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1-50 of 158
- Actor
- Writer
Best remembered as 'M' in the James Bond films, Bernard Lee was a popular character player in British films throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Born into a theatrical family, he made his stage debut at age six and later attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He first appeared on the West End stage in London in 1928, and continued to work in the theatre during the 1930s, taking only occasional film roles.
It was only after World War II that he concentrated his efforts on the cinema, and was much in demand in British films of the 1950s as friendly authority figures, including army sergeants, police detectives or navy officers. Detectives became a particular specialty, and he played this role in more than a dozen films, including The Blue Lamp (1950), Beat the Devil (1953) and The Detective (1954). In the early 1960s, he also made regular appearances as police detectives in the The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre (1959) second feature series, usually as "Inspector Meredith". He also made memorable appearances in The Third Man (1949), Operation Disaster (1950), Glory at Sea (1952), Pursuit of the Graf Spee (1956), Dunkirk (1958) and Whistle Down the Wind (1961).
He was effectively cast against type in only two films, as the union agitator in The Angry Silence (1960), and as a disgruntled civil servant who becomes a spy for the Russians in Ring of Treason (1964).
In 1962, he made his first appearance as the head of the British secret service in the first James Bond film, Dr. No (1962). He went on to be featured in the next ten films in the series, appearing with Sean Connery, George Lazenby and, later, Roger Moore as Bond, and will probably be considered the definitive "M" by more than one generation of Bond fans.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
John Bardon was born on 25 August 1939 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for EastEnders (1985), Clockwise (1986) and Fierce Creatures (1997). He was married to Enda Gates. He died on 12 September 2014 in Romford, London, England, UK.- Although Jane Freeman will forever be associated with the redoubtable cafe owner Ivy in Roy Clarke's long-running Last of the Summer Wine - appearing in 274 episodes over a 37-year run and a 1983 stage version - she was also an actor of considerable resources who remained steadfastly committed to the theatre.
If Clarke's BBC hit comedy overshadowed Freeman's later career, she was at pains not to be confined by it, appearing in regional rep, national tours and pantomimes throughout its long television life.
Born in Brentford, near London, she moved to Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, when her mother remarried, her father having died in an accident when she was nine. There she developed an early interest in performing at school. After graduating from the City of Cardiff [now Royal Welsh] College of Music and Drama in 1955, she moved to London before joining the Gloucestershire-based all-female Osiris Repertory Theatre touring company.
In 1958 she joined the Arena Theatre, Sutton Coldfield, where she began to attract attention, and was seen as Margaret More in the inaugural production of the Welsh Theatre Company, Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons, at the New Theatre, Cardiff in 1962.
As a member of Birmingham Rep between 1968 and 1973, she toured to Chicago and made notable appearances in Edward Bond's Saved and the musical Guys and Dolls, and as Maggie Hobson in Harold Brighouse's Hobson's Choice.
When television filming commitments allowed, she could be found playing a number of strong, usually northern, matriarchs in Billy Liar (Nottingham Playhouse, 1980), touring productions of JB Priestley's When We Are Married and Michael Frayn's Noises Off (1987) and Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke's Situation Comedy (1989).
She scored a personal success as the sharp-tongued Emma Hornett in Philip King and Falkland Carey's Sailor Beware! at the Lyric, Hammersmith (1991), subsequently touring with it in 1992 and 1993.
Later theatre appearances included Pam Gems' Deborah's Daughter (Library Theatre, Manchester, 1994) and tours of William Ash's adaptation of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights in 1995 and again in 1998.
She made her television debut in Troy Kennedy-Martin and John McGrath's Marriage, directed by Ken Loach, in 1964. Her Play for Today appearances included Peter Terson's The Fishing Party (1972) and Alan Bleasdale's Scully's New Year's Eve (1978). Other notable credits included Roy Clarke's Of Funerals and Fish (1973), Blackadder (1982) and Mrs Kimble in Silas Marner (1985).
Her few film appearances included Scrubbers (1982), directed by Mai Zetterling.
She was married to Michael Simpson, the former artistic director of Birmingham Rep, from 1971 until his death in December 2007.
Jane Freeman died of lung cancer on March 9, 2017, aged 81. - Maureen Crombie was born on the 6th January 1943 as Maureen Blott. She graduated from RADA in 1962 and went straight into the play 'Believe it or Not' at a theatre in Coventry. Then into films where on the set of 'Joey Boy' she met 'Steptoe and Son' actor Harry H Corbett whom she later married. They had two children together, a son Jon and a daughter Susannah who went on to be an actress and writer of children's books. Susannah also wrote the excellent biography of her father, 'The Front Legs of the Cow'.
Maureen had suffered from cancer for a number of years and finally succumbed at home in November 1999 surrounded by her family. - Special Effects
- Production Manager
- Visual Effects
John Richardson was born on 10 June 1946 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He is a production manager, known for Aliens (1986), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) and Moonraker (1979).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Michael Barrington (3 July 1924 - 5 June 1988) was a British actor best known for his television work. His best-remembered role is as the ineffectual Governor Venables in the popular sitcom Porridge, which featured Ronnie Barker in the lead role.
Born in Middlesex, England, both his parents died when he was 16. His plans to train as a veterinarian were interrupted by Second World War service in a munitions factory and the Royal Engineers. After the war he decided to become an actor and trained at the Birmingham School of Drama. He then appeared in repertory theatres and at the Vaudeville Theatre in Salad Days.
In addition to Porridge Barrington also appeared in Z Cars (1962), The Avengers, Private Schulz, Adam Adamant Lives!, and in the Doctor Who story The Seeds of Doom, as Sir Colin Thackeray. He was cast as Sir Robert Peel in the 1975 English miniseries King Edward VII.
He was married to actress Barbara New until his death from a heart attack on 5 June 1988, aged 63 in London, following many years of ill health due to lung disease. He was buried in the East London Cemetery and Crematorium.- Annabelle Lee was born on 24 July 1930 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Moonstone (1959), Good Wives (1958) and Jo's Boys (1959). She was married to Richard Carpenter. She died on 5 March 2018 in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, UK.
- Sound Department
- Editor
- Editorial Department
Norman Wanstall was born in 1935 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He is an editor, known for Goldfinger (1964), Dr. No (1962) and Never Say Never Again (1983).- Actor
- Writer
Donald Bisset was born on 3 August 1910 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Doctor Who (1963), Ragtime (1981) and The Rise and Fall of César Birotteau (1965). He died on 10 August 1995 in London, England, UK.- Meg Ritchie was born in 1936 in Brentford, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for First Night (1963), Softly Softly (1966) and Shades of Darkness (1983). She was previously married to Jeremy Kingston.
- Roger was the son of George Hume, former general manager of the William Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford. Started off as an ASM, and crewed on films. Extensive theatre experience, including his own one-man shows "Old Herbaceous", "Winston" and "Please Sir". Also frequent appearances on radio, notably as Bert Fry in "The Archers". Married at Chesterfield to Anne Preus in February 1968. Two sons, Oliver (born 1970) and Dan (born 1972).
- Additional Crew
Babette Langford was born in July 1930 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. Babette is known for The Paul Daniels Magic Show (1979). Babette was previously married to Donald Langford.- Colin Rix was born on 3 March 1932 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Eye of the Needle (1981), The Avengers (1961) and Chain (1990). He was married to Greeta Pedlingham. He died on 11 November 2013 in Newcastle, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK.
- Jeffrey Gardiner was born in 1927 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Small World (1988), The Mind of the Enemy (1965) and The Andromeda Breakthrough (1962).
- Actor
- Director
- Cinematographer
Dan Gillan was born in 1937 in Brentford, London, England, UK. He is an actor and director, known for Budgie (1971), NOMAD: A Story of Damon Robinson (2013) and Coronation Street (1960). He has been married to Jennifer R Humphrys since 1971. He was previously married to Susan F Hindley and Stella M Crassweller.- Additional Crew
- Producer
- Actor
Paul Tucker was born on 14 March 1947 in Brentford, London, England, UK. He is a producer and actor, known for Aliens (1986), King Arthur (2004) and Never Say Never Again (1983).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Sally Mates was born in 1943 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Les Misérables (2012), 1984 (1984) and Mother & Wild (2022).- Anthony Skene was born on 17 September 1924 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He was a writer, known for Thriller (1973), Journey to the Unknown (1968) and The Prisoner (1967). He died on 27 February 2000 in Islington, London, England, UK.
- Make-Up Department
Stephanie Kaye was born in 1940 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. She is known for Never Say Never Again (1983), Event Horizon (1997) and Blow-Up (1966). She was married to Nick Gillott, Stephen P. Dickson and Jan Krzeczunowicz. She died on 20 January 2023.- Anthony Verner was born in 1937 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He is an actor and director, known for The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1966), Pathfinders (1972) and At the Earth's Core (1976).
- Jean Webster-Brough was born on 9 May 1900 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Bardell Against Pickwick (1938), Bardell Against Pickwick (1946) and Cheer Boys Cheer (1939). She died on 30 April 1954 in Ealing, London, England, UK.
- Perceval Clarke was born on 25 November 1881 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Nance (1920). He was married to Jean Cadell. He died on 6 June 1938 in Rochdale, Lancashire, England, UK.
- Susan Worth was born in 1945 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Professionals (1977), Premiere (1977) and A Penny for Your Thoughts or 'Birds, Dolls & Scratch' English Style (1965).
- Actor
- Additional Crew
John Ketteringham was born on 5 July 1931 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Link (1986), Jools's Hootenanny (1993) and Gulliver's Travels (1996). He died on 9 July 2008 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK.- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Producer
- Production Manager
Dusty Symonds was born on 3 May 1944 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. She is an assistant director and producer, known for Superman (1978), The Phantom of the Opera (2004) and Event Horizon (1997). She was previously married to Virginia Harris.- Producer
- Production Manager
James Carreras was born on 30 January 1909 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He was a producer and production manager, known for Who Killed Van Loon? (1948). He was married to Vera St. John Smart. He died on 9 June 1990 in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK.- Elayne Sharling was born in 1946 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Timon of Athens (1981), The Beggar's Opera (1983) and The Gemini Factor (1987).
- Hilary Arthur Wontner was born into a theatrical family on 4th October 1912. His mother was actress Rose Pendennis and his father the famous English actor Arthur Wontner, most notable for his portrayal of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. He married Denise Judith Dean (b. 4 February 1915) in Kensington on the 6th May 1947.
He was educated at Oundle School in Northamptonshire, along with his elder brother Hugh (later Sir Hugh Wontner, Lord Mayor of London). Hilary then went to Poitiers University in France and finally returned to London where he studied acting at RADA, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
An actor from 1933, he was with the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre from 1935 and then the Birmingham Repertory Company from 1935 to 1937. From 1938 he appeared on the London and provincial stage, and had radio and television roles from 1938. He appeared in US television from 1962 to 1964.
At the outbreak of World War Two in 1939, he served in Field Security in France and Belgium. He was evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940. Later he was posted to the 5th/6th Punjab Regiment in the Indian Army, where he became a Captain in 1942. Between 1941 and 1943 he served in Burma, India and Iraq. He was editor of the Army journal in Bagdad before being seconded to the British Council in Iran in 1943 where he founded the Anglo-Iranian Dramatic Society in 1944.
After the war he became an announcer for 'Radio Normandy' in 1946 and 1947. He subsequently joined the South African Broadcasting Corporation in Johannesburg, where he was an announcer, scriptwriter and producer, going on to become an assistant programme organiser from 1950 to 1955.
On his return to England in 1957 he became a director of H. A. Wontner & Company.
He had two twin boys, born to his wife Denise on the 18th December 1947. Rupert Stephen Arthur Wontner and Nicholas St. John Hilary Wontner, and both Hilary's sons inherited their fathers gift for languages as well as his fiery red hair! - Albert Chevalier was born in June 1897 in Brentford, Middlesex, England. He was an actor, known for The Missing Million (1942), Our Miss Pemberton (1957) and Armchair Theatre (1956). He died on 11 November 1959 in London, England, UK.
- Andy Dempsey was born in 1946 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Thirty-Minute Theatre (1965), Elizabeth R (1971) and Review (1969). He died in 2014 in Ealing, London, England, UK.
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Cinematographer
Stuart Harris was born on 7 December 1945 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He is a cinematographer, known for Something for Everyone (1970), Wetherby (1985) and The Butterfly Ball (1977).- Producer
- Director
Peter Frazer-Jones was born in October 1930 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He was a producer and director, known for After Henry (1988), The Benny Hill Show (1969) and Max Bygraves Side by Side (1978). He died in 2005 in Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK.- Elaine Mitchell was born on 29 December 1928 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Coronation Street (1960), Sergeant Cork (1963) and Crossroads (1964). She died on 25 May 2018 in Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK.
- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
- Actor
John T. Chapman was born on 27 May 1927 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He was a writer and actor, known for Not Now Darling (1973), Satan in High Heels (1962) and Kraft Theatre (1947). He was married to Betty Impey. He died on 3 September 2001 in Périgueux, Dordogne, France.- Jay Neill was born on 21 May 1932 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Onedin Line (1971), Doomwatch (1970) and Softly Softly (1966). He died on 14 June 2006 in Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK.
- Additional Crew
Sheila Slate was born in April 1936 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. She is known for The Mission (1986), White Mischief (1987) and Around the World in 80 Days (1989).- Edward Brooks was born in 1928 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Long Chase (1972), Poldark (1975) and Six Days of Justice (1972). He was married to Sheila Stones. He died on 13 December 2010 in Bournemouth, Hampshire, England, UK.
- Editorial Department
- Sound Department
- Editor
David de Wilde was born on 22 June 1938 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He is an editor, known for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Black Gunn (1972) and Beyond the Limit (1983).- Anthea Holloway was born on 19 March 1919 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. She was an actress, known for My Wife Jacqueline (1952), The Battle of St. George Without (1969) and Little Dorrit (1987). She was married to Hamish Roughead and Hugh Searight. She died on 4 May 2002 in Tooting, London, England, UK.
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
Clive Coote was born on 15 April 1946 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He is known for Match Point (2005), Time Bandits (1981) and Notes on a Scandal (2006).- Celia Quicke was born in 1947 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Microbes and Men (1974), House of Whipcord (1974) and Against the Crowd (1975).
- Special Effects
- Actor
- Visual Effects
Garth Inns was born on 12 April 1943 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Planet of the Apes (2001), Enemy Mine (1985) and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). He died on 30 January 2021 in Slough, Berkshire, England, UK.- Miki Hood was born on 9 January 1915 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Guest of Honour (1934), The Middle Watch (1948) and The Middle Watch (1946). She was married to Gerald Lacoste and Charles Brutton. She died in September 1994 in Hertfordshire, England, UK.
- Additional Crew
- Producer
- Writer
Diana Hawkins was born on 8 March 1938 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. She is a producer and writer, known for Chaplin (1992), Gandhi (1982) and Shadowlands (1993).- George Howell was born in 1943 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Nicholas Nickleby (1957), Sutherland's Law (1973) and The Hill of the Red Fox (1975). He was married to Bonita Beach. He died in 2019 in Lanark, Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Holly Doone was born in 1942 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Prisoner (1967), The Lift (1965) and Sergeant Cork (1963).- Make-Up Department
Graham Freeborn was born on 7 November 1943 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He is known for Lifeforce (1985), Superman (1978) and Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980). He was married to Sheila Smith. He died on 14 July 1986 in Hammersmith, London, England, UK.- Stewart Guidotti was born in 1946 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. He is an actor, known for A Bridge Too Far (1977), David Copperfield (1966) and Star Cops (1987).
- Art Director
- Production Designer
- Art Department
Harry Pottle was born on 9 December 1925 in Brentford, Oxfordshire, England, UK. He was an art director and production designer, known for You Only Live Twice (1967), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) and The Avengers (1961). He was married to Denise Exshaw. He died in January 1998 in Dorset, England, UK.- Costume Designer
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Art Department
Evangeline Harrison was born in 1934 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. She is a costume designer, known for Superman III (1983), Get Carter (1971) and Love for Lydia (1977). She has been married to John Ralph since 2001. She was previously married to Philip Harrison.