1974) as Khrushchov
- Children in Crossfire (1974) as Narrator
- Only a Game (1974) as Narrator
- Orson Welles' Great Mysteries (1973) as Charles Stubbs
- The Homecoming (1973) as Lenny
- The Frighteners (1972) as Gordon
- Young Winston (1972) as George E. Buckle
- The Treat (1972) as Gordon
- The Man from Haven (1972) as Jack Byron Lever
- Film '72 (1971) as Self
- Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) as Yakovlev
- Mary, Queen of Scots (1971) as David Riccio
- A Severed Head (1971) as Martin Lynch-Gibbon
- Funny (1971) as Huw
- Play for Today (1970) as Alexei
- The End of the Line (1970) as Reverend P. Bagley
- The Salesman (1970) as Salesman
- Emma's Time (1970) as Mark Lang
- ITV Saturday Night Theatre (1969) as David Peters
- Oh! What a Lovely War (1969) as President Poincare
- Omri's Burning (1969) as Omri
- Edward the Confessor (1969) as Edward Gobey
- Moonlight on the Highway (1969)
- The Fixer (1968) as Grubeshov
- A Midsummer Night's Dream (1968) as Puck
- The Bofors Gun (1968) as Gunner Flynn
- Frankenstein (1968) as Frankenstein / The Monster
- ITV Playhouse (1967) as Huw
- Opus (1967) as Lenny (The Homecoming)
- Mystery and Imagination (1966) as Wolfe MacFarlane
- Mystery and Imagination (1966) as Dr Frankenstein / The Being
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Oedipus
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Khrushchov
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Alceste
- National Geographic Specials (1965) as Narrator (voice)
- The Power Game (1965) as Sefton Kemp
- The Wars of the Roses (1965) as Richard III
- The Wars of the Roses (1965) as King Richard III
- Horizon (1964) as Narrator
- The Wednesday Play (1964) as Mark Lang
- The Paradise Suite (1963) as Jamie Norton
- The Cherry Orchard (1962) as Trofimov
- Survival (1961)
- Girls at Sea (1958) as Marine (uncredited)
- Rope (1957) as Granillo
- Tony Awards (1956) as Self - Nominee
- Armchair Theatre (1956) as Edward Gobey
- Armchair Theatre (1956) as Jamie Norton
- Armchair Theatre (1956) as Reverend P. Bagley
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Himmelstoss
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Ian Holm best known for?
Ian Holm is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Alien: Romulus (2024), The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), Ratatouille (2007).
When and where was Ian Holm born?
Ian Holm was born on September 12, 1931 in Goodmayes, Essex, England, UK. They passed away on June 19, 2020.
How many credits does Ian Holm have?
Ian Holm has accumulated over 198 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1951 to 2024.
What is Ian Holm's background in cinema and television?
Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert CBE was an English actor born on September 12, 1931, in Goodmayes, Essex, England, United Kingdom. He passed away on June 19, 2020, at the age of 88. He began his career on the British stage as a leading member of the Royal Shakespeare Company before establishing himself as a prolific and successf...
Ian Holm by the numbers
198credits
135films
63TV series
1951–2024active years
Age in their best-rated roles
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Himmelstoss — aged about 19
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) as Bilbo — aged about 71
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) as Bilbo — aged about 69
- Alien (1979) as Ash — aged about 47
- Ratatouille (2007) as Skinner (voice) — aged about 75
- Game, Set, and Match (1988) as Bernard Samson — aged about 56
Full filmography (198) Born on September 12 In memoriam 2020
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