---
name: "Richard Attenborough"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/richard-attenborough"
fi1m_id: "richard-attenborough"
imdb_id: "nm0000277"
tmdb_id: 4786
wikidata_id: "Q51506"
roles: ["Actor","Director","Producer"]
born: "29 August 1923"
died: "24 August 2014"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 12
average_fi1m_score: 76
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 9
updated: "2026-10-04T20:14:00.611940+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Richard Attenborough

## Identity

Richard Attenborough

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/richard-attenborough
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** richard-attenborough
- **IMDb ID:** nm0000277
- **TMDB ID:** 4786
- **Wikidata ID:** Q51506
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Attenborough, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q51506, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000277/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/4786

Actor and director. Born 29 August 1923 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK. Died 24 August 2014.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor, Director, Producer
- **Born:** 29 August 1923, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK
- **Died:** 24 August 2014
- **Active:** 1942–1998
- **Also known as:** Baron Attenborough, Lord Richard Samuel Attenborough, CBE, Ричард Аттенборо, Sir Richard Attenborough, Richard Samuel Attenborough, ریچارد اتنبرا
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 12: 9 acting, 3 directing
- **Frequently works with:** [Candice Bergen](https://film.one/person/candice-bergen.md), [David Koepp](https://film.one/person/david-koepp.md), [Gerald R. Molen](https://film.one/person/gerald-r-molen.md), [Jeff Goldblum](https://film.one/person/jeff-goldblum.md), [John Briley](https://film.one/person/john-briley.md), [John Gielgud](https://film.one/person/john-gielgud.md), [Steve McQueen](https://film.one/person/steve-mcqueen-13565.md), [Steven Spielberg](https://film.one/person/steven-spielberg.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 2 Oscars (2 won · 1 nominated)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 76, as actor, over 9 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1940s 83 (2), 1960s 66 (3), 1980s 72 (2), 1990s 79 (5)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 81 to 73 across 7 titles
- **Score spread:** 5 at 80+, 3 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 1 of 7 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 6, Adventure 4, War 3, Comedy 2, Fantasy 2, Science Fiction 2
- **Screen time:** 23 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1,811m across 9 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Attenborough, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q51506, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000277/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/4786

## Streaming the US now

- **AMC+:** [*Jurassic Park*](https://film.one/film/jurassic-park.md) (91), [*The Lost World: Jurassic Park*](https://film.one/film/the-lost-world-jurassic-park.md) (64)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Great Escape*](https://film.one/film/the-great-escape.md) (82), [*Gandhi*](https://film.one/film/gandhi.md) (73)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Richard Attenborough

> Richard Attenborough’s strength is making a supporting character matter without demanding the whole film’s attention. We value the seriousness of his Bartlett and the warmth of his Hammond, though his characters are sometimes thinly written.

Hammond’s enthusiasm in Steven Spielberg’s *Jurassic Park* (1993) makes it easy to understand why anyone would listen to him. Attenborough gives that confidence enough warmth to make the doubts about the park sting. We liked him, and that made us uneasy: his appeal encourages us to give the enterprise more credit than it deserves. Michael Crichton and David Koepp’s screenplay leaves him a fairly simple character, but the performance makes that simplicity less damaging.

Pinkie in *Brighton Rock* (1947) brought him prominence, and his early casting tended towards spivs and cowards. By John Sturges’s *The Great Escape* (1963), he was giving Bartlett the serious weight that an ensemble full of resourceful, conspicuously confident men needed. Steve McQueen’s Hilts provides much of the ease and humour; Attenborough gives the collective effort gravity. Sturges keeps those differences clear, so Bartlett can hold our attention while others get the more immediately entertaining business.

His Sir William Cecil in Shekhar Kapur’s *Elizabeth* (1998) is similarly useful to a film built around someone else. Cate Blanchett’s alert, vulnerable queen has substantial company in Attenborough and Geoffrey Rush’s Sir Francis Walsingham, and neither needs to compete with her. That restraint helps keep our interest where it belongs, with the queen’s struggle to hold power.

He began directing features in 1969, and the later films often show the same respect for an actor’s contribution. In *Gandhi* (1982), Ben Kingsley’s alertness keeps the reverence bearable. Lesley Walker’s editing gives Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger time to register in *Shadowlands* (1993), though George Fenton’s music sometimes provides more encouragement than the performances need. Attenborough can be too careful about preparing our feelings, leaving little chance of surprise. Start with *The Great Escape* for his acting; Bartlett’s seriousness is worth watching even when McQueen seems to be having more fun.

## Biography

Richard Attenborough was an English actor, director and producer. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made his film debut in 1942. During the Second World War he served in the Royal Air Force Film Production Unit.

His early acting roles included An English Pilot in *A Matter of Life and Death* (1946) and Pinkie in *Brighton Rock* (1947). He later appeared in *The Great Escape* (1963) and as John Hammond in *Jurassic Park* (1993) and its 1997 sequel. As a director he is best known for *Gandhi* (1982), which won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director. He was knighted in 1976 and created a life peer in 1993.

Attenborough was the elder brother of naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough. He was married to actress Sheila Sim from 1945 until his death in 2014.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, screenonline.org.uk, bfi.org.uk, themoviedb.org.*

## On Fi1m (12)

### Performed in (9) — the average rests on these

- *Elizabeth* (1998), Fi1m 82, as Sir William Cecil — [page](https://film.one/film/elizabeth.md)
- *The Lost World: Jurassic Park* (1997), Fi1m 64, as John Hammond — [page](https://film.one/film/the-lost-world-jurassic-park.md)
- *Hamlet* (1996), Fi1m 81, as English Ambassador — [page](https://film.one/film/hamlet.md)
- *Jurassic Park* (1993), Fi1m 91, as Hammond — [page](https://film.one/film/jurassic-park.md)
- *Doctor Dolittle* (1967), Fi1m 50, as Albert Blossom — [page](https://film.one/film/doctor-dolittle.md)
- *The Sand Pebbles* (1966), Fi1m 66, as Frenchy Burgoyne — [page](https://film.one/film/the-sand-pebbles.md)
- *The Great Escape* (1963), Fi1m 82, as Bartlett 'Big X' — [page](https://film.one/film/the-great-escape.md)
- *A Matter of Life and Death* (1946), Fi1m 92, as An English Pilot — [page](https://film.one/film/a-matter-of-life-and-death.md)
- *In Which We Serve* (1942), Fi1m 74, as Young Stoker — [page](https://film.one/film/in-which-we-serve.md)

### Directed (3)

- *Shadowlands* (1993), Fi1m 79, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/shadowlands.md)
- *Cry Freedom* (1987), Fi1m 72, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/cry-freedom.md)
- *Gandhi* (1982), Fi1m 73, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/gandhi.md)

## Complete filmography (90)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Outbreak 1939: When War Broke Out* (2009), Actor
- *Closing the Ring* (2007), Director, Producer
- *British Film Forever* (2007), series, Actor
- *Within the Way Without* (2004), as (voice)
- *Puckoon* (2002), as Writer/Director
- *Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story* (2001), series, as Magog
- *The Children Who Cheated the Nazis* (2000), as Narrator
- *The Railway Children* (2000), as The Old Gentleman
- *Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat* (1999), as Jacob
- *Grey Owl* (1999), Director, Producer
- *Elizabeth* (1998), as Sir William Cecil — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/elizabeth.md)
- *The Lost World: Jurassic Park* (1997), as John Hammond — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/the-lost-world-jurassic-park.md)
- *Hamlet* (1996), as English Ambassador — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/hamlet.md)
- *In Love and War* (1996), Director, Producer
- *E=MC²* (1996), as The Visitor
- *Miracle on 34th Street* (1994), as Kris Kringle
- *Shadowlands* (1993), Director, Producer — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/shadowlands.md)
- *Jurassic Park* (1993), as Hammond — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/jurassic-park.md)
- *Chaplin* (1992), Director, Producer
- *Cry Freedom* (1987), Director, Producer — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/cry-freedom.md)
- *Mother Teresa* (1986), as Narrator (voice)
- *A Chorus Line* (1985), Director
- *Friday People* (1985), series, Actor
- *Gandhi* (1982), Director, Producer — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/gandhi.md)
- *The Human Factor* (1979), as Colonel John Daintry
- *Magic* (1978), Director
- *The Chess Players* (1977), as General Outram
- *A Bridge Too Far* (1977), as Lunatic with Glasses (uncredited) · Director
- *Conduct Unbecoming* (1975), as Major Lionel E. Roach
- *Rosebud* (1975), as Edward Sloat
- *Brannigan* (1975), as Cmdr. Charles Swann
- *And Then There Were None* (1974), as Judge Arthur Cannon
- *Young Winston* (1972), Director
- *10 Rillington Place* (1971), as John Christie
- *A Severed Head* (1971), as Palmer Anderson
- *Loot* (1970), as Inspector Truscott
- *The Last Grenade* (1970), as General Charles Whiteley
- *Don't Make Me Laugh* (1970), Actor
- *The Magic Christian* (1969), as Oxford Coach
- *David Copperfield* (1969), as Mr. Tungay
- *Oh! What a Lovely War* (1969), Director, Producer
- *The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom* (1968), as Robert Blossom
- *Only When I Larf* (1968), as Silas
- *Doctor Dolittle* (1967), as Albert Blossom — Fi1m 50, [page](https://film.one/film/doctor-dolittle.md)
- *The Sand Pebbles* (1966), as Frenchy Burgoyne — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/the-sand-pebbles.md)
- *The Flight of the Phoenix* (1965), as Lew Moran
- *Guns at Batasi* (1964), as Regimental Sgt. Major Lauderdale
- *Seance on a Wet Afternoon* (1964), as Bill · Producer
- *The Third Secret* (1964), as Alfred Price-Gorham
- *The Great Escape* (1963), as Bartlett 'Big X' — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/the-great-escape.md)
- *The L-Shaped Room* (1962), Producer
- *The Dock Brief* (1962), as Herbert Fowle
- *All Night Long* (1962), as Rod Hamilton
- *Only Two Can Play* (1962), as Gareth L. Probert
- *Whistle Down the Wind* (1961), Producer
- *The League of Gentlemen* (1960), as Lexy
- *The Angry Silence* (1960), as Tom Curtis · Producer
- *SOS Pacific* (1959), as Whitey Mullen
- *Jet Storm* (1959), as Ernest Tilley
- *I'm All Right Jack* (1959), as Sidney De Vere Cox
- *Danger Within* (1959), as Capt. 'Bunter' Phillips
- *Sea of Sand* (1958), as Brody
- *The Man Upstairs* (1958), as Peter Watson
- *Dunkirk* (1958), as John Holden
- *The Scamp* (1957), as Stephen Leigh
- *Brothers in Law* (1957), as Henry Marshall
- *The Baby and the Battleship* (1956), as Knocker White
- *Private's Progress* (1956), as Pvt. Percival Henry Cox
- *The Ship That Died of Shame* (1955), as George Hoskins
- *Eight O'Clock Walk* (1954), as Thomas Leslie Manning
- *Box for One* (1953), as The Caller
- *Father's Doing Fine* (1952), as Dougall
- *Gift Horse* (1952), as Dripper Daniels
- *The Magic Box* (1952), as Jack Carter
- *Hell Is Sold Out* (1951), as Pierre Bonnet
- *Morning Departure* (1950), as Stoker Snipe
- *Boys in Brown* (1949), as Jackie Knowles
- *The Lost People* (1949), as Jan
- *London Belongs to Me* (1948), as Percy Boon
- *The Guinea Pig* (1948), as Jack Read
- *Brighton Rock* (1948), as Pinkie Brown
- *Dancing with Crime* (1947), as Ted Peters
- *The Man Within* (1947), as Francis Andrews
- *School for Secrets* (1946), as Jack Arnold
- *A Matter of Life and Death* (1946), as An English Pilot — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/a-matter-of-life-and-death.md)
- *Journey Together* (1945), as David Wilton
- *The True Glory* (1945), as Commentator
- *The Hundred Pound Window* (1944), as Tommy Draper
- *Svejk Wrecks Germany* (1943), as Railway worker
- *In Which We Serve* (1942), as Young Stoker — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/in-which-we-serve.md)

## Gallery

- ![Richard Attenborough as Bartlett 'Big X' in The Great Escape (1963)](https://film.one/media/title/1740/still-688d4a554717.jpg) Richard Attenborough as Bartlett 'Big X' in *The Great Escape* (1963) — Image via TMDB
- ![Richard Attenborough at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival](https://film.one/media/person/59110/gallery-98a9945a6e8e.jpg) Richard Attenborough at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival — gdcgraphics at https://www.flickr.com/photos/gdcgraphics/, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/RichardAttenborough07TIFF.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : De filmmakers van "Een brug te ver" komen aan op Schiphol i.v.m. de filmopnames in Nederland Besch (1975)](https://film.one/media/person/59110/gallery-f3400eb397ba.jpg) Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : De filmmakers van "Een brug te ver" komen aan op Schiphol i.v.m. de filmopnames in Nederland Besch (1975) — Bert Verhoeff for Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Regisseur_Richard_Attenborough%2C_Bestanddeelnr_928-0661.jpg/1280px-Regisseur_Richard_Attenborough%2C_Bestanddeelnr_928-0661.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Persconferentie Richard Attenborough in verband met premiere "Een brug (1977)](https://film.one/media/person/59110/gallery-738a4f9287f2.jpg) Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Persconferentie Richard Attenborough in verband met premiere "Een brug (1977) — Rob Croes for Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Persconferentie_Richard_Attenborough_in_verband_met_premiere_Een_brug_te_ver_%2C_links_%2C_Bestanddeelnr_929-2372.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Richard Attenborough (1983)](https://film.one/media/person/59110/gallery-0037ffb5f536.jpg) Richard Attenborough (1983) — Towpilot, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Richard_Attenborough.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Richard Attenborough](https://film.one/media/person/59110/gallery-7ae34d53041a.jpg) Richard Attenborough — Image via TMDB
- ![Richard Attenborough](https://film.one/media/person/59110/gallery-4697525c0deb.jpg) Richard Attenborough — Image via TMDB
- ![Richard Attenborough](https://film.one/media/person/59110/gallery-c26a1ad1330e.jpg) Richard Attenborough — Image via TMDB
- ![Publicity photo of Richard Attenborough in Flight of the Phoenix (1965)](https://film.one/media/person/59110/gallery-ad8daf3502e9.jpg) Publicity photo of Richard Attenborough in Flight of the Phoenix (1965) — 20th Century Fox, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Richard_Attenborough_-_1965.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Richard Attenborough](https://film.one/media/person/59110/gallery-fc454a29604f.jpg) Richard Attenborough — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 2 won, 1 nominated

- 1984: Best Picture (nominated), for *Gandhi*
- 1983: Best Picture (won), for *Gandhi*
- 1983: Best Director (won), for *Gandhi*

### BAFTA Film Awards — 4 won

- 1983: Best Film (won), for *Gandhi*
- 1983: BAFTA Fellowship (won)
- 1983: Best Direction (won), for *Gandhi*
- 1965: Best Actor in a Leading Role (won), for *Guns at Batasi*

### Golden Globes — 3 won

- 1983: Best Director (won), for *Gandhi*
- 1968: Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture (won), for *Doctor Dolittle*
- 1967: Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture (won), for *The Sand Pebbles*

### Berlin International Film Festival — 1 won

- 1988: Berlinale Camera (won)

### Other awards — 10 won

- Bodley Medal 2004: Bodley Medal (won)
- Praemium Imperiale 1998: Praemium Imperiale (won)
- European Film Academy Special Achievement Award 1988: European Film Academy Special Achievement Award (won)
- Knight of the Legion of Honour 1988: Knight of the Legion of Honour (won)
- Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres 1985: Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres (won)
- Directors Guild of America Award 1983: Directors Guild of America Award (won)
- Padma Bhushan 1983: Padma Bhushan (won)
- Knight Bachelor 1975: Knight Bachelor (won)
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire 1967: Commander of the Order of the British Empire (won)
- Silver Shell for Best Actor 1964: Silver Shell for Best Actor (won), for *Séance on a Wet Afternoon*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/richard-attenborough