By the time of his death in 1999, Bogarde could look back with pride at his career in the cinema. He had come a long way from his days as ‘Idol of the Odeons’. He was knighted in 1992 for his contribution to British cinema, made a Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government; nominated six times by BAFTA, winning twice as well as being accorded its first Tribute Award; nominated for the Hollywood Foreign Press Award, and twice for a Golden Globe Award; given the Dilys Powell Award by the London Critics Circle; honoured at Cannes in 1983 for service to the cinema, and again in 1986 as the first Englishman to head the Festival jury. In his later years, he taught master classes, passing on his years of accumulated experience and thoughts on acting for the cinema. (Indiana, 77) After fifty years, The Blue Lamp and Doctor in the House remain on the British Film Institute list of the top ten highest attended British films of all time.

To the least of roles Bogarde brought quality; to the best of roles, his own special genius. With every passing year and repeated viewings of his films, admirers more deeply comprehend the scope of his unique talent and compelling presence on screen that made him one of the most important actors of British and European cinema of the 20th century. Dirk Bogarde’s name will remain eternally above the title.

Barbara Siek received her Ph.D. in English Literature from The University of Chicago and has lectured on and written about British literature and cinema for over 20 years. She runs the Sir Dirk Bogarde e-group.