John Gielgud famous quotes

04-17-2025

Acting is half shame, half glory. Shame at exhibiting yourself, glory when you can forget yourself.
-- John Gielgud

#Acting #Half #Forget You
I never accept lengthy film roles nowadays, because I am always so afraid I will die in the middle of shooting and cause such awful problems.
-- John Gielgud

#Age #Problem #Film
When I first went to America in 1928, there were spittoons everywhere. I remember avoiding spit as it flew past me in Times Square. Very unattractive.
-- John Gielgud

#Past #Remember #Avoiding
You can be good in a good movie, you can be good in a bad movie, you can be bad in a bad movie, but never, ever, be bad in a good movie.
-- John Gielgud

#Good Movie #Hollywood #Film
One mustn't allow acting to be like stoc kbroker - you must not take it just as a means of earning a living, to go down every day to do a job of work. The big thing is to combine punctuality, efficiency, good nature, obedience, intelligence, and concentration with an unawareness of what is going to happen next, thus keeping yourself available for excitement.
-- John Gielgud

#Jobs #Mean #Theatre
Ingrid Bergman speaks five languages and canâ€™t act in any of them.
-- John Gielgud

#Language #Speak #Bergman
I'm sure there isn't an after-life. If there were, Ivor Novello would have got a message to us.
-- John Gielgud

#Messages
One's self-image is very important because if that's in good shape, then you can do anything, or practically anything.
-- John Gielgud

#Confidence #Self #Important
I think the young actor who really wants to act will find a way ... to keep at it and seize every opportunity that comes along.
-- John Gielgud

#Opportunity #Thinking #Actors
I am all in favour of spontaneity, providing it is carefully planned and ruthlessly controlled.
-- John Gielgud

#Funny #Favour #Spontaneity
Most of my friends seem to be either dead, extremely deaf or living on the wrong side of Kent.
-- John Gielgud

#Luck #Sides #Deaf
It is very hard to cast a number of plays adequately from the same company of actors without several parts being miscast.
-- John Gielgud

#Play #Numbers #Theatre
Being another character is more interesting than being yourself.
-- John Gielgud

#Being Yourself #Character #Interesting
Your English style will no doubt put all the other gentlemen to bed. I speak figuratively, of course.
-- John Gielgud

#Gentleman #Doubt #Style

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