Sir Antony Sher,
KBE (born 14 June 1949) is a British actor of South African origin, he is a three time
Laurence Olivier Award winner and five time nominee. He joined the
Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982 and toured in many roles, as well as appearing on film and TV, and working as a writer and theatre director. In 2001, he starred in his cousin
Ronald Harwood’s play
Mahler's Conversion, and said that the story of a composer sacrificing his faith for his career echoed his own identity struggles. Sher and his partner and collaborator Gregory Doran became one of the first gay couples to enter into a civil partnership in the UK.