Home> Facts and Trivia > Stars > Richard Attenborough
Richard Attenborough Facts
| Sign | Virgo |
| Born |
Aug 29, 1923 Cambridge, Cambridgeshire |
| Died |
Aug 24, 2014 London, England |
| Age | Died at 91 |
| Total Facts | 43 |
Steven Spielberg has named him as an influence.
12/02: Said he would go back on his claim to never appear in front of the camera again for one role only: that of Professor Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films.
12/26/04: Members of his family - daughter Jane, son-in-law Michael Holland, grandchildren Sam, Lucy and Alice and Michael's mother Jane - were holidaying in Phuket, Thailand, when the area was hit by the South Asian tsunami on Boxing Day 2004. Lord Attenborough lost his daughter, her mother-in-law and his 14-year-old granddaughter Lucy in the tragedy. His elder granddaughter, 17-year-old Alice, was seriously injured and his son-in-law and grandson survived unscathed.
1952: Was the first to star in Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap", now the longest-running play in the world.
1971-94: Vice-president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
1978: Officially retired from acting. He agreed to make a return to acting in Jurassic Park (1993), saying he was a huge admirer of Steven Spielberg and always felt bad that Gandhi (1982) had won the best picture award instead of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)..
1990: Freeman of the City of Leicester, England.
1993: Fellow of King's College, London.
2002-: Third president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
2003: Was awarded the Patricia Rothermere Award for his lifelong service to theatre at the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards.
2003: Was made President of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), a role that had been vacant since the death of Princess Diana in 1997.
2004: 57 years after he starred in Brighton Rock (1947), his son Michael Attenborough directed a musical version of Graham Greene's novel.
5/11/05: Gave a reading at a national British memorial service for the victims of the South Asian tsunami. He lost three members of his family in the tragedy.
9/05: Attended the funeral of British film producer Lord John Brabourne.
According to his brother David Attenborough, Richard is no longer able to walk and gets about in a wheelchair. However, he still has all his other faculties about him, and is still as gregarious as ever.
Along with Warren Beatty, Clint Eastwood, Mel Gibson, Kevin Costner and Robert Redford one of six actors to win an Academy Award for "Best Director".
Appointed a CBE in 1967, knighted in 1976 and created a life peer in 1993.
Before entrusting post-production on Jurassic Park (1993) to his friend George Lucas, Steven Spielberg thought he would have to divide his time between this and directing Schindler's List (1993). Spielberg at one point asked Attenborough, who had just appeared in Jurassic Park (1993), to serve as assistant director on Schindler's List (1993). This would have reunited Attenborough with Ben Kingsley, whom he directed in Gandhi (1982), which defeated E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) for Best Picture and Best Director. Attenborough's services turned out to be unnecessary, but he is not without his own connection to the material. While Attenborough is not himself Jewish, he does have two Jewish sisters: after World War II, his parents adopted two little girls whose parents had died in the Holocaust.
Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume Two, 1945-1985". Pages 78-84. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988.
Brother-in-law of actor Gerald Sim
Created an honorary D.Litt of the Universities of Leicester, Kent and Sussex in 1970, 1981 and 1987 respectively.
Directed 4 different performers in Oscar-nominated performances: Ben Kingsley, Denzel Washington, Robert Downey Jr. and Debra Winger. Kingsley won an Oscar for his performance in Gandhi (1982).
Father of director Michael Attenborough and actress Charlotte Attenborough
Father-in-law of Karen Lewis and Graham Sinclair.
Former father-in-law of actress Jane Seymour
Godfather of Emma Forbes.
Has been involved in some form with the University of Sussex since 1970; he was elected Chancellor of the University on March 20, 1998, replacing the Duke of Richmond and Gordon, who had held that post since 1985.
Has two brothers, naturalist/presenter David Attenborough, and John Attenborough. Also, during World War Two, his parents adopted two German Jewish girls, who had been brought to Britain as part of the Kindertransport.
He reprised his Jurassic Park (1993) character, John Hammond, for Universal Studio's Jurassic Park: The Ride attraction. He appears in a short film at the beginning of the ride telling you that the NEW Jurassic Park (the ride you're on) is completely safe, and that there will never be another incident like that at Costa Rica in 1993.
He was a close friend of Diana, Princess of Wales, and he coached her privately to help her become more confident about speaking in public in the early years of her marriage. She always called him "Dickie".
He was a close friend of the English actor Sir John Mills for many years, and gave the eulogy at his funeral in April 2005.
He was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute in recognition of his outstanding contribution to film culture.
He was trained at RADA (The Royal Acadamy of Dramatic Arts), where he later became Chairman.
In 2008 the UK Regional Critics' Film Awards were renamed The Richard Attenborough Film Awards, in his honour.
Is one of 7 directors to win the Golden Globe, Director's Guild, BAFTA, and Oscar for the same movie, winning for Gandhi (1982). The other directors to achieve this are Mike Nichols for The Graduate (1967), Milos Forman for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Oliver Stone for Platoon (1986), Steven Spielberg for Schindler's List (1993), Ang Lee for Brokeback Mountain (2005), and Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (2008).
It was his life ambition to direct Gandhi (1982).
Life Vice-President of Chelsea Football Club
Often casts Anthony Hopkins.
Originally considered for the role of Harry in The Ladykillers (1955) by director Alexander Mackendrick. The role eventually went to Peter Sellers.
Philosophies include believing in content as opposed to style and sincerity rather than intelligence.
Received an honorary doctorate from Dickinson College, Pennsylvania.
The last veteran of World War II to win an Oscar for Best Director.
Was hospitalised in August 2008 when his heart stopped beating for a time, and again in December 2008 when he went into a coma for several days after suffering a fall.