- Richard Attenborough
-
The Right Honourable
The Lord Attenborough
CBE
Attenborough at the 2007 Toronto International Film FestivalBorn Richard Samuel Attenborough
29 August 1923
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, United KingdomNationality British Alma mater Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Occupation Actor, director, producer Years active 1942–2007 Title President of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Term 2001–2010 Predecessor HRH The Princess Royal Successor HRH The Duke of Cambridge Spouse Sheila Sim (m. 1945–present) Children Michael
Jane (deceased)
CharlotteRelatives David Attenborough (brother)
Gerald Sim (brother-in-law)
Jane Seymour (former daughter-in-law)Awards Academy Award for Best Director
1982 Gandhi
Academy Award for Best Picture
1982 GandhiRichard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough (pronounced /ˈætənbərə/), CBE (born 29 August 1923) is a British actor, director, producer and entrepreneur. As director and producer he won two Academy Awards for the 1982 film Gandhi. He has also won four BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes. As an actor, he is perhaps best known for his roles in Brighton Rock, The Great Escape, 10 Rillington Place, Séance on a Wet Afternoon, Jurassic Park and its 1997 sequel.[1]
He is the elder brother of prominent naturalist and wildlife filmmaker Sir David Attenborough.
Contents
Early life
Attenborough was born in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, the eldest of three sons of Mary Attenborough (née Clegg) a founding member of the Marriage Guidance Council, and Frederick Levi Attenborough, a scholar and academic administrator who was a don at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and wrote a standard text on Anglo-Saxon law.[2][3] Attenborough was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in Leicester and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). During the Second World War Attenborough served in the Royal Air Force.
Acting career
Attenborough's acting career also was on stage and he appeared in shows at Leicester's Little Theatre Dover Street, prior to him going to RADA, where he is still Patron. Attenborough's film career 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 of Graham Greene's novel Brighton Rock (1947). Attenborough 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). Early in his stage career, Attenborough starred in the London West End production of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, which went on to become the world's longest-running stage production. Both he and his wife were among the original cast members of the production, which opened in 1952 and as of 2011 is still running.
In the 1960s, he expanded his range of character roles in films such as Séance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) and Guns at Batasi (1964), for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM). In 1963 he appeared in the ensemble cast of The Great Escape as Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett ("Big X"), the head of the escape committee. It was his first appearance in a major Hollywood film blockbuster and his most successful film up to that time.
In 1967 and 1968, he won back-to-back Golden Globe Awards in the category of Best Supporting Actor, the first time for The Sand Pebbles starring Steve McQueen and the second time for Doctor Dolittle starring Rex Harrison. He won another Golden Globe, for Best Director, for Gandhi in 1983. Six years prior to Gandhi he played the ruthless General Outram, in Indian director Satyajit Ray's period piece The Chess Players. He has never been nominated for an Academy Award in an acting category.
He took no acting roles following his appearance in Otto Preminger's version of The Human Factor in 1979 until his appearance as the eccentric developer John Hammond in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park in 1993 and the popular film's 1997 sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park. The following year, he starred in the remake of Miracle on 34th Street as Kris Kringle. Since then he has made occasional appearances in supporting roles, including as Sir William Cecil in the 1998 historical drama Elizabeth. He was also cast as Jacob in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat".
Producer and director
Attenborough, photographed in 1983.
In the late 1950s, Attenborough 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 (1959), The Angry Silence (1960) and Whistle Down the Wind (1961), also appearing in the first two of these as an actor.
His feature film directorial debut was the all-star screen version of the hit musical Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), and his acting appearances became more sporadic—the most notable being his portrayal of serial killer John Christie in 10 Rillington Place (1971). He later directed two epic period films: Young Winston (1972), based on the early life of Winston Churchill, and A Bridge Too Far (1977), an all-star account of Operation Market Garden in World War II. He won the 1982 Academy Award for Best Director for his historical epic, Gandhi, a project he had been attempting to get made for many years. As the film's producer, he also won the Academy Award for Best Picture. His most recent films as director and producer include Chaplin (1992) starring Robert Downey, Jr. as Charlie Chaplin and Shadowlands (1993), based on the relationship between C. S. Lewis and Joy Gresham. The star of the latter was Anthony Hopkins, who also appeared in three other films for Attenborough: Young Winston, A Bridge Too Far and the thriller Magic (1978).
Attenborough also directed the screen version of the musical A Chorus Line (1985), and the apartheid drama Cry Freedom, based on the life and death of prominent anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko and the experiences of Donald Woods. Attenborough was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director for both films.
Corporate appointments
- Chairman of the Board of Governors of the British Film Institute (1982–92)
- Chairman of Capital Radio
- Director of Chelsea Football Club (1969–82)
- Life Vice-President of Chelsea Football Club (1993–2008)
- Life President of Chelsea Football Club (2008 – present)
- Deputy Chairman of Channel Four Television (1982–87)
- Chairman of Channel Four (1987–92)
- Chairman of Goldcrest Films
- President of RADA
- President of BAFTA (2001–10)
- President of the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation
- President of the British National Film and Television School
- Vice Patron of the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund
Attenborough also heads a committee awarding the eponymous Attenborough Prize, a £2000 annual arts prize celebrating creativity by emerging artists. The Attenborough Prize is awarded to the best contemporary visual artist among a shortlist of six artists presented to Lord Attenborough. The most recent (2009) Prize was awarded to Neill Raitt.
Current projects
Chancellor of the University of SussexAttenborough spent time in Belfast, Northern Ireland, working on his film, Closing the Ring, set in Belfast during the Second World War. The movie was released in October, 2007.
Attenborough is also the patron of the UWC movement (United World Colleges) whereby he continually contributes greatly to the colleges that are part of the organisation. He has frequented the United World College of Southern Africa (UWCSA) Waterford Kamhlaba. His wife and he founded the Richard and Sheila Attenborough Visual Arts Centre. He also founded the Jane Holland Creative Centre for Learning at Waterford Kamhlaba in Swaziland in memory of his daughter who died in the tsunami on 26 December 2004. He passionately believes in education, primarily education that does not judge upon colour, race, creed or religion. His attachment to Waterford is his passion for non-racial education, which were the grounds on which Waterford Kamhlaba was founded. Waterford was one of his inspirations for directing the Cry Freedom motion picture based on the life of Steve Biko.
He was elected to the post of Chancellor of the University of Sussex on 20 March 1998, replacing The Duke of Richmond and Gordon. He stood down as Chancellor of the University following Graduation in July 2008.[4] There now hangs a 42 inch by 46 inch portrait of him in the University's library.[5]
A lifelong supporter of Chelsea Football Club, Attenborough served as a director of the club from 1969–1982 and between 1993 and 2008 held the honorary position of Life Vice President. On the 30 November 2008 he was honoured with the title of Life President at the club's stadium, Stamford Bridge.[6]
He is also the head of the consortium "Dragon International", which are currently constructing a film and television studio complex in Llanilid, Wales, often referred to as "Valleywood."
Honours
In 1967, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). He was 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.[7]
In 1983, Attenborough was awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Nonviolence Peace Prize by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.[8]
On 13 July 2006, Attenborough, along with his brother David, were awarded the titles of Distinguished Honorary Fellows of the University of Leicester "in recognition of a record of continuing distinguished service to the University".[9][10]
On 20 November 2008, Attenborough was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Drama from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) in Glasgow.[citation needed]
Attenborough is also listed as an Honorary Fellow of Bangor University for his continued efforts to film making.[11]
Personal life
Attenborough's father was the principal of University College, Leicester, now the city's university. This has resulted in a long association with the university, with Lord Attenborough a patron. The university's Embrace Arts at the RA centre[1], which opened in 1997, is named in his honour. He has two younger brothers, the world famous naturalist Sir David Attenborough; and John Attenborough, who has made a career in the motor trade.
Attenborough has been married to English actress Sheila Sim since 1945. Since 1951 he has lived in a house on Richmond Green. On 26 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 tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.[12] A memorial service was held on 8 March 2005, and Attenborough read a lesson at the national memorial service on 11 May 2005. His grandson Samuel Holland and granddaughter Alice Holland also read in the service. A commemorative plaque has been placed in the floor of St Mary Magdalen's Parish church in Richmond.
Attenborough has two other children, Michael John and Charlotte, an actress. Michael John Attenborough is Creative Director of the Almeida Theatre, London, and is also a director; he is married to actress Karen Lewis and has two sons. Attenborough has five grandsons and a surviving granddaughter.[citation needed]
Attenborough has collected Picasso ceramics since the 1950s. More than 100 items went on display at the New Walk Museum and Art Gallery in Leicester in 2007; the exhibition is dedicated to his family members lost in the tsunami.[13][14]
In 2008 he published, in association with his long standing associate, Diana Hawkins, an informal autobiography, Entirely Up to You, Darling.
In August 2008 Attenborough was hospitalised with heart problems, and was fitted with a pacemaker. In December 2008 he suffered a fall at his home and was admitted to St. George's Hospital in Tooting, South West London. He went into a coma, but came out of it within a few days.[15]
In May 2011, David Attenborough revealed that his brother was now in a wheelchair but is still capable of holding a conversation and talking about old times. But added, “He (Richard) probably won’t be making any more films.” [16]
Filmography
Year Title Credited as Producer Director Actor Role 1942 In Which We Serve Yes Young Stoker 1943 Schweik's New Adventures Yes Railway worker 1944 The Hundred Pound Window Yes Tommy Draper 1946 Journey Together Yes David Wilton A Matter of Life and Death Yes An English pilot School for Secrets Yes Jack Arnold 1947 Brighton Rock Yes Pinkie Brown The Man Within Yes Francis Andrews Dancing with Crime Yes Ted Peters 1948 London Belongs to Me Yes Percy Boon The Guinea Pig Yes Jack Read 1949 The Lost People Yes Jan Boys in Brown Yes Jackie Knowles 1950 Morning Departure Yes Stoker Snipe 1951 The Magic Box Yes Jack Carter Hell is Sold Out Yes Pierre Bonnet 1952 Father's Doing Fine Yes Dougall Eight O’Clock Walk Yes Thomas "Tom" Leslie Manning Gift Horse Yes Dripper Daniels 1955 The Ship That Died of Shame Yes George Hoskins 1956 Private's Progress Yes Pvt. Percival Henry Cox The Baby and the Battleship Yes Knocker White 1957 The Scamp Yes Stephen Leigh Brothers in Law Yes Henry Marshall 1958 Dunkirk Yes John Holden The Man Upstairs Yes Peter Watson Sea of Sand Yes Brody 1959 The League of Gentlemen Yes Lexy I'm All Right Jack Yes Sidney De Vere Cox Danger Within Yes Capt. "Bunter" Phillips Jet Storm Yes Ernest Tiller SOS Pacific Yes Whitney Mullen 1960 The Angry Silence Yes Yes Tom Curtis 1961 Whistle Down the Wind Yes 1962 Only Two Can Play Yes Probert The L-Shaped Room Yes Trial and Error Yes Herbert Fowle 1963 The Great Escape Yes Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett 1964 The Third Secret Yes Alfred Price-Gorham Séance on a Wet Afternoon Yes Yes Billy Savage Guns at Batasi Yes Regimental Sgt. Major Lauderdale 1965 The Flight of the Phoenix Yes Lew Moran 1966 The Sand Pebbles Yes Frenchy Burgoyne 1967 Doctor Dolittle Yes Albert Blossom 1968 Only When I Larf Yes Silas The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom Yes Robert Blossom 1969 The Magic Christian Yes Oxford coach Oh! What A Lovely War Yes Yes 1970 Loot Yes Inspector Truscott The Last Grenade Yes Gen. Charles Whiteley A Severed Head Yes Palmer Anderson 1971 10 Rillington Place Yes John Reginald Christie 1972 Cup Glory Yes Narrator Young Winston Yes Yes 1974 And Then There Were None Yes Judge Arthur Cannon 1975 Rosebud Yes Edward Sloat Brannigan Yes Cmdr. Sir Charles Swann Conduct Unbecoming Yes Maj. Lionel E. Roach 1977 Shatranj Ke Khiladi Yes General Outram A Bridge Too Far Yes Yes Lunatic wearing glasses 1978 Magic Yes 1979 The Human Factor Yes Col. John Daintry 1982 Gandhi Yes Yes 1985 A Chorus Line Yes 1987 Cry Freedom Yes Yes 1992 Chaplin Yes Yes 1993 Jurassic Park Yes John Hammond Shadowlands Yes Yes 1994 Miracle on 34th Street Yes Kris Kringle 1996 Hamlet Yes English Ambassador to Denmark In Love and War Yes Yes 1997 The Lost World: Jurassic Park Yes John Hammond 1998 Elizabeth Yes William Cecil 1999 Grey Owl Yes Yes Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Yes Jacob 2002 Puckoon Yes narrator 2007 Closing the Ring Yes Yes Styles
- Richard Attenborough, Esq. (1923–1967)
- Richard Attenborough, Esq., CBE (1967–1976)
- Sir Richard Attenborough, CBE (1976–1993)
- The Rt Hon. The Lord Attenborough, CBE (1993–)
References
- ^ "Filmography by votes for Richard Attenborough", IMDb. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
- ^ "Richard Attenborough Biography (1923–)". Filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/38/Richard-Attenborough.html. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ "Richard Attenborough Biography – Yahoo! Movies". Movies.yahoo.com. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800010463/bio. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ "Lord Attenborough steps down as Sussex University chancellor". Theargus.co.uk. http://www.theargus.co.uk/search/2235631.Lord_Attenborough_steps_down_as_Sussex_University_chancellor_/. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ "Bulletin – 31 October 2008". Sussex.ac.uk. 31 October 2008. http://www.sussex.ac.uk/press_office/bulletin/31oct08/article13.shtml. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ "LIFE PRESIDENT ATTENBOROUGH | Latest Chelsea News | Team & Transfer News | Chelsea FC | Chelsea". Chelsea FC. http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10268~1472484,00.html. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ "Burke's Peerage – Preview Family Record". Burkes-peerage.net. http://www.burkes-peerage.net/familyhomepage.aspx?FID=0&FN=ATTENBOROUGH. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ "Commemorative Service | The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change". Thekingcenter.org. http://www.thekingcenter.org/the-king-holiday/commemorative-service/. Retrieved 2011-09-03.
- ^ "University of Leicester – Honorary Degrees and Distinguished Honorary Fellowships Announced by University of Leicester". .le.ac.uk. 9 June 2006. http://www2.le.ac.uk/ebulletin/news/press-releases/2000-2009/2006/06/nparticle.2006-06-09.8313843344. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ "News from India". Indiaenews.com. 16 December 2009. http://indiaenews.com/2006-06/10872-leicester-varsity-honour-attenborough-brothers.htm. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ "Lord Attenborough, Honorary Fellow, Bangor University". Bangor.ac.uk. http://www.bangor.ac.uk/about/alumni/Lord_Attenborough.php.en. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ Pook, Sally (8 December 2005). "Attenborough family's fatal tsunami decision". The Daily Telegraph (UK). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1504959/Attenborough-familys-fatal-tsunami-decision.html. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ Leicester City Council[dead link]
- ^ "Richard Attenborough's Picasso ceramics". Times Online. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article1808736.ece. Retrieved 2011-09-03.
- ^ Clements, Jo (24 March 2009). "Frail but fighting, Richard Attenborough is on course for his 74th film role". Daily Mail (UK). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1164298/Frail-fighting-Richard-Attenborough-course-74th-film-role.html. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ Walker, Tim (12 May 2011). "Lord Attenborough takes a final bow". Daily Telegraph (UK). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/8507673/Lord-Attenborough-takes-a-final-bow.html. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
External links
- Richard Attenborough at the Internet Movie Database
- Richard Attenborough on Charlie Rose
- Richard Attenborough Archive on the BAFTA website
- University of Sussex media release about Lord Attenborough's election as Chancellor, dated Friday, 20 March 1998
- Lord Attenborough at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
- Richard Attenborough Stills & Posters Gallery from the British Film Institute
- Richard Attenborough Centre for Disability and the Arts
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
- Voting record at PublicWhip.org
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou.com
- Profile at BBC News Democracy Live
- Works by or about Richard Attenborough in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
Preceded by
-NFTS Honorary Fellowship Succeeded by
David Lean, CBEFilms directed by Richard Attenborough 1960s Oh! What a Lovely War (1969)1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Closing the Ring (2007)Awards for Richard Attenborough Academy Award for Best Director (1981–2000) Warren Beatty (1981) · Richard Attenborough (1982) · James L. Brooks (1983) · Miloš Forman (1984) · Sydney Pollack (1985) · Oliver Stone (1986) · Bernardo Bertolucci (1987) · Barry Levinson (1988) · Oliver Stone (1989) · Kevin Costner (1990) · Jonathan Demme (1991) · Clint Eastwood (1992) · Steven Spielberg (1993) · Robert Zemeckis (1994) · Mel Gibson (1995) · Anthony Minghella (1996) · James Cameron (1997) · Steven Spielberg (1998) · Sam Mendes (1999) · Steven Soderbergh (2000)
Complete list · (1927–1940) · (1941–1960) · (1961–1980) · (1981–2000) · (2001–2020) BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (1960–1979) Peter Finch British & Jack Lemmon Foreign (1960) · Peter Finch British & Paul Newman Foreign (1961) · Peter O'Toole British & Burt Lancaster Foreign (1962) · Dirk Bogarde British & Marcello Mastroianni Foreign (1963) · Richard Attenborough British & Marcello Mastroianni Foreign (1964) · Dirk Bogarde British & Lee Marvin Foreign (1965) · Richard Burton British & Rod Steiger Foreign (1966) · Paul Scofield British & Rod Steiger Foreign (1967) · Spencer Tracy (1968) · Dustin Hoffman (1969) · Robert Redford (1970) · Peter Finch (1971) · Gene Hackman (1972) · Walter Matthau (1973) · Jack Nicholson (1974) · Al Pacino (1975) · Jack Nicholson (1976) · Peter Finch (1977) · Richard Dreyfuss (1978) · Jack Lemmon (1979)
Complete list · (1952–1959) · (1960–1979) · (1980–1999) · (2000–2019) BAFTA Award for Best Direction (1968–1984) Mike Nichols (1968) · John Schlesinger (1969) · George Roy Hill (1970) · John Schlesinger (1971) · Bob Fosse (1972) · François Truffaut (1973) · Roman Polanski (1974) · Stanley Kubrick (1975) · Miloš Forman (1976) · Woody Allen (1977) · Alan Parker (1978) · Francis Ford Coppola (1979) · Akira Kurosawa (1980) · Louis Malle (1981) · Richard Attenborough (1982) · Bill Forsyth (1983) · Wim Wenders (1984)
Complete list · (1968–1984) · (1985–2009) · (2010–2034) Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture (1961–1980) George Chakiris (1961) · Omar Sharif (1962) · John Huston (1963) · Edmond O'Brien (1964) · Oskar Werner (1965) · Richard Attenborough (1966) · Richard Attenborough (1967) · Daniel Massey (1968) · Gig Young (1969) · John Mills (1970) · Ben Johnson (1971) · Joel Grey (1972) · John Houseman (1973) · Fred Astaire (1974) · Richard Benjamin (1975) · Laurence Olivier (1976) · Peter Firth (1977) · John Hurt (1978) · Melvyn Douglas/Robert Duvall (1979) · Timothy Hutton (1980)
Complete List · (1943–1960) · (1961–1980) · (1981–2000) · (2001–present) Golden Globe Award for Best Director (1966–1990) Fred Zinnemann (1966) · Mike Nichols (1967) · Paul Newman (1968) · Charles Jarrott (1969) · Arthur Hiller (1970) · William Friedkin (1971) · Francis Ford Coppola (1972) · William Friedkin (1973) · Roman Polanski (1974) · Miloš Forman (1975) · Sidney Lumet (1976) · Herbert Ross (1977) · Michael Cimino (1978) · Francis Ford Coppola (1979) · Robert Redford (1980) · Warren Beatty (1981) · Richard Attenborough (1982) · Barbra Streisand (1983) · Miloš Forman (1984) · John Huston (1985) · Oliver Stone (1986) · Bernardo Bertolucci (1987) · Clint Eastwood (1988) · Oliver Stone (1989) · Kevin Costner (1990)
Complete List · (1943–1965) · (1966–1990) · (1991–2015) Categories:- 1923 births
- Living people
- English film directors
- English film producers
- English film actors
- English stage actors
- Shakespearean actors
- European Film Awards winners (people)
- BAFTA winners (people)
- Best British Actor BAFTA Award winners
- Best Director Academy Award winners
- Best Director Golden Globe winners
- Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners
- Chelsea F.C.
- Labour Party (UK) life peers
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- Knights Bachelor
- Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
- People associated with the University of Leicester
- People from Cambridge
- People from Leicester
- Actors awarded British knighthoods
- Fellows of King's College London
- Fellows of Emmanuel College, Cambridge
- Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
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