Sir Tom Stoppard, the acclaimed playwright who authored Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and the screenwriter of Shakespeare in Love, Empire of the Sun and many other movies, is dead at 88.

Born Tomáš Sträussler in Czechoslovakia before his family fled the Nazis and settled in England, he died at his home in Dorset. A statement released by United Agents said he was 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. It was an honour to work with Tom and to know him," the statement said. 00:00/19:20 10

The 8-year-old Tom "put on Englishness like a coat," he later said, growing up to be a quintessential Englishman who loved crick

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