Name: Originally named Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven Van den Bogaerde.

Childhood: His father, Ulric, who was half-Dutch, started the arts desk at Times and became its art editor. His mother, Margaret Niven, was Scottish, and the daughter of the actor and painter Forrest Niven. She appeared in the Haymarket production of Bunty Pulls The Strings, but her husband insisted that she stop her acting.
Dirk Bogarde spent his childhood in Sussex being brought up by his sister, Elizabeth, and his nanny, Lally.

Education: He went to the Allen Glen's School in Glasgow. He also went to University College School in London.
He went on to study commercial art at Chelsea Polytechnic where he was taught by Henry Moore and Graham Sutherland, but he dropped out of his course. He became an unpromising drama student.

Work: He started his career as a scene designer and commercial artist in the 1930s.
He began acting with the Amersham Repertory Company. His acting debut was made at a small London theatre in 1939 when he was aged 19. He made his West End debut in J. B. Priestley's 'Cornelius'.
His first film acting role was as an extra in the George Formby racecourse comedy Come On George, in 1940.
In 1940 he joined the Queen's Royal Regiment and became a major. He served in the Air Photographic Intelligence Unit. He was given the nickname Pip or Pippin during this time. He returned from the War with seven medals.
During the War one of his poems, Steel Cathedrals, about troops, was published in a small magazine in 1943, and was subsequently anthologised. His war paintings are in the Imperial War Museum in London.
After the War he did the rounds of auditions and appeared in 'Power Without Glory' at the New Lindsay Theatre in 1947. Noël Coward admired his performance and urged him to continue his stage career. Dirk Bogarde also played a homosexual in a television adaptation of Rope.
Wessex Films gave him a part in Esther Waters in 1947, but when Stewart Granger dropped out the lead role was thrust onto Bogarde. The Rank Organisation, who distributed Wessex Films, then gave him a long-term contract and he played a number of parts as small-time crooks, military heroes, and romantic or light comedy roles over the 14 years of his contract. A memorable role was that of a cockney tear-away who shot Jack Warner as the policeman, George Dixon, in 'The Blue Lamp' in 1950. For this part of his career he was the popular male pin-up with films such as 'Doctor in the House' as Dr Simon Sparrow in 1954.
In the West End in London he played in Anoui lh's Point of Departure and Ugo Betti's 'Summertime'. He received good notices but his nerves forced him to withdraw, and he did not return to the theatre after 1951. Bogarde began to take on more challenging film roles. In particular he was the blackmailed homosexual lawyer, Melville Farr, in 'Victim', directed by Basil Dearden in 1961. This film may have helped the public debate that led to the 1967 Sexual Offences Act.
He subsequently favoured European cinema and he left Britain in the mid sixties to live in Europe and settled in Provence in the South of France. He played the part of Gustav von Aschenbach in 'Death in Venice', directed by Luchino Visconti in 1971. The film was based on Thomas Mann's novella in which Aschenbach developed an infatuation for the beautiful boy, Tadzio. Bogarde also played in the film 'Despair' directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder in 1978.
When he was in his fifties Bogarde began a new career in writing, and produced eight autobiographies as well as a number of novels.

Friends & Relationships: He did not write or talk about his relationship with Tony Forwood, his manager and friend for fifty years. Tony Forwood had previously been the husband of Glynis Johns. Bogarde and Forwood lived near Grasse in Provence where they shared a 15th.-century farmhouse which they had restored.
When Tony Forwood became seriously ill in 1983 they returned to London. In his book 'A Short Walk From Harrods' in 1994, Bogarde described how he nursed Tony Forwood for the last few months of his life until he died of cancer in 1988.

Greatest Achievements: Bogarde was made a Chevalier de l'Ordre des lettres in 1982.
He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters at St Andrews University.
He was knighted on 13th. February, 1992.

Best role: Prof. Aschenbach in Death in Venice.

Acting roles: Come on George, 1939, uncredited for a walk-on part as an extra. Dancing with Crime, 1947, as Policeman. Once a Jolly Swagman, 1948, as Bill Fox (also known as Maniacs on Wheels, 1948, USA). Esther Waters, 1948, as William Latch. Quartet, 1949, in the segment The Alien Corn, as George Bland Dear Mr. Prohack, 1949, as Charles Prohack. Boys in Brown, 1949, as Alfie Rawlins. The Woman in Question, 1950, as Bob Baker (also known as Five Angles on Murder, 1950). So Long at the Fair, 1950, as George Hathaway. The Blue Lamp, 1950, as Tom Riley . Blackmailed, 1950, as Stephen Mundy. The Stranger in Between, 1952, as Chris Lloyd (also known as Hunted, 1952). Penny Princess, 1952, as Tony Craig. The Gentle Gunman, 1952, as Matt Sullivan. They Who Dare, 1953, as Lieut. Graham. Desperate Moment, 1953, as Simon Van Halder . Appointment in London, 1953, as Wing-Commander Tim Mason. The Sleeping Tiger, 1954, as Frank Clemmons . The Sea Shall Not Have Them, 1954, as Flight Sergeant MacKay . For Better, for Worse, 1954, as Tony Howard (also known as Cocktails in the Kitchen, 1954, USA). Doctor in the House, 1954, as Simon Sparrow.

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