Dirk Bogarde facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sir Dirk Bogarde
Publicity portrait, 1964
Born	Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde (1921-03-28)28 March 1921 West Hampstead, London, England
Died	8 May 1999(1999-05-08) (aged 78) Chelsea, London, England
Nationality	English
Occupation	Actor novelist screenwriter
Years active	1939–1990
Partner(s)	Anthony Forwood (1949–1988; Forwood's death)
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	Major
Battles/wars	World War II European theater Pacific theater

Sir Dirk Bogarde (born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde; 28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was a famous English actor, novelist, and screenwriter. He started his career as a very popular film star, especially in movies like Doctor in the House (1954). Later, he chose more serious and challenging roles in what are called "art house" films.

Besides acting, he also became a successful writer. He wrote seven best-selling books about his life, six novels, and a collection of articles he wrote for newspapers. During World War II, he served in the military for five years, reaching the rank of major and earning seven medals. He even had some of his poetry published in war books, and a painting he made during the war is displayed in the British Museum.

Bogarde became well-known in the early 1950s, starring in films like The Blue Lamp. He was especially popular in the Doctor film series. He won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role twice, for his performances in The Servant (1963) and Darling (1965). Some of his other important films include Victim (1961), Death in Venice (1971), and A Bridge Too Far (1977). He was honored with a knighthood in 1992, becoming "Sir Dirk Bogarde."

Early Life and Schooling

Dirk Bogarde was the oldest of three children. His father, Ulric van den Bogaerde, was the art editor for The Times newspaper. His mother, Margaret Niven, was a Scottish actress. Dirk was born in London and later moved to Glasgow to live with his mother's relatives for over three years.

He went to University College School and Allan Glen's High School of Science in Glasgow. He later said these school years were not very happy for him. He earned a scholarship to the Royal College of Arts, where he studied for two years. After that, he got a small backstage job in theatre. A chance to act as a stand-in made him realize he wanted more training, so he joined a local acting group. His very first appearance in a film was as an uncredited extra in Come On George! (1939).

War Service and Impact

During World War II, Dirk Bogarde, known as Derek "Pip" Bogaerde at the time, served in the British Army. He started in the Royal Corps of Signals and later became an officer in the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) in 1943, at age 22. He served in both Europe and the Pacific, mostly as an intelligence officer.

D-Day and Aftermath

Bogarde worked as an intelligence officer with Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's army group as they helped free Europe. He was involved in photo-reconnaissance after D-Day, moving through Normandy with Canadian air force units. By July 1944, he was at an airfield near Bayeux. As a captain, he helped choose ground targets in France, Holland, and Germany for the Second Tactical Air Force and RAF Bomber Command.

Visiting Bergen-Belsen Camp

Bogarde said he was one of the first Allied officers to reach the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany on 20 April 1945. This experience had a very deep and lasting effect on him, and he found it difficult to talk about for many years. Later research confirmed that he did visit the camp.

Women survivors in Bergen-Belsen collecting their bread ration after their liberation, April 1945

Lasting Effects of War

The terrible things he saw during the war, especially at Bergen-Belsen, deeply affected him. He later wrote about how these experiences stayed with him throughout his life. He became a strong supporter of people having choices about their end-of-life care, after seeing his lifelong partner, Anthony Forwood, suffer from a long illness.

Acting Career Highlights

Bogarde's first acting role in London's West End theatre was in 1939. After the war, he started using the name "Dirk Bogarde" for his film roles. One of his first main roles was in the 1949 film Once a Jolly Swagman, where he played a daring speedway racer.

Becoming a Film Star

Dirk Bogarde signed a contract with the Rank Organisation, a major British film company. Producer Betty Box helped him become a very popular star. His contract began after his role in Esther Waters (1948). He also appeared in The Blue Lamp (1950), playing a young criminal, and in So Long at the Fair (1950), where he helped Jean Simmons.

He became one of Britain's most popular stars of the 1950s after playing a medical student in Doctor in the House (1954). This film was so successful that it led to a whole series of "Doctor" films. Betty Box had the idea for the film after reading the book on a train journey. She and director Ralph Thomas had to convince film executives that a movie about doctors would be popular and that Bogarde could do light comedy.

Bogarde starred in many other films during this time:

• Doctor at Sea (1955), with Brigitte Bardot.
• Simba (1955), where he played a British colonial fighting the Mau-Mau.
• Cast a Dark Shadow (1955), as a man who marries women for money.
• The Spanish Gardener (1956).
• Ill Met by Moonlight (1957), where he played a real-life British officer who kidnapped a German general during the war.
• A Tale of Two Cities (1958), based on the classic novel by Charles Dickens.

Serious and European Films

In the early 1960s, Bogarde left the Rank Organisation and changed his acting style. He chose more challenging roles that explored important social issues.

He starred in Victim (1961), playing a lawyer who helps a young man being blackmailed. This was a very important film because it was one of the first British movies to show the unfair treatment of people in society.

He worked with director Joseph Losey again in The Servant (1963), which won him a BAFTA Award. He won another BAFTA for his role in Darling (1965).

Bogarde also worked with famous European directors:

• He starred in The Damned (1969) and Death in Venice (1971), both directed by Luchino Visconti.
• In The Night Porter (1974), he played a former German officer.
• He played a lawyer in the French film Providence (1977).
• His final film role was in Daddy Nostalgie (1991), where he played a father alongside Jane Birkin.

Other Notable Roles

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Bogarde acted alongside many famous stars.

• In The Angel Wore Red (1960), he played a priest who falls in love with Ava Gardner.
• He played the composer Franz Liszt in Song Without End (1960).
• In H.M.S. Defiant (1962), he co-starred with Alec Guinness.
• He appeared with Judy Garland in her last film, I Could Go On Singing (1963).
• He played a spy in Hot Enough for June (1964).
• In A Bridge Too Far (1977), he played Lieutenant General Frederick Browning. Bogarde had actually known General Browning during the war and had strong feelings about how the general was shown in the film. Bogarde was the only actor in the film who had served in the real battles being shown.

Author and Writer

In 1977, Dirk Bogarde started a second career as an author. He wrote 15 best-selling books, including nine books about his own life and six novels. He also wrote essays, reviews, and poetry. As a writer, he was known for his clever, elegant, and thoughtful style.

Missed Film Roles

Dirk Bogarde had some roles he really wanted but couldn't take.

• He was supposed to play T. E. Lawrence in a film called Lawrence, but the movie was cancelled at the last minute. This was one of his biggest disappointments.
• He was also considered for the main role in Doctor Zhivago (1965).
• His contract with Rank prevented him from taking the lead role in the film Look Back in Anger (1959).
• In 1961, Laurence Olivier offered him the chance to play Hamlet on stage, but Bogarde had to turn it down because of his film schedule. He later regretted not taking this opportunity to improve his acting skills.

Personal Life

For almost 40 years, Dirk Bogarde lived with Anthony Forwood, who had been married to actress Glynis Johns. They shared homes in England and France until Forwood's death in 1988. Bogarde found it difficult to deal with the lasting effects of his war service and his sudden fame.

Later Life and Death

Dirk Bogarde had a minor stroke in 1987. In 1996, he had a major stroke after an operation, which left one side of his body paralyzed and affected his speech. After this, he used a wheelchair. Despite this, he managed to finish the last book about his life and published a collection of his newspaper articles.

He passed away at his home in London on 8 May 1999, at the age of 78, due to a pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the lung). His ashes were scattered at his former home in Grasse, southern France.

Awards and Honors

Dirk Bogarde was nominated five times for Best Actor by BAFTA, winning twice for The Servant (1963) and Darling (1965). He also received a Lifetime Award from the London Film Critics Circle in 1991. He made a total of 63 films between 1939 and 1991.

In 1983, he received a special award for his contributions to cinema at the Cannes Festival. He was also honored with the first BAFTA Tribute Award in 1988 for his outstanding work in film.

Bogarde was made a Knight Bachelor in the United Kingdom in 1992, which means he was given the title "Sir." He also received an award from the French government in 1990 and honorary degrees from universities in Scotland and England.

In 1984, Bogarde was chosen to be the president of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival, making him the first British person to hold this important role.

Filmography

Titles with an asterisk (*) were made for television.

Popularity at the Box Office

For many years, British film viewers voted Bogarde as one of the most popular local stars in movies:

• 1953 – 5th
• 1954 – 2nd (9th-most popular international star)
• 1955 – 1st (also most popular international star)
• 1956 – 3rd
• 1957 – 1st (also most popular international star)
• 1958 – 2nd (also 2nd-most popular international star)
• 1959 – 5th
• 1960 – 9th-most popular international star
• 1961 – 8th-most popular international star
• 1963 – 9th-most popular international star

Other Works

Books About His Life

• A Postillion Struck by Lightning, 1977
• Snakes and Ladders, 1978
• An Orderly Man, 1983
• Backcloth, 1986
• A Particular Friendship, 1989
• Great Meadow: An Evocation, 1992
• A Short Walk from Harrods, 1993
• Cleared for Take-Off, 1995
• For the Time Being: Collected Journalism, 1998
• Dirk Bogarde: The Complete Autobiography (contains the first four autobiographies only)

Novels He Wrote

• A Gentle Occupation, 1980
• Voices in the Garden, 1981
• West of Sunset, 1984
• Jericho, 1991
• A Period of Adjustment, 1994
• Closing Ranks, 1997

Music Recordings

• Lyrics for Lovers (London Records, 1960)
• as Njegus in Die lustige Witwe (speaking role—of a narration by Tom Stoppard—in a complete recording of the opera conducted by Franz Welser-Möst)

See also

In Spanish: Dirk Bogarde para niños