Actor Paul Giamatti is returning to his alma mater to tackle William Shakespeare's Hamlet.

The Sideways star graduated in English at prestigious Yale University in 1989 and went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama.

Now, he's preparing to head back to the Connecticut arts school next year to take to the stage as the Danish prince in The Bard's famous tragedy.

Giamatti is no stranger to Shakespeare's works - he recently completed filming on a big screen remake of Romeo and Juliet, in which he plays Friar Lawrence.