Age, Biography, and Wiki
Richard Attenborough was born on August 29, 1923, in Cambridge, England. He was a prominent figure in British cinema, known for his roles in films like "The Great Escape" and "Jurassic Park", as well as his directing and producing credits, including "Gandhi" for which he won several awards.
| Occupation | Film Producer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 29 August 1923 |
| Age | 101 Years |
| Birth Place | Cambridge, England |
| Horoscope | Virgo |
| Country | England |
| Date of death | 24 August, 2014 |
| Died Place | Northwood, London, England |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Information regarding Richard Attenborough's height and weight is not extensively documented in the available sources. However, he was widely recognized for his distinctive appearance and authoritative voice.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Attenborough was married to actress Sheila Sim from 1945 until his death in 2014. The couple had three children together: Jane, Charlotte, and Michael.
In September 1939, while father Frederick Attenborough was Principal of University College, Leicester (1932–1951), the Attenboroughs took in two German Jewish refugee girls, Helga and Irene Bejach (aged 9 and 11, respectively), with the girls living with them in College House and being adopted by the family after the war, when it was discovered that their parents had been killed. The sisters moved to the United States in the 1950s and lived with an uncle, where they married and achieved American citizenship; Irene died in 1992, and Helga in 2005.
Attenborough's acting career started on the theatre stage, where he appeared in shows at Leicester's Little Theatre, Dover Street, prior to his attending RADA, where he remained Patron until his death. Attenborough's first major, credited role was portraying Tommy Draper in Brian Desmond Hurst's The Hundred Pound Window (1944), a role in which the character helps to rescue his accountant father who has taken a wrong turn in life. Attenborough's film career had begun by 1942, in an uncredited role as a sailor deserting his post under fire in the Noël Coward/David Lean production In Which We Serve (his name and character were omitted from the original release-print credits), a role that helped typecast him for many years as a spiv in films like London Belongs to Me (1948), Morning Departure (1950) and his breakthrough role as Pinkie Brown in John Boulting's film adaptation of Graham Greene's novel Brighton Rock (1947), a role that he had previously played to great acclaim at the Garrick Theatre in 1943. He played the lead at age 22 as an RAF cadet pilot in Journey Together (1945), in which top-billed Edward G. Robinson played his instructor.
Early in his stage career, Attenborough starred in the West End production of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, which went on to become the world's longest running stage production. Both he and his wife were among the original cast members of the production, which opened in 1952 at the Ambassadors Theatre, moving to St Martin's Theatre in 1974; the production ran continuously for nearly seven decades, until it was shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The Attenboroughs took a 10 per cent profit-participation in the production, which was paid for out of their combined weekly salary; Attenborough later wrote in his autobiography, "It proved to be the wisest business decision I've ever made... but foolishly I sold some of my share to open a short-lived Mayfair restaurant called 'The Little Elephant' and later still, disposed of the remainder in order to keep Gandhi afloat."
His later films as director and producer include Chaplin (1992) starring Robert Downey Jr. as Charlie Chaplin, and Shadowlands (1993), based on the relationship between C. S. Lewis and Joy Gresham (C. S. Lewis was portrayed by Anthony Hopkins, who had appeared in four previous films for Attenborough: Young Winston, A Bridge Too Far, Magic and Chaplin).
Attenborough was also the patron of the United World Colleges movement, whereby he contributed to the colleges that are part of the organisation. He was a frequent visitor to the Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa (UWCSA). With his wife, they founded the Richard and Sheila Attenborough Visual Arts Centre. He founded the Jane Holland Creative Centre for Learning at Waterford Kamhlaba in Swaziland in memory of his daughter who died in the tsunami on 26 December 2004.
Attenborough's father was the principal of University College, Leicester, now the city's university. This resulted in a long association with the university, with Attenborough becoming a patron. The university's Embrace Arts at the RA centre, which opened in 1997 is named in his honour. He had two younger brothers: naturalist and broadcaster David and motor trade executive John.
On 26 December 2004, the couple's elder daughter, Jane Holland (30 September 1955 – 26 December 2004), along with her mother-in-law, Audrey Holland, and Attenborough's 15-year-old granddaughter, Lucy, were killed when a tsunami caused by the Indian Ocean earthquake struck Khao Lak, Thailand, where they were on holiday.
In June 2012, shortly before her 90th birthday, Sheila Sim entered the professional actors' retirement home Denville Hall, in Northwood, London, for which she and Attenborough had helped raise funds. In October 2012, it was announced that Attenborough was putting the family home, Old Friars, with its attached offices, Beaver Lodge, which came complete with a sound-proofed cinema in the garden, on the market for £11.5 million. His brother David stated: "He and his wife both loved the house, but they now need full-time care. It simply isn't practical to keep the house on any more." In December 2012, in light of his deteriorating health, Attenborough moved into the same nursing home in London to be with his wife, as confirmed by their son Michael.
Attenborough died at Denville Hall, on 24 August 2014, five days before his 91st birthday. He requested that his ashes be interred in a vault at St Mary Magdalene church in Richmond beside those of his daughter, Jane, and his granddaughter, Lucy, both of whom had died in the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. He was survived by Sheila, his wife of 69 years, their oldest and youngest children, six grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and his younger brother David. Sheila died on 19 January 2016.
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| Husband | Sheila Sim (m. 22 January 1945) |
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Net Worth and Salary
At the time of his death in 2014, Richard Attenborough's net worth was estimated to be around $20 million. His earnings primarily came from his extensive work in film and television as an actor, director, and producer.
Career, Business, and Investments
Richard Attenborough's career spanned multiple roles in the entertainment industry:
- Acting Career: He began his acting career on stage with Leicester's Little Theatre and transitioned to film in the early 1940s. Notable films include "In Which We Serve" (1942), "The Great Escape" (1963), "10 Rillington Place" (1971), and "Jurassic Park" (1993).
- Directing and Producing: Attenborough directed and produced several notable films, such as "Gandhi" (1982), "Oh What a Lovely War" (1969), "A Bridge Too Far" (1977), and "Chaplin" (1992).
- Entrepreneurial Ventures: Although specific details about his business investments are not widely documented, his wealth was influenced by his successful career in film and television.
Attenborough was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), as well as life president of the Premier League club Chelsea. He joined the Royal Air Force during World War II and served in the film unit, going on several bombing raids over continental Europe and filming the conflict from the rear gunner's position. He was the older brother of broadcaster and nature presenter Sir David Attenborough and motor executive John Attenborough. He was married to actress Sheila Sim from 1945 until his death.
During the Second World War, Attenborough served in the Royal Air Force. After initial pilot training, he was seconded to the newly-formed Royal Air Force Film Production Unit at Pinewood Studios, under the command of Flight Lieutenant John Boulting (whose brother, Peter Cotes, later directed Attenborough in the play The Mousetrap), where he appeared with Edward G. Robinson in the propaganda film Journey Together (1945). He then volunteered to fly with the film production unit; after further training, he sustained permanent ear damage. After being qualified as a sergeant, he flew on several operations over Europe, filming from the tail gunner's position to document the outcome of RAF Bomber Command sorties.
Despite maintaining an acting career alongside his directorial roles, Attenborough never directed himself (save for an uncredited cameo appearance in A Bridge Too Far).
A lifelong supporter of Chelsea Football Club, Attenborough served as a director of the club from 1969 to 1982 and between 1993 and 2008 held the honorary position of Life Vice President. On 30 November 2008 he was honoured with the title of Life President at the club's stadium, Stamford Bridge.
He had a lifelong ambition to make a film about his hero the political theorist and revolutionary Thomas Paine, whom he called "one of the finest men that ever lived". He said in an interview in 2006 that "I could understand him. He wrote in simple English. I found all his aspirations – the rights of women, the health service, universal education... Everything you can think of that we want is in Rights of Man or The Age of Reason or Common Sense." He could not secure the funding to do so. The website "A Gift for Dickie" was launched by two filmmakers from Luton in June 2008 with the aim of raising £40m in 400 days to help him make the film, but the target was not met and the money that had been raised was refunded.
In the 1940s, he was asked to 'improve his physical condition' for his role as Pinkie in Brighton Rock. He trained with Chelsea Football Club for a fortnight, subsequently becoming good friends with those at the club. He went on to become a director during the 1970s, helping to prevent the club losing its home ground by holding onto his club shares and donating them, worth over £950,000, to Chelsea. In 2008, Attenborough was appointed Life President of Chelsea Football Club.
Social Network
Richard Attenborough was not active on social media, as his career flourished before the widespread use of these platforms.
In the late 1950s, Attenborough formed a production company, Beaver Films, with Bryan Forbes and began to build a profile as a producer on projects including The League of Gentlemen (1959), The Angry Silence (1960) and Whistle Down the Wind (1961), appearing in the cast of the first two films. His performance in The Angry Silence earned him his first nomination for a BAFTA. Séance on a Wet Afternoon won him his first BAFTA award.
Between 2006 and 2007, he spent time in Belfast, working on his last film as director and producer, Closing the Ring, a love story set in Belfast during the Second World War, and starring Shirley MacLaine, Christopher Plummer and Pete Postlethwaite.
He was elected to the post of Chancellor of the University of Sussex on 20 March 1998, replacing The Duke of Richmond and Gordon. He stood down as Chancellor of the university following graduation in July 2008.
Education
Attenborough attended Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in Leicester. He later began his career in the arts, making his stage debut with Leicester's Little Theatre.
Since Richard Attenborough passed away in 2014, there is no current net worth or earnings for him in 2025. His legacy continues to be celebrated through his contributions to British cinema.
He was a longtime advocate of education that does not judge upon colour, race, creed or religion. His attachment to Waterford was his passion for non-racial education, which were the grounds on which Waterford Kamhlaba was founded. Waterford was one of his inspirations for directing the film Cry Freedom, based on the life of Steve Biko.
He founded The Richard Attenborough Arts Centre on the Leicester University campus in 1997, specifically designed to provide access for the disabled, in particular as practitioners.
In the 1967 Birthday Honours, Attenborough was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). He was made a Knight Bachelor in the 1976 New Year Honours, having the honour conferred on 10 February 1976.
In 1992, the Hamburg-based Alfred Toepfer Foundation awarded Attenborough its annual Shakespeare Prize in recognition of his life's work. The following year he was appointed a Fellow of King's College London.
On 13 July 2006, Attenborough, along with his brother David, were awarded the titles of Distinguished Honorary Fellows of the University of Leicester "in recognition of a record of continuing distinguished service to the university".
