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Ian Charleson
(August 11, 1949 - January 6, 1990) Scotland

Ian Charleson

Actor

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Born and raised in Edinburgh, Charleson attended the Royal High School and then went on to attend Edinburgh University. He initially studied architecture but switched to an MA degree after cultivating an interest in acting. He won a place at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art after graduating from Edinburgh.

In preparing for his role of Eric Liddell, the religious Olympic runner, in the film Chariots of Fire (1981), Charleson read the Bible from beginning to end. . He is also well known for his portrayal of Rev. Charlie Andrews in the 1982 Oscar-winning film Gandhi .

Charleson was a noted actor on the British stage as well, with critically acclaimed leads. He performed numerous Shakespearean roles, and in 1991 the annual Ian Charleson Awards were established, particularly in honour of his final Hamlet. The awards reward the best classical stage performances in Britain by actors aged under 30.

Charleson, who was gay, was diagnosed with HIV in 1986, and died of AIDS-related causes at the age of 40 in London, from AIDS related complitions, while playing Hamlet in Richard Eyre's production at the Olivier. Sir Ian McKellen said that Charleson played Hamlet so well it was as if he had rehearsed the role all his life.

He requested that it be announced after his death that he had died of AIDS, in order to publicise the condition. This was the first celebrity death in the United Kingdom openly attributed to AIDS, and the announcement helped to promote awareness and acceptance of the disease.

His name was used posthumously for the Ian Charleson Awards, which have been presented annually since 1991 to reward the best classical stage performances by actors aged under 30.

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