Oscar winning director and actor Richard Attenborough has passed away at the age of 90.
Born in 1923, Attenborough served in the served in the Royal Air Force during World War II. He began acting on stage, but made the transition to film in a small role in David Lean’s In Which We Serve in 1942. Afterwards his roles grew larger and acted in films for decades to come including classics like The Great Escape (1963), The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), The Sand Pebbles (1966), and 10 Rillington Place (1971).
His directorial debut was Oh! What a Lovely War in 1967. He also directed A Bridge Too Far (1977), Gandhi (1982), and Chaplin (1992). He won two Academy Awards, including best director for Gandhi.
He is probably best known for his role in Jurassic Park as John Hammond, the park’s ambitious mastermind. His line in the first major dinosaur sequence in the film, “Welcome to Jurassic Park” perfectly accentuated the magnificent scene, which would go on to inspire many minds around the world and became of seminal moment in modern cinema.
He will be missed.
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