Richard Attenborough

Born Aug. 29, 1923, in Cambridge, England, son of a college administrator, Richard Attenborough got his start as a popular juvenile actor of stage and screen. Beginning with 1942's In Which We Serve, he was often typecast as a nervous or cowardly youth; he was especially memorable as a young hoodlum in Brighton Rock.

Attenborough tackled character roles in such U.S. productions as The Great Escape and The Sand Pebbles before making his directorial debut with 1969's Oh! What a Lovely War. He fulfilled a lifelong dream in 1982 with Gandhi, winning Oscars as both producer and director.

Hollywood directing jobs followed, with A Chorus Line, Chaplin and others. In 1993, Steven Spielberg coaxed Attenborough back into acting for Jurassic Park. Subsequently, he has alternated sides of the camera, directing Shadowlands (1993) and appearing in Miracle on 34th Street (as Santa) and Elizabeth.

Filmography