| Laurence Olivier | ... | King Lear | |
| Colin Blakely | ... | Kent | |
| Anna Calder-Marshall | ... | Cordelia | |
| Jeremy Kemp | ... | Cornwall | |
| Robert Lang | ... | Albany | |
| Robert Lindsay | ... | Edmund | |
| Leo McKern | ... | Gloucester | |
| David Threlfall | ... | Edgar | |
| Dorothy Tutin | ... | Goneril | |
| John Hurt | ... | The Fool | |
| Diana Rigg | ... | Regan | |
| Brian Cox | ... | Burgundy | |
| Edward Petherbridge | ... | France | |
| Geoffrey Bateman | ... | Oswald | |
| John Cording | ... | Lear's Knight | |
| Benny Young | ... | Cornwall's Servant | |
| Esmond Knight | ... | Old Man | |
| Ian Ruskin | ... | Edmund's Officer | |
| Paul Curran | ... | Doctor | |
| Ronald Forfar | ... | First Officer | |
| Harry Walker | ... | Second Officer | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Harry Fielder | ... | Man servant (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Michael Elliott | |||
Writing credits(in alphabetical order) | ||
| William Shakespeare | play | |
Produced by | |||
| David Plowright | .... | executive producer | |
| David Plowright | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Gordon Crosse | |||
Casting by | |||
| Malcolm Drury | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Colin Lowrey | |||
| Roy Stonehouse | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Tanya Moiseiwitsch | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Lois Richardson | .... | makeup supervisor | |
Art Department | |||
| Ray Freeman | .... | graphic designer | |
Sound Department | |||
| Alistair Houston | .... | sound mixer | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Roger England | .... | camera operator: studio camera | |
| Mike Turnbull | .... | camera operator | |
| Christopher White | .... | studio lighting | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Charlotte Holdich | .... | associate costume designer | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Linda Anthony | .... | vision mixer | |
| D.L. Heyes | .... | editor: video tape | |
| Ron Swain | .... | editor: video tape | |
Music Department | |||
| Gordon Crosse | .... | conductor | |
| Alex Dobos | .... | music recordist | |
Other crew | |||
| Lesley Beames | .... | researcher | |
| Jo Day | .... | assistant stage manager | |
| Louise Doffman | .... | production assistant | |
| Ron Greenhalgh | .... | studio supervisor | |
| William Hobbs | .... | fight arranger | |
| Ken Jones | .... | studio vision | |
| Graham Wild | .... | floor manager | |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb UK section |
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An all-star cast takes on Shakespeare's greatest tragedy. Laurence Olivier is Lear -- once a mighty king, now a weak, jealous old man. Tired and in need of rest, he divides his kingdom among his three daughters. Cordelia, the youngest, is good and kind, while Regan and Goneril are wicked schemers who soon turn against the king and try to murder him! Lear has loyal friends, like Kent the noble, and his jester, the Fool. Colin Blakely makes Kent into the perfect, rugged sidekick, as brave and reliable as Sam in LORD OF THE RINGS. And John Hurt makes the haunting, half-crazed fool as helpless and pitiable as Gollum, without all the creepy sliminess.
But the real stars of the play are actually the villains. Diana Rigg is delicious as Regan, the younger of the two "wicked sisters." Even when she is shiveringly evil, (joking about Gloucester's pain as she pokes out his eyes!) she remains a stunningly desirable woman. And the twisted affair between Regan and the studly but wicked Edmund is much more erotic and involving than in most productions. Robert Lindsay captures the gigolo side of Edmund perfectly, always teasing and tempting and making poor love-struck Regan literally pucker up to kiss the empty air. Diana Rigg really plays all sides of the character -- watching her pout and sulk in her tent would be sweetly endearing if she weren't so truly and completely cruel. As a result the viewer is spellbound, unable to resist the evil but horrified by the inevitable tragedy.
With an all-star cast, original scenery and a haunting musical score, this bold production is Shakespeare at the summit!