International matinee idol Dirk Bogarde died of a heart attack in his London home yesterday at the age of 78.
The British screen sensation, whose 60 films included starring roles in “Death in Venice,” “The Victim” and “The Servant,” also wrote seven volumes of autobiography and seven novels.
“He was extremely happy and looking forward to events like his 80th birthday,” said his nephew, Brock van den Bogaerde.
Born Derek van den Bogaerde in the London suburb of Hampstead, the actor made his stage debut in 1939.
He won that first part purely by accident – showing up at the wrong audition. Going to the wrong room for a BBC tryout, Bogarde ended up landing a part in a stage play.
Ironically, acting never really moved him. He once acknowledged his low opinion of the craft, saying he “never” liked it but: “It made me money.”
His skills made him a star overnight, earning him acclaim from critics and admirers in Europe and America. Between 1947 and 1961, he starred in more than 30 films, from war movies to comedy.
His most controversial role was playing a homosexual lawyer in 1961’s “The Victim,” the first British film to deal with the problems of gay men in public life.
He played the title role in director Joseph Losey’s screening of Harold Pinter’s “The Servant,” which won him the British Academy’s prestigious Best British Actor Award.
In 1973, he won high praise for his mesmerizing, all-but-silent interpretation of a lonely, dying composer in “Death In Venice,” an adaptation of Thomas Mann’s short story.
Bogarde moved to Hollywood in the early ’60s, but soon became disillusioned with the glitter and hype.
He requested that his ashes be scattered over France.