Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of central London.

The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows, commercials and pop promos and is well-known as the home of the Carry On..., Superman and James Bond film franchises.

History[link]

Pinewood Studios was built on the estate of Heatherden Hall, which was a large, attractive Victorian house with spectacular grounds. It was purchased by Canadian financier and MP for Chiswick and Brentford, Lt. Col. Grant Morden, who spent a fortune transforming the mansion into a show-piece home, adding refinements such as a huge ballroom, a Turkish bath and an indoor squash court. Due to its seclusion, it was used as a discreet meeting place for high-ranking politicians and diplomats and the agreement to create the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed there.

On Morden's death in 1934, building tycoon Charles Boot bought the land and turned it into a Country Club. The ballroom was converted into a restaurant and many of the bedrooms became furnished suites.

1930s[link]

In 1935, millionaire Methodist and flour magnate J. Arthur Rank created a partnership with Boot and together transformed the estate into a film studio. Charles Boot based his designs upon what were at the time the latest ideas being employed by other film studios in the production of movies at Hollywood, California, USA and Boot officially named their new studio Pinewood, because "...of the number of trees which grow there [it still contains huge pine trees] and because it seemed to suggest something of the American film centre in its second syllable." In December of that year construction began, with a new stage completed every three weeks. The studios were finished nine months later having cost £1 million (approx. £37 million at 2012 prices). Five stages were initially completed and a provision for an enclosed water tank capable of holding 65,000 gallons, which is still used. In the years that followed he also undertook further work on both the Pinewood Film Studios and the Denham Film Studios, both of which had by then become a part of their newly-formed Rank Organisation.

On 30 September 1936, Dr Leslie Burgin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade, performed the grand studio opening. The first film director in was Herbert Wilcox, completing London Melody with Anna Neagle, portions of which had already been filmed at Elstree Studios before a fire there halted production. The first film to be made entirely at Pinewood was Talk of the Devil, directed by Carol Reed.

There followed a hugely prolific part of Pinewood and British film history and Pinewood soon was leading the way in film industry innovation through the "unit system". This enabled several pictures to be filmed simultaneously and ultimately Pinewood achieved the highest output of any studio in the world.^[1]

The War Years[link]

During the Second World War Pinewood was requisitioned and subsequently the Crown Film Unit, Army Film and Photographic Unit, RAF Film Unit and Polish Air Force Film Unit were all based there. The Crown Film Unit completed many classic wartime documentaries including Roy Boulting‘s Academy Award winning Desert Victory. Fires Were Started, Listen to Britain, Coastal Command and Western Approaches were all filmed there during this period. As well as the armed forces using Pinewood, The Royal Mint and Lloyds of London were installed onto sound stages and opened for business for the duration.

"The Company of Youth", the Rank Organisation acting school (often referred to as "The Charm School") which launched several film careers, was founded in 1945 and the next year, Pinewood re-opened for business.

1947 saw two subsequently-outstanding films in production, Oliver Twist, directed by David Lean and Powell and Pressburger's Oscar-winning The Red Shoes, a landmark in British film-making, in part largely due to the creative cinematography of Jack Cardiff and his innovative use of the new technique of Technicolor. Due to a serious shortfall in available funds, brought about by massive financial overspends the previous year, Rank did not have enough money to market The Red Shoes sufficiently at first in the United States, but it went on to become Rank's biggest earner up to that point, grossing over £1 million (the equivalent of £26 million in 2012 terms).^[2]

By the end of the 1940′s however, Rank had ran up an overdraft of £16 million (the equivalent of £364.5 million in 2012), mainly due to big budget flops such as the 1946 Caesar and Cleopatra, which was originally budgeted at £250,000., but which eventually cost £1,278,000 (the equivalent of £33 million)^[3] and many of the studios famous directors being lured away by rival companies who promised greater independence. In 1949, John Davis was appointed and charged with the task of turning around the Rank Organisation’s fortunes. The ruthless Davis sacrificed both jobs and studios in the name of efficiency and sought to produce commercial films rather than pursue experimental initiatives.

1950s[link]

During the 1950′s, Pinewood gave birth to the huge financial successes of the Carry On... and Doctor films series, produced on behalf of Rank by Peter Rogers and his wife Betty E. Box and directed by the brothers Gerald Thomas and Ralph Thomas respectively (Doctor in the House was the most popular box office film of 1954 in Great Britain) and the Norman Wisdom comedies, which between 1953 and 1966 initially made more money than the James Bond film series.^[4]

1960s[link]

The Sixties were buoyant years for Pinewood, which was no longer solely dependent on the Rank Organisation to fill its stages, now "Renters" (producers hiring the sound stages for a film-by-film agreement) were using half of the stages.

1962 saw the dawn of Pinewood's most famous enterprise, the James Bond franchise, that began with the Terence Young directed Dr. No.

That same year J. Arthur Rank (by now Lord Rank) retired as Chairman and was succeeded by John Davis, who had moved the Rank Organisation away from film production and towards more profitable areas like bingo and holidays.

1970s[link]

The Seventies were an uncertain period for Pinewood and the film industry in general, with the studios being used more for television programmes, including Gerry Anderson’s UFO and The Persuaders! starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore. Throughout the lean years of the 1970′s the Superman franchise almost certainly saved the studios from financial crisis.

1980s[link]

Four James Bond movies, For Your Eyes Only; Octopussy; A View to a Kill and The Living Daylights amongst several other very large productions, such as Tim Burton's Batman, kept the studio busy during the decade.

1990s[link]

Due in large part to unfavourable UK tax laws for inward investment in the UK film industry, the 1990′s were precarious and witnessed an all-time low in British film production generally, but many large-scale productions such as Tim Burton’s Batman Returns and three further Bond films (GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies & The World Is Not Enough) kept Pinewood ticking over.

The Rank Group owned the studio until 1995, when they sold Pinewood to a group led by Michael Grade and Ivan Dunleavy. The purchase of Shepperton Studios from a consortium headed by Ridley and Tony Scott gave rise to The Pinewood Studios Group with both UK and international interests including Shepperton Studios, Teddington Studios, Pinewood Toronto Studios, Pinewood Indomina Studios, Pinewood Studio Berlin and Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios, combining three studios steeped in heritage and prestige as well as new and modern state-of-the-art purpose built facilities.^[5]

2000s[link]

In 2009, Pinewood and Shepperton received a BAFTA Award for their Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema.^[6]

2010s[link]

The Pinewood Studios Group was subject to a hostile takeover approach in 2011. Manchester-based The Peel Group acquired a 73% stake, but Warren James Jewellers retained a 27% stake so preventing a full takeover. As of 2012, Pinewood's management is waiting to see if the Financial Services Authority will cancel the listing in recognition of the fact that nearly all the shares are held by two groups.^[7]

Stages, studios and locations[link]

The 007 stage at Pinewood Studios in March 2006, before the July fire and rebuilding

The world's most famous film stage, the 007 Stage, was originally built for the 1977 Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me and featured a massive water tank, one of the largest in Europe.^[8] The stage burnt to the ground in 1984; it was rebuilt four months later and renamed Albert R. Broccoli's 007 Stage in time for filming to commence on A View to a Kill.^[9] Another fire on 30 July 2006 seriously damaged the stage, causing the roof to partly cave in.^[10][11] Construction of a new stage began on 18 September and was completed in under six months.^[12] Since then, the stage has accommodated huge productions including Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), Quantum of Solace (2008) and the whole fishing village from Mamma Mia! (2008) was built on the stage.

As well as the world famous 007 Stage, which is the largest stage at any of the studios under The Pinewood Studios Group at 59,000 sq ft, the studio has fifteen other stages ranging from just 1,728 sq ft, to cater for productions of all sizes. One of those studios, the T Stage, is a specialist stage for both television and film productions and the Studios second largest stage at 30,000 sq ft.^[13]

The studio also has two specialist TV studios, named TV One and TV Two, complete with integral galleries, TV studio floors, TV lighting grids and SD or HD facilities. Both studios stand at just under 9,000 sq ft.

As stated earlier, Pinewood is situated on the old estate of Heatherden Hall which still stands today. The mansion, its gardens and other parts of the studios have been used in various productions over the years. Peeping Tom (1960) shows people driving out through the main gate and has various shots in the studios (showing things behind the camera), offices & corridors. Return to the Edge of the World (1978) includes shots of director Michael Powell driving into the studio. The iconic main gate (now no longer used due to the construction of a purpose-built security entrance 500 yards further along the road) also features in My Week with Marilyn (2011) when Eddie Redmayne greets Judi Dench. This film also contains many shots of the dressing-room corridors in the main make-up block. Heatherden Hall (converted to production offices) has appeared in several films: it was made to look fire-damaged and derelict for the 1972 children's film The Amazing Mr Blunden and also appeared as the Indian residence of Governor Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond in Carry On up the Khyber.

The studios have acres of backlots where huge sets have been built, from castles to whole villages including Godric's Hollow from the Harry Potter film series.

Burnham Beeches and Black Park[link]

The proximity of the ancient woodland Burnham Beeches and Black Park to Pinewood (as well as to Shepperton and Bray studios) and the outstanding natural beauty of the forest have made Burnham Beeches a desirable filming location for productions being filmed at Pinewood. Burnham Beeches has been used for a large number of films, including Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, First Knight, Goldfinger, The Princess Bride and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Many other films and TV productions have made use of the facilities on offer at the Beeches. (For a more comprehensive list, see [1].)

Water filming[link]

Pinewood has extensive water filming facilities including the globally unique Underwater Stage and a huge Exterior Tank backed with a massive green screen measuring 240 ft x 60 ft.

Post production[link]

Pinewood and Shepperton's FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft) accredited ^[14] post production departments are very successful with BAFTA and Oscarwinning teams.

[edit] Project Pinewood

In November 2007, Pinewood announced a £200m expansion plan, known as Project Pinewood.^[15] If built the development would see replicas of streetscapes and zones replicating locations from the UK, Europe and the USA. Planned zones include a college campus, Amsterdam, modern European housing, Venice, Lake Como, Paris, an Amphitheatre, Prague, West coast American housing, warehousing and downtown New York sets, Chicago, Vienna, a castle, a UK canal, Chinatown and a London street market built.^[16] In addition it will also be used as residential housing, with the proposed creative community, expected to be in the region of 2000 and 2250, being integrated with the film locations. Job creation is also a key part of the plan, helping to boost the economy of both the region and the nation as a whole^[16]

Following consultations with the local community the plans changed to reflect the community's opinions and suggestions. However, the planning application was still rejected by South Bucks District Council in October 2009, following a prolonged opposition campaign by local residents, who formed a "Stop Project Pinewood" group.

Pinewood appealed the decision and a public inquiry commenced on 5 April 2011^[17] and on 20 January 2012, it was announced that the appeal had been turned down.^[18]

Production history[link]

Since its beginning, Pinewood Studios has been the location for many well-known films, with the long-running James Bond and Carry On British film series making Pinewood their home.

Some of the most notable Pinewood productions (by release date) include:^{[clarification needed]}

1930s–1950s[link]

Talk of the Devil (1939) Black Narcissus (1947) Oliver Twist (1948) The Red Shoes (1948) The Blue Lagoon (1949) The Importance of Being Earnest (1952) Genevieve (1953) Doctor in the House (1954)

A Town Like Alice (1956) The Spanish Gardener (1956) Ill Met by Moonlight (1957) Carry On Sergeant (1958) A Night to Remember (1958) North West Frontier (1959) Carry On Nurse (1959) Tiger Bay (1959)

1960s–1970s[link]

The League of Gentlemen (1960) Peeping Tom (1960) Whistle Down the Wind (1961) Dr. No (1962) From Russia with Love (1963) Goldfinger (1964) The Moon-Spinners (1964) Thunderball (1965) The Ipcress File (1965) Fahrenheit 451 (1966) Arabesque (1966) You Only Live Twice (1967) Carry On Doctor (1967) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) Battle of Britain (1969) Carry On Camping (1969)

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) The Persuaders (television)(1970 - 1971) Diamonds Are Forever (1971) Sleuth (1972) Madame Sin (1972) Frenzy (1972) The Amazing Mr Blunden (1972) Vampire Circus (1972) The Day of the Jackal (1973) Live and Let Die (1973) Space: 1999 (television) (1974–1976) The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) The Man Who Would Be King (1975) Bugsy Malone (1975) The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) Superman (1978)

1980s–1990s[link]

The Watcher in the Woods (1980) Superman II (1980) For Your Eyes Only (1981) Clash of the Titans (1981) Pink Floyd The Wall (1982) Victor Victoria (1982) Curse of the Pink Panther (1983) Octopussy (1983) Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) A View to a Kill (1985) Legend (1985) Little Shop of Horrors (1986) Aliens (1986) The Living Daylights (1987)

Hellraiser (1987) Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) Batman (1989) Alien 3 (1992) Patriot Games (1992) Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) First Knight (1995) Mission: Impossible (1996) The Saint (1997) Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) Event Horizon (1997) The Fifth Element (1997) The World Is Not Enough (1999) Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

2000s–2010s[link]

Jesus Christ Superstar (2000) Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) Die Another Day (2002) The Hours (2002) Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) The Phantom of the Opera (2004) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) United 93 (2006) Stardust (2006) Casino Royale (2006) The Da Vinci Code (2006) Children of Men (2006) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) Mamma Mia! (2008) The Dark Knight (2008) Quantum of Solace (2008) The Bank Job (2008)

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) The Wolfman (2010) Kick-Ass (2010) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011) Hugo (2011) Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) Johnny English Reborn (2011) My Week with Marilyn (2011) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) The Iron Lady (2011) Dark Shadows (2012) Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) Skyfall (2012) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) Les Misérables (2012) The Hobbit: There and Back Again (2013)

See also[link]

• The Pinewood Studios Group
• 007 Stage
• Underwater Stage
• List of Pinewood Studios productions

References[link]

1. ^ http://www.britmovie.co.uk/studios/Pinewood-Studio
2. ^ Wood, Alan (23 February 1952). "The Inside Story of Mr. Rank". Everybody's Weekly. http://www.powell-pressburger.org/Reviews/Rank/Everybodys.html. Retrieved 1 January 2008. 
3. ^ Wood, Alan (23 February 1952). "The Inside Story of Mr. Rank". Everybody's Weekly. http://www.powell-pressburger.org/Reviews/Rank/Everybodys.html. Retrieved 1 January 2008. 
4. ^ Dixon, Stephen (5 October 2010). "Sir Norman Wisdom obituary". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/oct/05/sir-norman-wisdom-obituary. Retrieved 6 October 2010. 
5. ^ "Heritage". The Pinewood Studios Group. http://www.pinewoodgroup.com/our-studios/uk/about-us/heritage. Retrieved 2011-09-23. 
6. ^ "Bafta honour for Pinewood studios". BBC News. 2009-02-05. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7873037.stm. Retrieved 2011-09-23. 
7. ^ "Peel takeover cost Pinewood £2.4m". How Do. 29 February 2012. http://www.how-do.co.uk/north-west-media-news/other-media/peel-takeover-cost-pinewood-%C2%A32.4m-20120229100956657. Retrieved 2012-03-18. 
8. ^ Frayling, Christopher (2005). Ken Adam and the Art of Production Design. London/New York City: Macmillan Publishers. p. 179. ISBN 978-0-571-22057-1. 
9. ^ "This month in Bond History". http://commanderbond.net/article/2792. Retrieved 2007-09-08. 
10. ^ "Fire wrecks James Bond film stage". BBC News. 2006-07-30. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5228794.stm. Retrieved 2006-07-30. 
11. ^ "Bond film stage 'will be rebuilt'". BBC News. 2006-07-31. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5231392.stm. Retrieved 2006-07-31. 
12. ^ "007 Stage construction completed". Pinewood Studios. http://www.007stage.com. Retrieved 2007-04-10. 
13. ^ "PLANS FOR A NEW 30,000 SQ FT STAGE AT PINEWOOD STUDIOS". The Pinewood Studios Group. http://www.pinewoodgroup.com/about-us/news/plans-new-30000-sq-ft-stage-pinewood-studios. Retrieved 2011-09-23. 
14. ^ "Post Production". The PInewood Studios Group. http://www.pinewoodgroup.com/our-studios/uk/post-production. Retrieved 2011-09-23. 
15. ^ "Pinewood studios plan expansion". BBC. 15 November 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7097093.stm. 
16. ^ ^{a b} "Project Pinewood press release" (PDF). April 3, 2008. http://www.projectpinewood.com/material/pw_map.pdf. 
17. ^ "Project Pinewood Newsletter". The Pinewood Studios Group. http://www.projectpinewood.com/pdf/PinewoodNewsletterMarch11.pdf. Retrieved 2011-09-23. 
18. ^ http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/9484615.__200m_Project_Pinewood_plan_refused_by_Government/?ref=rss

Further reading[link]

• Perry, George (1976). Movies from the Mansion - a history of Pinewood Studios. London: Elm Tree Books. ISBN 0-241-10799-7. 
• Owen, Gareth (2006). The Pinewood Story. Richmond: Reynolds & Hearn. ISBN 978-1-905287-27-7. 
• Bright, Morris (2007). Pinewood Studios - 70 years of fabulous filmmaking. London: Carroll & Brown. ISBN 978-1-904760-63-4. 

External links[link]

• Pinewood Studios
• Project Pinewood
• Pinewood Studios at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
• Pinewood Studios at Google Maps

v t e The Pinewood Studios Group The Peel Group Studios Current Pinewood Studios (List of productions · 007 Stage · Underwater Stage) · Pinewood Studio Berlin · Pinewood Toronto Studios · Shepperton Studios · Teddington Studios Under construction Pinewood Indomina Studios · Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios

v t e Cinema of the United Kingdom Culture of the United Kingdom World cinema Films by year (Films A–Z) Pre 1920 1920s 1930s 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Production companies and studios Active Aardman Animations BBC Films British Lion Films Ealing Studios Elstree Studios Eon Productions Film4 Productions Goldcrest Films Hammer Film Productions HandMade Films London Films Palace Pictures The Pinewood Studios Group (Pinewood Studios Shepperton Studios) S4C Films Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden Warp Films Wimbledon Studios Working Title Films Former Amicus Productions Associated British Picture Corporation Bryanston Films Denham Film Studios Gainsborough Pictures Hemdale Film Corporation Ideal Rank Organisation Tigon British Film Productions Warwick Films Organisations BAFTA British Board of Film Classification British Film Institute BFI National Archive BFI Southbank British Society of Cinematographers Children's Film Foundation Cinema Exhibitors' Association National Film and Television School National Media Museum Northern Ireland Screen Scottish Screen UK Film Council People Actors and actresses Cinematographers Directors Editors Producers Production designers Score composers Screenwriters Other British Academy Film Awards British Independent Film Awards British New Wave Carry On Cinematograph Films Act 1927 Documentary Film Movement Eady Levy Ealing Comedies Free Cinema Gainsborough melodramas Harry Potter History of British film certificates Home Video Charts James Bond London Film Festival London in film Telecinema Category Commons

Coordinates: 51°32′55″N 0°32′06″W / 51.54861°N 0.535°W / 51.54861; -0.535

The Right Honourable The Lord Attenborough CBE
Attenborough at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	Richard Samuel Attenborough (1923-08-29) 29 August 1923 (age 88) Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Alma mater	Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation	Actor, director, producer
Years active	1942–2007
Title	President of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts
Term	2001–2010
Predecessor	HRH The Princess Royal
Successor	HRH The Duke of Cambridge
Spouse	Sheila Sim (m. 1945–present)
Children	Michael Jane (d. 26 December 2004) Charlotte
Relatives	David Attenborough (brother) Gerald Sim (brother-in-law) Jane Seymour (former daughter-in-law)
Awards	Academy Award for Best Director 1982 Gandhi Academy Award for Best Picture 1982 Gandhi

Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough ( /ˈætənbərə/), CBE (born 29 August 1923) is an English actor, director, producer and entrepreneur. He is the current President of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).

As a film director and producer, he won two Academy Awards for Gandhi in 1982. He has also won four BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. As an actor he is perhaps best known for his roles in Brighton Rock, The Great Escape, 10 Rillington Place, Miracle on 34th Street and Jurassic Park.^[1]

He is the elder brother of naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough.

Early life[link]

Attenborough was born in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, the eldest of three sons of Mary Attenborough (née Clegg) a founding member of the Marriage Guidance Council, and Frederick Levi Attenborough, a scholar and academic administrator who was a don at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and wrote a standard text on Anglo-Saxon law.^[2][3] Attenborough was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in Leicester and at RADA. During the Second World War Attenborough served in the Royal Air Force.

Acting career[link]

Attenborough's acting career also was on stage and he appeared in shows at Leicester's Little Theatre, Dover Street, prior to him going to RADA, where he is still Patron. Attenborough's film career began in 1942 as a deserting sailor in In Which We Serve, a role which would help to type-cast him for many years as spivs or cowards in films like London Belongs to Me (1948), Morning Departure (1950), and his breakthrough role as a psychopathic young gangster in the film of Graham Greene's novel Brighton Rock (1947).

In 1949 exhibitors voted him the 6th most popular British actor at the box office.^[4]

Attenborough worked prolifically in British films for the next thirty years, and in the 1950s appeared in several successful comedies for John and Roy Boulting, including Private's Progress (1956) and I'm All Right Jack (1959). Early in his stage career, Attenborough starred in the London West End production of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, which went on to become the world's longest-running stage production. Both he and his wife were among the original cast members of the production, which opened in 1952 and as of 2012 is still running.

In the 1960s, he expanded his range of character roles in films such as Séance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) and Guns at Batasi (1964), for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM). In 1963 he appeared in the ensemble cast of The Great Escape as RAF Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett ("Big X"), the head of the escape committee. It was his first appearance in a major Hollywood film blockbuster and his most successful film up to that time.

In 1967 and 1968, he won back-to-back Golden Globe Awards in the category of Best Supporting Actor, the first time for The Sand Pebbles starring Steve McQueen and the second time for Doctor Dolittle starring Rex Harrison. He won another Golden Globe, for Best Director, for Gandhi in 1983. Six years prior to Gandhi he played the ruthless General Outram, in Indian director Satyajit Ray's period piece The Chess Players.

He took no acting roles following his appearance in Otto Preminger's version of The Human Factor (1979) until his appearance as the eccentric developer John Hammond in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993) and the popular film's sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). He starred in the remake of Miracle on 34th Street (1994) as Kris Kringle. Since then he has made occasional appearances in supporting roles, including as Sir William Cecil in the historical drama Elizabeth (1998), Jacob in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and as "The Narrator" in the film adaptation of Spike Milligan's comedy book Puckoon (2002).^[5]

Producer and director[link]

Attenborough, photographed in 1983.

In the late 1950s, Attenborough formed a production company, Beaver Films, with Bryan Forbes and began to build a profile as a producer on projects including The League of Gentlemen (1959), The Angry Silence (1960) and Whistle Down the Wind (1961), also appearing in the first two of these as an actor.

His feature film directorial debut was the all-star screen version of the hit musical Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), and his acting appearances became more sporadic—the most notable being his portrayal of the serial killer John Christie in 10 Rillington Place (1971). He later directed two epic period films: Young Winston (1972), based on the early life of Winston Churchill, and A Bridge Too Far (1977), an all-star account of Operation Market Garden in World War II. He won the 1982 Academy Award for Best Director for his historical epic, Gandhi, a project he had been attempting to get made for many years. As the film's producer, he also won the Academy Award for Best Picture. His most recent films as director and producer include Chaplin (1992) starring Robert Downey, Jr. as Charlie Chaplin and Shadowlands (1993), based on the relationship between C.S. Lewis and Joy Gresham. The star of the latter was Anthony Hopkins, who also appeared in four other films for Attenborough: Young Winston, A Bridge Too Far, Magic (1978) and Chaplin.

Attenborough also directed the screen version of the musical A Chorus Line (1985) and the apartheid drama Cry Freedom (1987), based on the life and death of prominent anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko and the experiences of Donald Woods. Attenborough was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director for both films.

In 2006-07 Attenborough spent time in Belfast, Northern Ireland, working on his latest film as director and producer, Closing the Ring, which was set in Belfast during the Second World War. The film was released in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland on 28 December 2007.^[6]

Corporate appointments[link]

• Chairman of the Board of Governors of the British Film Institute (1982–92)
• Chairman of Capital Radio
• Director of Chelsea Football Club (1969–82)
• Life Vice-President of Chelsea Football Club (1993–2008)
• Life President of Chelsea Football Club (2008 – present)
• Deputy Chairman of Channel Four Television (1982–87)
• Chairman of Channel Four (1987–92)
• Chairman of Goldcrest Films
• President of RADA
• President of BAFTA (2001–10)
• President of the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation
• President of the British National Film and Television School
• Vice Patron of the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund

Attenborough also heads a committee awarding the eponymous Attenborough Prize, a £2000 annual arts prize celebrating creativity by emerging artists. The Attenborough Prize is awarded to the best contemporary visual artist among a shortlist of six artists presented to Lord Attenborough. The most recent (2009) Prize was awarded to Neill Raitt.

Current projects[link]

Chancellor of the University of Sussex

Attenborough is also the patron of the UWC movement (United World Colleges) whereby he continually contributes greatly to the colleges that are part of the organisation. He has frequented the United World College of Southern Africa (UWCSA) Waterford Kamhlaba. His wife and he founded the Richard and Sheila Attenborough Visual Arts Centre. He also founded the Jane Holland Creative Centre for Learning at Waterford Kamhlaba in Swaziland in memory of his daughter who died in the tsunami on 26 December 2004. He passionately believes in education, primarily education that does not judge upon colour, race, creed or religion. His attachment to Waterford is his passion for non-racial education, which were the grounds on which Waterford Kamhlaba was founded. Waterford was one of his inspirations for directing the Cry Freedom motion picture based on the life of Steve Biko.

He was elected to the post of Chancellor of the University of Sussex on 20 March 1998, replacing The Duke of Richmond and Gordon. He stood down as Chancellor of the university following Graduation in July 2008.^[7] There now hangs a 42 inch by 46 inch portrait of him in the university's library.^[8]

A lifelong supporter of Chelsea Football Club, Attenborough served as a director of the club from 1969–1982 and between 1993 and 2008 held the honorary position of Life Vice President. On 30 November 2008 he was honoured with the title of Life President at the club's stadium, Stamford Bridge.^[9]

He was also head of the consortium Dragon International Film Studios, which was constructing a film and television studio complex in Llanilid, Wales, nicknamed "Valleywood". However in March 2008 the project was placed into administration with debts of £15m and the site is believed to be being considered for breaking-up with a sale of the assets.^[10]

Honours[link]

In 1967, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). He was knighted in 1976 and in 1993 he was made a life peer as Baron Attenborough, of Richmond upon Thames in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.^[11]

In 1983, Attenborough was awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Nonviolence Peace Prize by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.^[12]

On 13 July 2006, Attenborough, along with his brother David, were awarded the titles of Distinguished Honorary Fellows of the University of Leicester "in recognition of a record of continuing distinguished service to the university".^[13][14]

On 20 November 2008, Attenborough was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Drama from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) in Glasgow.^{[citation needed]}

Attenborough is also listed as an Honorary Fellow of Bangor University for his contributions to film making.^[15]

On Monday 23 April 2012 Pinewood Studios paid tribute to his amazing body of work by naming a purpose built film and television stage after him. 'The Richard Attenborough Stage' is 30,000 sq ft and increases stage capacity at the Studios by 7%. ^[16]

Personal life[link]

Attenborough's father was the principal of University College, Leicester, now the city's university. This has resulted in a long association with the university, with Richard becoming a patron. The university's Embrace Arts at the RA centre [1], which opened in 1997, is named in his honour. He has two younger brothers, naturalist and broadcaster David, and John, who has made a career in the motor trade.