Tom Stoppard, Award-Winning Playwright and Titan of Theater and Film, Has Died at 88

Sir Tom Stoppard, a titan of modern theater and film, whose award-winning works balanced wit and brio with a true curiosity for the depth of human emotion, has died at the age of 88.

The news of the Czech-born British playwright’s death was shared by his representatives at United Agents, who said he died “peacefully” at his home in Dorset, England, surrounded by his family.

“He will be remembered for his works, for their brilliance and humanity, and for his wit, his irreverence, his generosity of spirit and his profound love of the English language,” the statement read. “It was an honor to work with Tom, and to know him.”

Born Tomáš Straüssler in Zlín, Czechoslovakia in 1937, Stoppard was a child when he fled his home during the Nazi occupation—first to Singapore, then to India, before