Peter Hall (director)

Sir Peter Reginald Frederick Hall CBE (22 November 1930 – 11 September 2017) was a British director, playwright and actor. 
Career.
In 1955 he introduced London audiences to the work of Samuel Beckett with the UK premiere of "Waiting for Godot". Hall founded the Royal Shakespeare Company (1960–68) and went on to build an international reputation in theatre, opera, movie and television. He was Director of the National Theatre (1973–88) and Artistic Director of Glyndebourne Festival Opera (1984-1990). 
He formed The Peter Hall Company (1998-2011) and became founding director of The Rose Theatre, Kingston in 2003. Throughout his career, he has been a vociferous champion of public funding for the arts.
Death.
On the morning of 11 September 2017, Hall died at University College Hospital in London from pneumonia complicated by dementia, aged 86.