Acclaimed British actor-director Richard Attenborough dies just days before his 91st birthday.
Remembered the most for his roles in Brighton Rock (1947) and The Great Escape (1963), Lord Richard Attenborough, breathed his last this Sunday, August 24, 2014, at the ripe age of 90.
Reported to have suffered a stroke in 2008 that left him in a coma for several days, Attenborough was being looked after by a care home in west London since last year.
Following his death, scores of tributes have poured in from around the world. British prime minister, David Cameron, said on Twitter that Attenborough was one of the greats in cinema.
The actor also played the role of John Hammond in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park in 1993, after a 15-year break from acting, and in the 1997 sequel thereafter.
His most appreciated directorial achievement was the biographical film Gandhi (1982), that won 8 Academy awards, including ‘Best Director’ for Attenborough. In 1992, he also directed Chaplin, a cinematic tribute to the most treasured and watched silent film star, Charlie Chaplin. Unfortunately, the film failed at the box office.
He not only chaired the British Film Institute, Channel Four Television, Capital Radio and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, but was also the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
He is survived by his wife and son, Michael, and daughter Charlotte Attenborough.
Photo Credits: The Mirror
