Sir Richard Attenborough
1923 - 2014
The Rt Hon. The Lord Attenborough, CBE, Dickie to all his friends,
eldest of three sons to Mary and Frederick Attenborough, was a
prodigious talent with a very firm connection to Leicester which he
never forgot.
Born in Cambridge, Richard Samuel Attenborough moved to Leicester
when his father, an esteemed scholar and academic was appointed
Principal of University College, Leicester (later to become Leicester
University) and the young Dickie took up his studies at Wyggeston
Grammar School for Boys.
Leaving school he was drafted into the Air Force and, luckily for
generations to follow, ended up in the RAF Film Unit at Pinewood. His
interest in performing had been nurtured by his participation in
productions at Leicester's Little Theatre, an establishment he
maintained a connection with as patron until his death.
His first film, In Which We Serve, was uncredited but saw him
working under The Master, Noel Coward, who both wrote and directed this
patriotic morale booster. From that inauspicious start in 1942 right up
to 2002 Dickie made at least one film per year. From 1960 he also wore a
producer's and director's hat for several films.
Alongside his extensive showbiz career, Attenborough held a huge
number of corporate titles ranging from President of Chelsea Football
Club to President of BAFTA and President of RADA.
Throughout his life he and his wife, actress Sheila Sim, retained
very strong links with Leicester and he filmed scenes for several
productions locally, most famously on the Great Central Railway for
Shadowlands with Sir Anthony Hopkins.
A slew of titles were conferred on Sir Richard and reached a pinnacle with his ennoblement as Baron Attenborough of Richmond.
One of the most remarkable things about this giant of so many areas
of life is that you would be very hard pressed to find anyone to say a
bad word about him. As an epitaph for a life well lived you can't ask
for more than 'He was a lovely man'
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