Lord Richard Attenborough, legendary actor and director has died at age 90, just days shy of his 91st birthday.
Known for his films such as Brighton Rock and The Great Escape, he became an acclaimed film director, with Gandhi in 1983 claiming a record eight Academy awards including best director.
The older brother of the nature broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, died at lunchtime on Sunday, according to his son Michael.
Attenborough made himself a household name appearing with Steve McQueen and James Garner in The Great Escape in 1963. He won best supporting actor Golden Globes in 1967 and 1968 for The Sand Pebbles and Doctor Doolittle.
The actor’s most memorable role was as John Hammond in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park in 1993, which brought him back to the big screen after a 15-year break.
Other critically acclaimed productions included A Bridge Too Far (1977), A Chorus Line (1985), Cry Freedom (1987) – which featured Denzel Washington in an Oscar-nominated role, Chaplin (1992) and Shadowlands (1993), which won a Bafta for best British film.
Attenborough was married to Sheila Sim, an actress he met at Rada, in 1945 and the couple had two daughters and a son. He was knighted in 1976 and appointed a life peer in 1993. Attenborough was also chairman of Rada for three decades from 1973 and then became its president.
Richard Attenborough was the kindest man I have ever had the privilege of working with. A Prince. RIP ‘Pa’ – and thank you
— mia farrow (@MiaFarrow) August 24, 2014
His acting in “Brighton Rock” was brilliant, his directing of “Gandhi” was stunning – Richard Attenborough was one of the greats of cinema.
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) August 24, 2014
RIP Richard Attenborough. One of the true greats of the silver screen.
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) August 24, 2014