Sir Richard Attenborough has passed away at age 90

Legendary director, producer and actor Lord Richard Attenborough – brother to famed naturalist Sir David Attenborough – passed away yesterday, aged 90,  after a long-time struggle with his health. Richard Attenborough’s career spanned over fifty years and garnered him several awards, including winning Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture for Ghandi.

Attenborough had an early passion for acting, and after serving in the RAF – during which he was part of their Film Unit and acted in propaganda movies – began performing in various stage productions. His career really took off when he appeared in a 1947 feature film adaptation of Grahame Greene’s book “Brighton Rock” – playing the psychopathic Pinkie Brown, the same character he had played in a stage production of the same work – and later went on to star in movies like I’m All Right Jack, The Flight Of The Phoenix, The Great Escape, The Sand Pebbles, Doctor Dolittle, 10 Rillington Place, Jurassic Park and Miracle On 34th Street.

Commemorations have been coming in from the whole industry, with Sir Ben Kingsley, who also won Best Actor for his title role in Ghandi, saying he would “miss him dearly” and that “Richard Attenborough trusted me with the crucial and central task of bringing to life a dream it took him 20 years to bring to fruition.When he gave me the part of Gandhi it was with great grace and joy. He placed in me an absolute trust and in turn I placed an absolute trust in him and grew to love him.”

Iconic director Steven Spielberg also said “He made a gift to the world with his emotional epic Gandhi and he was the perfect ringmaster to bring the dinosaurs back to life as John Hammond in Jurassic Park. He was a dear friend and I am standing in an endless line of those who completely adored him.”

Richard Attenborough is survived by his wife and two children.

Last Updated: August 25, 2014