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Richard Attenborough
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'''Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough''',
Order of the British Empire CBE (born
29 August 1923), often known as '''Dickie Attenborough''', is a prolific
England English film actor,
film director director and
film producer producer.
Early career
Born in
Cambridge, he was educated at
Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in
Leicester and at the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). His film career as an actor began in 1942 as a deserting sailor in ''
In Which We Serve'', a role which would help to type-cast him for many years as
spivs or cowards in films like ''
London Belongs to Me'' (1948), ''
Morning Departure'' (1950), and his breakthrough role as a
psychopathic young gangster in the film adaptation of
Graham Greene's novel ''
Brighton Rock'' in 1947. He worked prolifically in British films for the next thirty years, and in the 1950s appeared in several successful comedies for
John and Roy Boulting, including ''
Private's Progress'' (1956) and ''
I'm All Right Jack'' (1959).
Producer and director
In the late 1950s he formed a production company, Beaver Films, with
Bryan Forbes and began to build a profile as a producer on projects including ''
The League of Gentlemen (film) The League of Gentlemen'' (1959), ''
The Angry Silence'' (1960) and ''
Whistle Down the Wind'' (1961), also appearing in the first two of these as an actor. He continued to work in films in character roles throughout the decade, winning the
BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the
regimental Sergeant Major in ''
Guns at Batasi'' in 1964. One of Attenborough's most notable film roles was as Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett ("Big X"), the head of the escape committee, in ''
The Great Escape'' (1963).
In 1969, he made his first film as director, ''
Oh! What a Lovely War'', and his appearances as an actor became more sporadic, the most notable being his portrayal of
serial killer John Reginald Halliday Christie John Christie in 1971's ''
10 Rillington Place''. He also directed two more epic period films, ''
Young Winston'' (1972), based on the early life of
Winston Churchill, and ''
A Bridge Too Far'' (1977). He won the 1982
Academy Award for Directing for his historical epic, ''
Gandhi (film) Gandhi'', a project he had been attempting to get made for several years. As the film's producer, he also won the
Academy Award for Best Picture. His most recent films as director and producer include ''
Grey Owl (film) Grey Owl'', and the acclaimed drama ''
Shadowlands'', based on the relationship between
C.S. Lewis and
Joy Gresham.
Current projects
Currently, Lord Attenborough is President of RADA, Chairman of
Capital Radio Group Capital Radio, President of
BAFTA, President of the
Gandhi Foundation,
Chancellor (education) Chancellor of the
University of Sussex and President of the British
National Film and Television School.
He was elected to the post of Chancellor of the University of Sussex on
20 March 1998, replacing the
Charles Gordon-Lennox, 10th Duke of Richmond Duke of Richmond and Gordon. He is also Life Vice-President of
Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club.
He is actively involved in the project to develop a film industry in
Wales, commonly referred to as "
Valleywood".
Honours
In 1967, he was made a
Order of the British Empire Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). He was
Knight Bachelor knighted in 1976 and in 1993 he was made a
life peer as Baron Attenborough, of
Richmond upon Thames in the
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
Family
He has been married to British actress
Sheila Sim since 1945. They had three children. In December 2004, his elder daughter, Jane Holland, as well as her daughter, Lucy, and her mother-in-law, also named Jane, were killed in the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. [http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3936825] A memorial service was held on
8 March 2005, and Attenborough read a lesson at the national memorial service on
11 May 2005.
He has two younger brothers, one of whom is the famous naturalist
David Attenborough.
Selected filmography
As an actor
* ''
In Which We Serve'' (
1942 in film 1942)
* ''
Brighton Rock'' (
1947 in film 1947)
* ''
London Belongs to Me'' (
1948 in film 1948)
* ''
Private's Progress'' (
1956 in film 1956)
* ''
The League of Gentlemen (film) The League of Gentlemen'' (
1959 in film 1959)
* ''
I'm All Right Jack'' (
1959 in film 1959)
* ''[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053602/ The Angry Silence]''(
1960 in film 1960)
* ''
The Great Escape'' (
1963 in film 1963)
* ''
Seance on a Wet Afternoon'' (
1964 in film 1964)
* ''
Guns at Batasi'' (
1964 in film 1964)
* ''
The Flight of the Phoenix'' (
1965 in film 1965)
* ''
The Sand Pebbles (
1966 in film 1966)
* ''
Doctor Dolittle (
1967 in film 1967)
* ''
10 Rillington Place'' (
1971 in film 1971)
* ''
Jurassic Park'' (
1993 in film 1993)
* ''
Miracle on 34th Street'' (
1994 in film 1994)
* ''
The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' (
1997 in film 1997)
* ''
Elizabeth (film) Elizabeth'' (
1998 in film 1998)
As director
* ''
Oh! What A Lovely War'' (
1969 in film 1969)
* ''
Young Winston'' (
1972 in film 1972)
* ''
A Bridge Too Far'' (
1977 in film 1977)
* ''
Magic (movie) Magic'' (
1978 in film 1978)
* ''
Gandhi (film) Gandhi'' (
1982 in film 1982)
* ''
A Chorus Line'' (
1985 in film 1985)
* ''
Cry Freedom'' (
1987 in film 1987)
* ''
Chaplin'' (
1992 in film 1992)
* ''
Shadowlands'' (
1993)
* ''
In Love and War'' (
1996 in film 1996)
* ''
Grey Owl (film) Grey Owl'' (
1999 in film 1999)
External links
*{{imdb name|id=0000277|name=Richard Attenborough}}
*{{nndb name|id=750/000023681|name=Richard Attenborough}}
-
University of Sussex media release about Lord Attenborough's election as Chancellor, dated Friday, March 20, 1998
-
Richard Attenborough Stills & Posters Gallery from the British Film Institute
{{Richard Attenborough Films}}
Category:1923 births Attenborough, Richard
Category:Living people Attenborough, Richard
Category:English actors Attenborough, Richard
Category:English film directors Attenborough, Richard
Category:English film producers Attenborough, Richard
Category:British film directors Attenborough, Richard
Category:Best Director Oscar Attenborough, Richard
Category:English film actors Attenborough, Richard
Category:UK Labour Party politicians Attenborough, Richard
Category:Life peers Attenborough, Richard
Category:Natives of Cambridgeshire Attenborough, Richard
Category:Commanders of the British Empire Attenborough, Richard
Category:Knights Bachelor Attenborough, Richard
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