LONDON (AP) -- Sir Dirk Bogarde, the British actor who starred in more than 70 films and captured the hearts of many women in the 1950s, died Saturday, his nephew said. He was 78.
The British film star, who achieved his greatest fame in "Death in Venice," died of a heart attack at his London home, said Brock Van den Bogaerde. He suffered a damaging stroke in 1996 and had been under 24-hour nursing care since last May."He was extremely happy and looking forward to events like his 80th birthday and many plans for the future," his nephew said. "I'm sure there is not a better way to go."
Born in London on March 28, 1921, Dirk Niven Van den Bogaerde was the son of a former actress and a photograph editor of The Times.
He began his career as a scene designer and commercial artist but always dreamed of acting. In the late 1930s, Bogarde joined the British army as an officer in Air Photographic Intelligence, serving in World War II.
As soon as he returned to England from military service, Bogarde joined a small theater group. Soon, he landed roles in the lighthearted "Doctor in the House" series, and by the 1950s, the actor with the boyish good looks had become a matinee idol.
Screaming audiences mobbed him at public appearances. The attention soon led to bigger roles in movies such as "A Tale of Two Cities," in which he played Sidney Carton, and other films such as "Darling" and "The Servant."