Richard Attenborough

Prior to becoming the acclaimed director of epic features, Lord Richard Attenborough was noted for being a diversified actor whose roles ranged from unrepentant misfits to respected military men in both comedies and dramas. After making his mark as the sociopathic Pinky Brown in "Brighton Rock" (1943), Attenborough settled into a long onscreen career that spanned several decades and earned him numerous awards. Up until the early 1960s, he was famous in his native England, while remaining largely unknown across the Atlantic. But that all changed with a standout performance in the ensemble epic, "The Great Escape" (1963), a large scale Hollywood blockbuster that introduced Attenborough to a wider audience. From there, he branched out into directing, helming the antiwar musical, "Oh! What A Lovely War" (1969). Socially conscious, Attenborough began focusing his creative energies on subjects about larger-than-life figures who changed the world, which culminated in directing one of the last true epics, "Gandhi" (1982). A stunning achievement in both scale and intimacy, "Gandhi" was a high watermark in Attenborough's career. Though later efforts like "Chaplin" (1992) and "Shadowlands" (1993) failed to live up to the measure of "Gandhi," Attenborough nonetheless remained a cinematic legend well into the new millennium. His death, following a lengthy illness, on August 24, 2014, brought international mourning for a major figure in British cinema