An esteemed movie and theater director who worked with the likes of Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, as well as Richard Burton and Sir Ian McKellen, has sadly passed away at the age of 90.
Anthony Page was born on September 21, 1935, in Bangalore, Kingdom of Mysore, British India. He passed away last week, although the exact date, location, and cause of death have yet to be disclosed.
His good friend, theater producer Nica Burns CBE, announced the sad news in a statement posted via Nimax Theatres.
Burns’ statement begins, “It is with great sadness that I share that my good friend, the legendary theatre and film director Anthony Page died last week at the age of 90.”
It continues, “40 happy years of marriage to husband Kenneth Butler. 34 plays, 38 films for TV and cinema with some of our greatest actors from Maggie Smith and Judi Dench to Ian McKellen and Richard Burton, as well as many awards.”
The statement concludes, “There will be a memorial celebration at St Paul’s the Actors’ Church in the spring. Much missed.”
Page enjoyed a long directorial career that began way back in the 1950s.
Anthony Page’s Career Spanned the Screen & Stage
GettyBritish director Anthony Page enjoyed a long and storied career that spanned the screen and stage. His work took him to the pinnacle of both of those worlds in Hollywood and on Broadway, respectively.
Page’s screen credits began in the 1960s, when he directed episodes of television shows like the police procedural “Z Cars,” the drama series “Festival,” the drama series “The Wednesday Play,” and the drama series “Male of the Species.” He also directed the 1968 drama movie “Inadmissible Evidence.”
He went on to direct movies like 1978’s thriller “Absolution” (in which he directed the great Richard Burton), 1979’s mystery comedy “The Lady Vanishes,” 1981’s made-for-television film “Bill” (in which he directed Mickey Rooney and Dennis Quaid), 1984’s drama movie “Forbidden,” and 2008’s made-for-television drama movie “My Zinc Bed” (in which he directed Paddy Considine, Uma Thurman, and Jonathan Pryce).
In 1994, he directed the wonderful Dame Judi Dench in a television miniseries adaptation of George Eliot’s iconic 1871 novel “Middlemarch.”
On stage, his first credit came in 1958, when he directed a production of “Live Like Pigs” at the Royal Court Theatre in London. He also directed Sir Ian McKellen in a 1983 London-based production of “Cowardice” and Dame Maggie Smith in a 2007 London-based production of “The Lady from Dubuque.”
His Broadway work included productions of “Inadmissible Evidence” (1965-66), “Heartbreak House” (1983-84), “A Doll’s House” (1997), “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (2003-04), “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (2005), and “Waiting for Godot” (2009).
When news of his passing hit the internet, tributes started to appear.
Fans Acknowledge the ‘Very Sad News’ of Page’s Passing
GettySocial media tributes starting coming in for Anthony Page following the sad news of his passing — and we’re sure more will follow.
Beneath his friend Nica Burns CBE’s post about it, one Instagram user commented, “Very sad news Nica ❤️.”
Someone else wrote under the same post, “He was a great man 👏👏👏❤️❤️❤️❤️.”
We’d like to send our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Anthony Page at this terribly upsetting time. May his memory forever be a blessing and may he rest in eternal peace.
Anthony Page’s filmography and some personal info was courtesy of IMDb. His stage credits were courtesy of Theatricalia.
