BBC Two aired a new adaptation of '' Richard III '' in 2016 as part of '' The Hollow Crown '' series , with Benedict Cumberbatch playing the king . Executive producer Pippa Harris commented , " By filming the '' Henry VI '' plays as well as '' Richard III '' , we will allow viewers to fully appreciate how such a monstrous tyrant could find his way to power , bringing even more weight and depth to this iconic character . " Abraham Lincoln was renowned for his love of Shakespeare , and of '' Richard III '' in particular . This fed Confederate propaganda , especially in Virginia , where residents of Richmond saw Lincoln as a Richard-like tyrant and identified their capital city with the Earl of Richmond , the hero of Shakespeare 's play . ( See photo of Richmond slaying Richard , above . ) Some interpreted Richard 's Act IV speech as an omen favorable to the South : The connection between Lincoln and the play was indelibly printed on history when on 14 April 1865 , within a fortnight of the president 's visit to the defeated city , he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth , a Shakespearean actor known for playing both Richard and Richmond . Booth 's notorious , final words from the stage were '' " Sic semper tyrannis " ''
assassinated
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Richard III (play)