‘A BEACON’

Peter Brook, British Director Hailed as ‘Giant’ of the Stage, Dies at 97

The British director, a Tony Award winner twice over, was also known for his celebrated cinematic adaptation of “Lord of the Flies” in 1963.

The iconic director Peter Brook, whose influential theatrical productions astounded countless audience members around the world during his 70-year career, died on Saturday. The news was confirmed Sunday by numerous sources, including his son, assistant, and publisher. Brook was 97. A Londoner by birth who would eventually settle in Paris in 1974, Brook had established a reputation for his bold, often experimental work on the stage by his mid-20s. Cutting his teeth with the Royal Shakespeare Company with productions starring luminaries like Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud, Brook also worked as the director of productions with Royal Opera House, and later as the director of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Also a film director known especially for his 1963 adaptation of Lord of the Flies, he was hailed as a “giant in our field” on Sunday by actor Adrian Lester. The artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe, Michelle Terry, called Brook “a beacon” in a memorial statement. “He was a true and rare practitioner and his legacy must live on in those of us who humbly follow in his eternal summer,” she said.