Explaining his ability to immerse himself in such disparate characters, Mr. Holm said simply, “I’m a chameleon.” The transformation was emotional as well as physical, as he discovered new depths of compassion even in the most unlikely characters. In 1993, overcoming a serious case of stage fright, he returned to the theater after an absence of more than 15 years to star in Mr. Pinter’s “Moonlight.” Four years later he set himself the monumental challenge of “King Lear” at the National Theater in London. It brought him the Laurence Olivier award as best actor. Playing Lear, he said, was “like climbing Everest with no oxygen.”In 1989 he played Captain Fluellen in a film adaptation of “Henry V.” In his memoir, Kenneth Branagh, the director and star of the movie, said of Mr. Holm: “Acting with him was like playing a racket game with someone very much more skilled. One was never sure how the ball would come back, but it would always be exciting and unexpected.”

Source: New York Times June 19, 2020 14:03 UTC