Sir Dirk Bogarde

British actor

Also known as: Derek Niven van den Bogaerde

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Quick Facts

Original name:: Derek Niven van den Bogaerde

Born:: March 28, 1921, London, Eng.

Died:: May 8, 1999, London

Also Known As:: Derek Niven van den Bogaerde

See all related content

Sir Dirk Bogarde (born March 28, 1921, London, Eng.—died May 8, 1999, London) was an English actor who was one of Great Britain’s most popular leading men in the 1950s.

Bogarde was the son of a Dutch-born art critic. He made his stage debut in 1939 and won a film contract from the Rank studios after World War II. He gained attention for his role in the light comedy Doctor in the House (1954) and its sequels, but he later excelled in darker, more complex character roles, such as the blackmailed gay lawyer in Victim (1961), the sinister manservant in The Servant (1963), and the doomed Gustav von Aschenbach in Death in Venice (1971). Among his other films are Darling (1965), The Fixer (1968), The Night Porter (1974), and Providence (1977). Beginning in 1977, Bogarde published a series of well-received memoirs, as well as novels and book reviews. He was knighted in 1992.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.