Born in the university city of Cambridge, on 23rd August, 1923, the eldest of three sons, Attenborough served in the RAF during the war. After starting an acting career on the stage, his film debut came in 1942, in Noel Coward's In Which We Serve. His big break came in the 1947 adaptation of Graham Greene's classic book, Brighton Rock. This led to a prolific career on the big screen, with appearances in everything from comedies to war movies.
Attenborough's best known acting roles are I'm Alright, Jack, The Great Escape, The Sand Pebbles, and of course, his last major role being in Jurassic Park. Probably my personal favourite was 10 Rillington Place, a true story in which he played the notorious murderer, John Reginald Halliday Christie.
His career in film production began in the 1950's, and he was to work on such projects as The Angry Silence (1960), and Whistle Down the Wind (1961). This led to him moving into direction, with such epics as Young Winston (1972), A Bridge Too Far (1977), and Gandhi (1982), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director.
After being awarded a CBE in 1967, Attenborough was further honoured with the title of Knight Bachelor in 1976, and was made a life peer in 1993, as Baron Attenborough of Richmond-upon-Thames.
Recent years had seen a decline in health, suffering heart problems as well as a stroke. Sir Richard Attenborough died on 24th August, 2014, just five days before his 91st birthday.
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