DER BRITISCHE DRAMATIKER TOM STOPPARD IST GESTORBEN

Der am 3. Juli 1937 als Tomáš Sträussler in Zlín (Tschechoslowakei) geborene britische Dramatiker Sir Tom Stoppard (Bild) ist vor dem oder am 29. November 2025 in Dorset (England) gestorben. Stoppard war international bekannt für Stücke wie «The Real Thing» und «Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead» sowie für das Drehbuch zum Film «Shakespeare in Love». Er gilt als einer der herausragenden Autoren des britischen Nachkriegsdramas, das er durch seine sowohl bühnenwirksam wie auch intellektuell anregende Mischung aus Wortwitz, Situationskomik und philosophischen Reflexionen massgeblich beeinflusst hat. Seine Werke gehören zu den meistgespielten und ebenfalls in akademischen Kreisen am intensivsten diskutierten Stücken des zeitgenössischen britischen Dramas. Der Stellenwert Stoppards als Autor und Dramatiker wurde 1997 auch durch seine Erhebung in den Adelsstand gewürdigt. (*)

Tom Stoppard, 2022 - Foto: Philip Romano, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:PhilipRomanoPhoto - Lizenz: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en - Datei: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tom_Stoppard.jpg

Bild: Tom Stoppard, 2022 – Foto: Philip Romano, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:PhilipRomanoPhoto – Lizenz: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en – Datei: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tom_Stoppard.jpg

Sir Tom Stoppard, playwright famed for his wit and depth, dies at 88

Sir Tom, who won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for the screenplay for Shakespeare In Love, «died peacefully at home in Dorset, surrounded by his family».

King Charles III and Queen Camilla said they were «deeply saddened» by the death of «one of our greatest writers». «A dear friend who wore his genius lightly, he could, and did, turn his pen to any subject, challenging, moving and inspiring his audiences, borne from his own personal history,» they said in a statement.

Seher Asafand, Patrick Jackson

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74xe49q7vlo

Tom Stoppard: a brilliant dramatist who always raised the temperature of the room

All the best dramatists extend the frontiers of drama. Beckett and Pinter did it in their way. The achievement of Tom Stoppard was to take seemingly esoteric subjects – from chaos theory to moral philosophy and the mystery of consciousness – and turn them into witty, inventive and often moving dramas. Theatre, Laurence Olivier once said, is a great glamoriser of thought. Stoppard confirmed that with his capacity to make ideas dance.

Michael Billington

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/nov/29/tom-stoppard-a-brilliant-dramatist-who-always-raised-the-temperature-of-the-room

He both entertained and fought oppression with his pen

Sir Tom Stoppard, who has died aged 88, was a playwright whose works combine dazzling verbal and theatrical flair with intellectual inquiry, and won him three Oliviers, five Tonies and an astonishing ten Evening Standard Theatre Awards. These recognized plays as diverse as his 1966 breakthrough hit Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, 1982’s The Real Thing and the instant modern classic Arcadia in 1993. They also included special awards in 2011 saluting his work translating Russian drama, particularly Chekhov, and in 2014 proclaiming him Britain’s greatest living playwright.

Nick Curtis

https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/sir-tom-stoppard-obituary-b1260408.html

Iconic playwright lit up the screen with his humour and wit

Sir Tom Stoppard, the acclaimed playwright whose career spanned over six decades, captivated audiences with his unparalleled ability to seamlessly blend intellect, emotion, and humour.

His profound contributions to the dramatic arts earned him a host of accolades, including multiple Tony and Olivier awards, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award for the 1998 screenplay Shakespeare In Love, co-written with Marc Norman.

Beyond mere entertainment, Sir Tom’s work consistently delved into philosophical and political themes, challenging societal norms and reminding audiences of the power of thought.

Ellie Iorizzo

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/sir-tom-stoppard-obituary-humour-wit-b2874974.html

Tom Stoppard, Award-Winning Playwright of Witty Drama, Dies at 88

Drawing comparisons to the greatest of dramatists, he entwined erudition with imagination in stage works that won accolades on both sides of the Atlantic.

Few writers for the stage — or the page, for that matter — have exhibited the rhetorical dazzle of Mr. Stoppard, or been as dauntless in plumbing the depths of intellect for conflict and drama. Beginning in 1966 with his witty twist on “Hamlet” — “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” — he soon earned a reputation as the most cerebral of contemporary English-language playwrights, venturing into vast fields of scholarly inquiry — theology, political theory, the relationship of mind and body, the nature of creativity, the purpose of art — and spreading his work across the centuries and continents.

Bruce Weber

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/theater/tom-stoppard-dead.html

Tom Stoppard, Cerebral Storyteller for Stage and Screen, Dies at 88

The British playwright won acclaim for ‚Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,‘ ‚The Real Thing‘ and ‚Leopoldstadt‘ and received an Oscar for ‚Shakespeare in Love.‘

Stoppard was considered one of the finest British playwrights of all time, and critics called his writing “intellectually dazzling” and his comedic ideas “acrobatic.” He inspired the term “Stoppardian,” which has come to be defined as “dealing with philosophical concepts in a witty, ironic and linguistically complex way, usually with multiple timelines and visual humor.”

Cheryl Cheng

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/tom-stoppard-dead-shakespeare-love-1236437628

Mit Klugheit und Witz steckte er das Publikum in die Tasche – nun ist der britische Dramatiker Tom Stoppard 88-jährig gestorben

Er nahm zwei Nebenfiguren aus Shakespeares «Hamlet» und machte sie zu Fahnenträgern des modernen Theaters: «Rosencrantz und Güldenstern sind tot» ist das Kronjuwel im Werk des britischen Autors.

Marion Löhndorf

https://www.nzz.ch/feuilleton/dramatiker-tom-stoppard-gestorben-ld.1544128

Videos:

Tom Stoppard (1937–2025): Charlie Rose’s Interview with the Legendary Playwright