Editing Michael Hordern (section)

====Television and radio: 1980–83====

In 1981 Hordern played the role of [[Gandalf]] in the [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|BBC radio adaptation]] of [[J. R. R. Tolkien|Tolkien's]] ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. The BBC's budget was generous, and attracted well-known actors from stage and television. The series ran for 26 episodes and was a hit with audiences and critics. The author Ernest Mathijs singled out Hordern in particular as being one of the more powerful characters of the series and his personal favourite,<ref>Mathijs, p. 62.</ref> while co-star [[Ian Holm]], writing years later in his autobiography ''Acting My Life'', said he thought Hordern interpreted the role "in a grand, rather old fashioned way".<ref>Holm, p. 381.</ref> Writing in his autobiography in 1993, Hordern said he found the part of Gandalf to be "a bit of a slog".<ref>Hordern, p. 183.</ref>

Hordern and Jonathan Miller reprised their collaboration in 1982 with a final performance of ''King Lear'' for the [[BBC Television Shakespeare]] production. The actor considered this version to be his best and attributed its success to the fact he was getting older and therefore able to better understand the character.<ref>Hordern p. 140.</ref> The author [[Joseph Pearce]], writing in 2008, claimed that Hordern played the king "straight up with no gloss"<ref name="PEARCE240">Pearce, p. 240.</ref> and made a "reliable and workmanlike Lear"<ref name="PEARCE240" /> who is "forceful when he should be forceful, compassionate when he should be compassionate, [and] sorrowful when he should be sorrowful".<ref name="PEARCE240" /> Despite the praise, Pearce thought that Hordern's performance in Act{{nbsp}}3 "lack[ed] the required fierceness and miss[ed] the mythic quality when compared to some of the bigger names".<ref name="PEARCE240" />

In January 1983 Hordern was knighted, an honour which the actor called "a great thrill and [a] surprise to us all".<ref>Hordern, p. 151.</ref> That year he became popular among children as the voice of Badger in the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] film ''[[The Wind in the Willows (1983 film)|The Wind in the Willows]]''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120809182410/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b78aed8bc "Wind in the Willows (1983)"], [[British Film Institute]], accessed 22 January 2016.</ref> He then spent the rest of 1983 appearing as Sir Anthony Absolute in ''[[The Rivals]]'' for Peter Wood at the Royal National Theatre and received excellent notices.<ref>Hordern, p. 152.</ref> He was nominated for an award at that year's [[Olivier Awards]] for best comedy performance of the year, but lost out to [[Griff Rhys Jones]].<ref>[http://www.olivierawards.com/winners/view/item98517/olivier-winners-1983/ "Olivier Winners (1983)"], Olivierawards.com, accessed 22 January 2016.</ref> His success on the stage was tinged with private turmoil; Eve was taken ill after she suffered a [[brain haemorrhage]], a condition from which she never fully recuperated. She required constant care but recovered enough to become partially self-sufficient. However, in 1986 she had a fatal heart attack at the couple's London flat.<ref>Hordern, pp. 156–157.</ref> Hordern was devastated and became consumed in self-pity,<ref>Hordern, p. 157.</ref> in part because of his guilt at the extramarital affairs he had had with many of his leading ladies during the marriage.<ref>Hordern, p. 156.</ref>