Obit:Richard Attenborough,Director/Actor 1923-2014

Subject: Obit: Richard Attenborough, Director/Actor
From: Mrrzy
Date: 24 Aug 14 - 07:44 PM

I always liked him best in The Great Escape but a very, very versatile talent. He'd be chatting up Lauren Bacall...

Subject: RE: Obit:Richard Attenborough,Director/Actor 1923-2014
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 03:07 AM

A very fine a actor as well as a director, his performance as RSM Lauderdale in the film ' Guns At Batasi ' is the finest portrayal of a British Regimental Sergeant Major I've ever seen.

Dave H

Subject: RE: Obit:Richard Attenborough,Director/Actor 1923-2014
From: GUEST,Rahere
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 05:30 AM

An RSM way out of his depth - but Attenborough never was. The only time I had anything to do with him was when I was very young and he was just starting his career as a director: he was scouting around for WWI uniforms for the filming of Oh! What A Lovely War. As it happened, I had just joined the school CCF unit, the first of an intake a year younger than previously, and we weren't full-grown: we needed smaller uniforms. The storemen weren't that bothered and told us to find the ourselves, so a major dig through sorted it. In the course of the dig, we went right to the back of th stores, and discovered a boxfull of WW1 uniforms, not what was needed so we left them there.
A couple of weeks later I was talking to the CCF admin major when the Head's secretary came in, having just taken a call from Richard who was, as I said, looking for uniforms. They didn't think we'd be able to help, until I mentioned what I found in the stores, we went downstairs and dug them out: I was right. So off they went and the storemen got the job of sorting things out properly. Oh, revenge is sweet.
Anyway, a couple of months went by and then I received an order, just for little old me, to be on parade in full uniform at 0630on the Saturday morning - I had to catch the milk train to make it. Just me and the Admin major, standing like lemons waiting for not much to happen - until a charabanc with the entire cast on board came round the corner, Lords Gielgud and Olivier, Ralph Richardson and his clan, the Redgraves en masse, John and Hayley Mills, Maggie Smith, you name it, they were there. They were actually headed to Clapham to join the London-Brighton car rally as a promotional stunt, as the filming was about to start in the hills around Ditchling. That was Attenborough, attention to detail.

Subject: RE: Obit:Richard Attenborough,Director/Actor 1923-2014
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 05:43 AM

He was a nice bloke, even if he did have trouble remembering my name.

Subject: RE: Obit:Richard Attenborough,Director/Actor 1923-2014
From: fat B****rd
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 09:17 AM

Quite evil in "Brighton Rock" and even more so in "10 Rillington Place", which, because of his portrayal of Christie, I can't bear to watch. RIP Mr. Attenborough

Subject: RE: Obit:Richard Attenborough,Director/Actor 1923-2014
From: gnu
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 10:00 AM

RIP to a great talent.

Subject: RE: Obit:Richard Attenborough,Director/Actor 1923-2014
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 10:18 AM

Many Americans below a certain age will remember him best for his role in Jurassic Park. That was a bit of fluff compared to his work on Gandhi, but it all adds up to a long life well-spent. I haven't seen many of his younger performances, I'll have to poke around NetFlix and see what they have.

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit:Richard Attenborough,Director/Actor 1923-2014
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 10:55 AM

"He was a nice bloke, even if he did have trouble remembering my name. "

A Bridge too far?

Subject: RE: Obit:Richard Attenborough,Director/Actor 1923-2014
From: Musket
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 01:09 PM

I saw some of his films and yeah, a very talented man. Had a good innings.

His brother is and remains one of my heroes.

Subject: RE: Obit:Richard Attenborough,Director/Actor 1923-2014
From: bbc
Date: 26 Aug 14 - 03:58 AM

A charming man. Sad to read this news!

Barbara

Subject: RE: Obit:Richard Attenborough,Director/Actor 1923-2014
From: fat B****rd
Date: 26 Aug 14 - 07:29 AM

Did he call you "Darling", Richard?. Apparently he spoke to so many famous people that he couldn't remember all their names.