British actor and director Richard Attenborough dies at 90

One of Britain’s best known actors and film directors Richard Attenborough, has died aged 90.

In his career spanning over six decades, Attenborough appeared many films including “The Great Escape”, “Jurassic Park” and “Elizabeth“. He won two Academy Awards as director and producer of 1983 film “Gandhi“.

Born in August 1923 in Cambridge, Attenborough made his debuted in 1942 on big screen with “In Which We Serve“, appearing in more than 60 films over the next 50 years. He became famous in villainous roles like in the adaptation of Graham Greene’s novel Brighton Rock in 1947.

After making a few films through his production, he was approached by an associate of Mahatma Gandhi’s family to make a movie on his life. He met Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi then about the project. However it took him two decades till 1980 to make it into reality.

The film “Gandhi” won eight Oscar awards including Best actor for Ben Kingsley and best director for Attenborough, in 1982. He was brought back on the big screen by Steven Spielberg in 1993’s blockbuster “Jurrasic Park” and later in its sequel.

He played Santa Claus in the 1994 family drama “Miracle On 34th Street” and played supporting roles in Kenneth Branagh’s “Hamlet” and Shekhar Kapur’s “Elizabeth“. Attenborough slowed down in his 80s but kept working and writing his memoirs, “Entirely Up To You, Darling”.

He had been confined to a wheelchair after falling down stairs six years back and had been living with his wife Sheila in a nursing home.