Abner Brown in the 1984 BBC TV dramatisation of the children's classic The Box of Delights and as the Master of an Oxford college in an episode of Inspector Morse), it was not until the 1990s that he re-established himself at the forefront of his profession, when the Royal Shakespeare Company invited him to play Falstaff in Henry IV for director Adrian Noble (opening April 1991), the title roles in Julius Caesar (director Stephen Pimlott) later in the year and then King Lear, again for Noble, in May 1993. He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1993 for Best Actor, for his performance as Falstaff. Stephens provided the voice of Aragorn in the 1981 BBC Radio serialisation of The Lord of the Rings. In 1985, he directed the British premiere production of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea by John Patrick Shanley at the Gate Theatre, London. Stephens was knighted as a Knight Bachelor in the 1995 New Years Honours List "For services to Drama". Personal life Stephens was married four times: 1951: to Nora Ann Simmons; they had one child, Michael Stephens, and divorced in 1952. 1956: to Tarn Bassett; they had a daughter, Lucy, and divorced in 1967 1967: to Maggie Smith; they had two sons, the actors Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, and divorced in 1975. 1995: to Belfast-born Patricia Quinn (Lady Stephens; born 28 May 1944). Death Following years of ill health, he died on 12 November 1995 at the age of 64 due to complications during surgery, eleven months after having been knighted. Filmography Film Television References Bibliography Stephens, Robert; Coveney, Michael. (1995). Knight Errant. Hodder and Stoughton Stevens, Christopher. (2010). Born Brilliant: The Life of Kenneth Williams. John Murray McFarlane, Brian. (2005). The Encyclopaedia of British Film. Methuen, 2nd edition External links Robert Stephens at screenonline Portraits of Stephens at the National Portrait Gallery 1931 births 1995 deaths Actors awarded knighthoods English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors English male radio actors English male voice actors Knights Bachelor Laurence Olivier Award winners Royal Shakespeare Company members Male actors from Bristol 20th-century English male actors People from Shirehampton