Richard Attenborough
Biography
Richard Attenborough was an English actor, director and producer whose career spanned seven decades. Born in Cambridge and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he started on the stage in Leicester and became a familiar face in British films, with his breakthrough as Pinkie Brown in Brighton Rock (1948). He was in the original West End cast of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap in 1952, playing Detective Sergeant Trotter. His notable films included I'm All Right Jack (1959), The Great Escape (1963), Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964), Guns at Batasi (1964), The Sand Pebbles (1966) and 10 Rillington Place (1971), and he later played John Hammond in Jurassic Park (1993) and Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street (1994). He directed Oh! What a Lovely War, Young Winston and A Bridge Too Far, and won Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture for Gandhi. He died in 2014.
90years old at death
- Born Cambridge
- Died London
- Star sign: VirgoThe sign runs August 23 to September 22
- Richard Samuel Attenborough (birth name)Also credited as Baron Attenborough, The Lord Attenborough, Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough and Dickie Attenborough
Movie Career
- Films
- 33
- Career span
- 58 years1942 to 2000
Photos
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Early training
Attenborough was an alumnus of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and served as its president. He was also president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
Behind the camera
Attenborough formed the production company Beaver Films with Bryan Forbes in the late 1950s and produced films including The League of Gentlemen, The Angry Silence, and Whistle Down the Wind.
Behind the award
Attenborough spent 18 years trying to get Gandhi made before it won him the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture.
Big break
Attenborough's breakthrough role was Pinkie Brown in the 1948 film Brighton Rock, a part he had previously played on stage at the Garrick Theatre in 1943.
A change of course
During World War II, Attenborough enlisted in the Royal Air Force and was part of its film unit, taking part in bombing raids over continental Europe and capturing the conflict on camera from the rear gunner's position.
Richard Attenborough movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
John Boulting directed three of these films, Steven Spielberg two and Richard Fleischer two. Two actors appear in four of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Peter Sellers's page
James Donald's page
John Le Mesurier's page
Jack Hawkins's page
Graham Stark's page
Nanette Newman's page
John BoultingDirector, 3 films, 1948 to 1959
All films by John Boulting
All films by Steven Spielberg
All films by Richard Fleischer
Box office
What Richard Attenborough's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$1.9 billion
10 of the 33 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 33 films: 10 worldwide figure; 3 us gross only; 3 never in cinemas; 17 figure not found.
- 10Worldwide figure
- 3US gross only
- 3Never in cinemas
- 17Figure not found
Top grosser
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$1.1B57.1% of the total
- 2$619M33.4% of the total
- 3$82M4.4% of the total
- 4$46M2.5% of the total
- 5$20M1.1% of the total
- 6$12M0.6% of the total
- 7$9.0M0.5% of the total
- 8$4.5M0.2% of the total
$1.9 millionfrom the other 2 films with a worldwide figure, 0% of the total
Awards
Twelve awards and honors from 1965 to 2004, eight of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 1983 | Best Director | Gandhi | Won |
| 1983 | Best Picture | Gandhi | Won |
| Golden Globes | |||
| 1983 | Best Director | Gandhi | Won |
| 1968 | Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | Doctor Dolittle | Won |
| 1967 | Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | The Sand Pebbles | Won |
| BAFTA | |||
| 1983 | Best Direction | Gandhi | Won |
| 1965 | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Guns at Batasi | Won |
| Berlin Film Festival | |||
| 1988 | Berlinale Camera | Won | |
| Other honors | |||
| 2004 | Bodley Medal | Won | |
| 1998 | Praemium Imperiale | Won | |
| 1988 | European Film Academy Special Achievement Award | Won | |
| 1988 | Knight of the Legion of Honour | Won | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.