Tom Stoppard, prolific British playwright who penned Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, dies at 88

British playwright Tom Stoppard arrives for the world premiere of Anna Karenina in London on Sept. 4, 2012. Stoppard was often hailed as the greatest British playwright of his generation.

British playwright Tom Stoppard, a playful, probing dramatist who won an Academy Award for the screenplay for 1998’s “Shakespeare In Love,” has died. He was 88.

In a statement Saturday, United Agents said Stoppard died “peacefully” at his home in Dorset in southern England, surrounded by his family.

“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,” they said. “It was an honor to work with Tom and to know him.”

The Czech-born Stoppard was often hailed as the greatest British