A handwritten letter
from Sir John GielgudPhoto of John Gielgud as Hamlet, in a 1939 production at the Lyceum Theatre.

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Note from Alice in Theaterland

When Philip’s message arrived in my mailbox, and read Sir John’s letter instantly made me think all of those aspiring young actors out there, who keep asking me the same question: How can I tide over difficulties in acting profession?
Read it along with Philips' story and I think you'll find the answer to the question above.
Thank you Philip for sharing it with us!

Alice Katsavou

Introduction

My name is Philip Gwilliam and I am from a town called St Helens which is situated halfway between Liverpool and Manchester in the north west of England I am now 22 years old and on the brink of launching my first solo singing 14 track album called Undiscovered here in Britain so my professional career is now beginning to take off and it is all down to my letter from Sir John.

At the time of my story it was March 1995, I was 18 years old and studying A-Level Drama at college. It was at this time I was thinking of my future and I wanted to go to drama school so I applied to six Drama schools on my university form. One of these schools was L.I.P.A. The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts or Sir Paul McCartney's fame school as it is known.

My audition at LIPA was a huge success and I was accepted however my council refused to fund my training therefore I was unable to take up my rightful place there. This was a huge blow to my future and I was in a state depression for weeks. On one of my darkest days In April 1995 I read Sir John's autobiography An Actor In His Time and wrote to him care of his publishers asking for help and guidance to get me through my depression.

I then forgot about it and tried to get on with my studies which seemed pointless after being rejected a grant. Then a few weeks later I received the most beautiful and priceless reply, it was a handwritten letter from Sir John Gielgud and I keep it with me at all times even to this day it is framed above my bed. The letter told me that if I faced my disappointments philosophically, read, listened to music and studied people I come into contact with, I would achieve everything I wanted to in the art of acting.

I have no shame in saying that when I heard the news of Sir John's death I cried. You see... the reason I cried was that the letter he wrote to me told me so much about him as a person I felt that I knew him. It filled me with so much strength again after I had lost all faith in my ability and acting in general. I loved Sir John so much for giving me back my confidence. I looked at him as a grandparent and when he died I mourned him like a grandparent. The fact that a legend in the acting universe would write to someone like me a nobody from St Helens near Liverpool tells you more about Sir John Gielgud as a man and tells you more about his love for his art than any tributes you read or watch on television. I remember seeing famous people saying how much they thought of Sir John and I took great strength in the fact that no matter how much they liked him, Sir John did not do as much for them as he did for me, and all he did was write me a letter.

This letter means a lot to me. It would be nice to share it with others who respected Sir John Gielgud as much as I loved him for this small meaningful words he sent me at my lowest ebb. Hopefully it will fill other people with as much confidence as it did me.

Philip Gwilliam, England. June 23, 2000.

Letter from Sir John Gielgud to Philip Gwilliam

March 20. 95.

Dear Philip
It is quite impossible to advise you,
knowing nothing of your possible talent,
appearance, background or financial status.
The acting profession is always overcrowded,
the dramatic schools also, and so much depends
on the luck of the draw in getting a foothold,
though films and television have luckily helped
to give more work than was expected in my day.
Travelling and day to day living has become so
expensive, especially in London, and I have no idea where
to advise you to start your search.
I can only wish you well, to read, listen to music,
look at pictures, study people you come in contact with,
face your disappointments philosophically, train your
imagination, work on your voice and body and wish you luck.

Sincerely yours
John Gielgud

Letter of Sir John Gielgud to Philip Gwilliam (Click to view it in normal size)

This is a scale-down image of the handwritten letter. If you want to see it in full size click on the letter image or here.

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