British actor Richard Attenborough in a publicity shot

Richard Attenborough

(1923–2014)

British actor, director, producer (d. 90) | A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Dunkirk (1958), The Guinea Pig (1948)

British character actor who escaped from early typecasting as a young coward, revealed an ambitious range of characterisations, and went on to produce and direct

Mini Biography

Richard Attenborough became a life peer in 1993. Married actress Sheila Sim in 1945.

Latest Richard Attenborough Pictures

Main title from the 2021 ‘Discovering: Richard Attenborough’ episode of Discovering Film (1)
  • 10th August, 2021
Richard Attenborough
Discovering Film | Discovering: Richard Attenborough (2021) opening credits (1)
Main title from the 2014 ‘Richard Attenborough’ episode of Talking Pictures (2013) (1)
  • 19th July, 2020
Richard Attenborough
Talking Pictures | Richard Attenborough (2014) opening credits (1)
Main title from Brighton Rock (1948) (2). Richard Attenborough as Pinkie Brown
  • 18th June, 2019
Richard Attenborough
Brighton Rock (1948) opening credits (2)
Christie (Richard Attenborough), Beryl Evans (Judy Gleeson) and Timothy Evans (John Hurt) in a scene from the 1971 film, 10 Rillington Place
  • 4th January, 2018
Richard Attenborough
Richard Attenborough, Judy Gleeson, John Hurt in 10 Rillington Place

Select Richard Attenborough Filmography

Journey Together (1945)
David Wilton
A Matter of Life and Death (1946) opening credits (6)
A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
An English Pilot
School for Secrets (1946) opening credits (3)
School for Secrets (1946)
Jack Arnold
The Man Within (1947) screenshot (1)
The Man Within (1947)
Francis Andrews
Dancing with Crime (1947) opening credits (3)
Dancing with Crime (1947)
Ted Peters
Brighton Rock (1948) opening credits (5)
Brighton Rock (1948)
Pinkie Brown
The Guinea Pig (1948) opening credits
The Guinea Pig (1948)
Jack Read
Boys in Brown (1949) opening credits (4)
Boys in Brown (1949)
Jackie Knowles
Morning Departure (1950) opening credits
Morning Departure (1950)
Stoker Snipe
Hell Is Sold Out (1951) opening credits (2)
Hell Is Sold Out (1951)
Pierre Bonnet
The Magic Box (1951) opening credits
The Magic Box (1951)
Jack Carter
Gift Horse (1952) opening credits
Gift Horse (1952)
Able Seaman ‘Dripper’ Daniels
Father’s Doing Fine (1952) opening credits (3)
Father’s Doing Fine (1952)
Dougall
Eight O’Clock Walk (1954) opening credits
Eight O’Clock Walk (1954)
Tom Manning
The Ship That Died of Shame (1955) opening credits
The Ship That Died of Shame (1955)
George Hoskins
The Baby and the Battleship (1956) opening credits (4)
The Baby and the Battleship (1956)
Knocker White
The Scamp (1957) opening credits (5)
The Scamp (1957)
Stephen Leigh
Brothers in Law (1957) opening credits (3)
Brothers in Law (1957)
Henry Marshall
Dunkirk (1958) opening credits
Dunkirk (1958)
John Holden
The Man Upstairs (1958) opening credits (3)
The Man Upstairs (1958)
The Man Upstairs
Sea of Sand (1958) opening credits
Sea of Sand (1958)
Brody
I’m All Right Jack (1959) opening credits (3)
I’m All Right Jack (1959)
Sidney De Vere Cox
Danger Within (1959) opening credits (4)
Danger Within (1959)
Capt ‘Bunter’ Phillips
Jet Storm (1959) opening credits (4)
Jet Storm (1959)
Ernest Tilley
SOS Pacific (1959) opening credits (5)
SOS Pacific (1959)
Whitey Mullen
The League of Gentlemen (1960) opening credits (4)
The League of Gentlemen (1960)
Lexy
The Angry Silence (1960) opening credits (4)
The Angry Silence (1960)
Tom Curtis
The Angry Silence (1960) opening credits (4)
The Dock Brief (1962)
Herbert Fowle, the Accused Murderer
All Night Long (1962) opening credits (4)
All Night Long (1962)
Rod Hamilton
All Night Long (1962) opening credits (4)
The Great Escape (1963)
Bartlett ‘Big X’
Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) opening credits (3)
Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964)
William Henry ‘Bill’ Savage
Guns at Batasi (1964) opening credits
Guns at Batasi (1964)
Regimental Sgt Major Lauderdale
The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) opening credits
The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)
Lew Moran
The Sand Pebbles (1966) opening credits (2)
The Sand Pebbles (1966)
Frenchy Burgoyne
Doctor Dolittle (1967) opening credits (6)
Doctor Dolittle (1967)
Albert Blossom
The Bliss of Mrs Blossom (1968) opening credits (6)
The Bliss of Mrs Blossom (1968)
Robert Blossom
Only When I Larf (1968) opening credits (5)
Only When I Larf (1968)
Silas
The Magic Christian (1969) opening credits (3)
The Magic Christian (1969)
Oxford Coach
David Copperfield (1970) opening credits (3)
David Copperfield (1970)
Mr Tungay
Loot (1970) opening credits (7)
Loot (1970)
Inspector Truscott
A Severed Head (1971) opening credits (8)
A Severed Head (1971)
Palmer Anderson
10 Rillington Place (1971) opening credits (6)
10 Rillington Place (1971)
Christie
Ten Little Indians (1974) opening credits
Ten Little Indians (1974)
Judge Arthur Cannon
Brannigan (1975) opening credits (6)
Brannigan (1975)
Cdr Swann
Conduct Unbecoming (1975) opening credits (7)
Conduct Unbecoming (1975)
Maj Lionel E. Roach
Conduct Unbecoming (1975) opening credits (7)
The Human Factor (1979)
Colonel John Daintry
Jurassic Park (1993) opening credits (5)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Hammond
Jurassic Park (1993) opening credits (5)
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
Kris Kringle
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) opening credits (4)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
John Hammond
+ Show all productions (39 more)

Personal Details

Born
Died
Sheila Sim, whose steady rise to success in such films as A Canterbury Tale, The Guinea Pig and Dear Mr Prohack has established her as an accomplished actress who epitomises youthful English charm, has an important romantic role in Pandora and the Flying Dutchman. She plays Janet, the archaeologist narrator’s niece, who suffers unhappiness through her love for Pandora’s fiancé, a famous racing motorist, portrayed by Nigel Patrick
Wife  m. 1945–2014 (his death)

Watch Richard Attenborough on British television