Portugal Colonial - Oscar-winning UK playwright Tom Stoppard dies aged 88

"We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved client and friend, Tom Stoppard, has died peacefully at home in Dorset, surrounded by his family," the talent agency said.

"He will be remembered for his works, for their brilliance and humanity, and for his wit, his irreverence, his generosity of spirit and his profound love of the English language," it said.

"It was an honour to work with Tom and to know him."

To non-theatre-goers, Stoppard is best remembered for his work in cinema, which included the "Indiana Jones" and "Star Wars" franchises and an Oscar in 1999 for his screenplay for "Shakespeare in Love", which scooped a total of seven Academy Awards that year.

Born in Czechoslovakia in 1937, he fled his home during the Nazi occupation and found refuge in Britain. After leaving school, Stoppard became a journalist and later a playwright.

Over a six-decade career, he wrote for the theatre, TV and radio, as well as film, and won multiple awards.

In 1997 he was knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth II for his services to literature.

Stoppard was married three times and had four sons, one of whom Ed Stoppard, is an actor.

J.Pereira--PC