Luke Evans recalls ‘life-changing’ Welsh theatre director Peter Gill who died aged 86

Carla Feric, Press Association Entertainment Reporter

Actor Luke Evans has paid tribute to acclaimed stage director and playwright Peter Gill after his death, and said: “He changed my whole professional life.”

Gill, who has worked with stars including Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Michael Gambon, died “peacefully” at assisted living residence Denville Hall on Monday aged 86, his agency has confirmed.

The Olivier-nominated playwright was widely hailed as a pioneer in his field, known for his realistic staging and his creation of modern working-class shows such as The York Realist, Small Change and The Sleeper’s Den.

In a statement to the Press Association from his agent Mel Kenyon, Gill was remembered for having a “rare emotional delicacy” in his work, which was described as “beautifully observed and finely tuned”.

Kenyon added: “Whenever we talked, I walked away a wiser person.

“He taught me so much just by being him.

“He was a singular man, a kind, generous and curious man.

“I will miss him greatly.”

Welsh actor Evans also paid tribute to Gill in a post to Instagram on Tuesday, and he remembered the theatre director for changing the trajectory of his career after casting him in a 2008 revival of Small Change.

Evans, who has since appeared in The Hobbit trilogy, the Fast And Furious franchise and Disney’s live-action Beauty And The Beast film, credited Gill for his successful acting career.

Over a black and white photo of the thespian, he wrote: “This man gave me a role in a play when I was 27 that changed my whole professional life.

“Peter Gill has passed away at 86 leaving behind a legacy of work that I was very lucky enough to be a small part of.

“Without that play Small Change that he wrote and directed me in, I don’t think I would have ever had a film career, or any career to be honest.

“RIP dear Peter and thank you.”

Gill started his widely successful career in theatre as an actor, and has gone on to hold senior roles at institutions such as the Royal Court.

He was also an associate director at the National Theatre where he set up the National Theatre Studio to give playwrights and directors space to develop ideas.

Gill is widely regarded for his influence in British theatre, and often drew on his experiences of South Wales in his work – which focused on explorations of class, family, identity and belonging.

He was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1980 for his services to the theatre.

During his decades-long career, he has worked with stars such as Michael Pennington, Vanessa Redgrave and Julian Glover on a variety of theatrical productions.

He has also staged shows by Anton Chekhov, David Mamet and Harold Pinter who are widely regarded as some of the greatest playwrights of all time.

‘Seismic’

Olivier Award-winning theatre director Michael Grandage also paid tribute to Gill, and said: “I believe Peter’s contribution to the British theatre will come to be regarded as quietly seismic.

“Through the observation of the domestic, he always gave us something universal.

“He was, for much of my life, an important mentor and while it is sad to think he is no longer with us, I feel confident that future generations will discover some of the finest plays written in the last 70 years with unquestionably some of the most beautiful prose in the English language.”

Tamara Harvey, co-artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, added: “He was a true artist and tirelessly devoted to the theatre.

“His unerring ability to capture the complexity of human existence will live on in his writing but he will, nevertheless, be deeply missed.”

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