Commanders of the Order of the British Empire II
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- Writer
- Actor
Peter Ackroyd was born on 5 October 1949 in London, England, UK. He is a writer and actor, known for The Limehouse Golem (2016), The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein and The Mystery of Charles Dickens (2000).- Ben Ainslie was born on 5 February 1977 in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, UK. He has been married to Georgie Thompson since 20 December 2014. They have one child.
- Music Department
Richard Armstrong was born on 7 January 1943 in Leicester, Leicestershire, England, UK. He is known for BBC Cardiff Singer of the World (1983), Falstaff (1972) and Symphony for the Spire (1992).- John Armitt was born on 2 February 1946 in Edmonton, Middlesex, England, UK.
- Danny Abse was born on 22 September 1923 in Cardiff, Wales, UK. He was a writer, known for Ein komplizierter Mensch (1962), Muses with Milligan (1964) and The Light of Experience (1976). He was married to Joan Mercer. He died on 28 September 2014.
- Writer
- Actor
- Composer
Simon Armitage was born on 26 May 1963 in Marsden, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, UK. He is a writer and actor, known for Last Words (2017), Drinking for England (1998) and Songbirds (2007). He is married to Sue Roberts. They have one child.- Composer
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Born in Northampton on 21st October 1921, Malcolm Arnold studied composition with Gordon Jacob and trumpet with Ernest Hall at the Royal College of Music. In 1941 he joined the trumpet section of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, becoming principal by 1943. After two years of war service and one season with the BBC Symphony Orchestra he returned to the LPO in 1946; but composition was already becoming his priority and he had already produced a catalogue of attractive works, an early example being the comedy overture Beckus the Dandipratt, Op.5 (1943), recorded in 1948 by the LPO under their principal conductor Eduard van Beinum. That same year Arnold won the Mendelssohn Scholarship which enabled him to spend a year in Italy; on his return he decided to concentrate entirely upon composition. His experience as an orchestral player stood him in good stead as a composer. He quickly built up a reputation as a fluent and versatile composer and a brilliant orchestrator, many commissions were to come his way. Arnold has written works in almost every genre for amateur and professional alike, including nine symphonies, five ballets, two operas, 20 concertos, overtures and orchestral dances, two string quartets and other chamber music, choral music, song cycles and works for wind and brass band. Somehow, in the midst of this prolific creativity, Arnold found time to score over 80 films including the Academy Award-winning score for The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), written in only ten days and The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958) which brought an Ivor Novello Award.
Arnold's music springs directly from roots in dance and song. Typically it is lucid in texture, clear in draftsmanship. His lighter entertainment pieces are easy to listen to and rewarding to perform. As an inventor of tunes, his powers seem to be inexaustible, and he is prodigal with his gifts; the 'big tune' in the modest little Toy Symphony, for example, is just as much a winner as the many memorable themes in many concert works. Many of these are firmly established in the concert repertory. Yet for those who have ears to hear, his works frequently give more than a hint of a complex musical personality and of dramatic tensions not far below the surface. In fact there is scope in Arnold's music which reflects his profound concern with the human predicament and also in his belief that music is "a social act of communication among people, a gesture of friendship, the strongest there is."
In 1969 Malcolm Arnold was made a Bard of the Cornish Gorseth, he was awarded the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (C.B.E.) in 1970 and received honorary doctorates from the Universities of Exeter (1969), Durham (1982) and Leicester (1984). He was made a fellow of the Royal College of Music in 1983 and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music (R.A.M.). In 1986 he received the Ivor Novello Award for outstanding services to British music. He was Knighted in 1993. He died on September 23, 2006, after a brief illness.- Art Department
- Writer
- Actor
Quentin Blake was born on 16 December 1932 in Sidcup, Kent, England, UK. He is a writer and actor, known for Jackanory (1965), Revolting Rhymes (2016) and Clown (2020).- Writer
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When he appeared at the London Palladium in 1948 sporting an untidy black beard he brought the house down with a 5 minute act using an antique chair back which became a ships rudder , a harp, a flag, a comb and a cows udder, He was booked for the Royal Variety show and looked set for stardom but 5 years of obscurity followed during which time he toured the States and spent 2 years in Australia. Back in Britain he made the comedy film The Sandwhich Man (Oct 65) and periodically he goes to a West Londonm rifle range and fires off at clay pigeons,- Director
- Producer
- Editor
Author, broadcaster, director and producer. First Head of Music and Arts for BBC Television 1965-1967. Resumed the position again from 1975-1981 after an eight year absence in commercial television as a founder-member of London Weekend Television. For his work as a director, he has won four Emmy Awards, two British Academy Awards and as a presenter received the Royal Television Society Silver medal and Sony Gold Award.- Writer
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Malcolm Bradbury was born on 7 September 1932 in Sheffield, England, UK. He was a writer, known for The Gravy Train (1990), Cold Comfort Farm (1995) and The Gravy Train Goes East (1991). He was married to Elizabeth Salt. He died on 28 November 2000 in Norwich, England, UK.- John Betjeman was born on 28 August 1906 in Hampstead, London, England, UK. He was a writer and actor, known for But Seriously, It's Sheila Hancock (1972), Londoners (1965) and That Was the Week That Was (1962). He was married to Penelope Chetwode. He died on 19 May 1984 in Trebetherick, Cornwall, England, UK.
- John Bayley was born on 27 March 1925 in Lahore, Punjab, British India. He was a writer, known for Iris (2001) and Take It or Leave It (1964). He was married to Audihild Villers and Iris Murdoch. He died on 12 January 2015 in Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain.
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Cicely Berry was born on 17 May 1926 in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England, UK. She was a writer, known for Stealing Beauty (1996), The Last Emperor (1987) and Titus (1999). She was married to Harry Moore. She died on 15 October 2018 in Cornwall, England, UK.- Elizabeth Bowen was born on 7 June 1899 in Dublin, Ireland. She was a writer, known for Shades of Darkness (1983), Camera Three (1955) and Theatre 70 (1960). She was married to Alan Charles Cameron. She died on 22 February 1973 in London, England, UK.
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jeff Banks was born on 17 March 1943 in Ebbw Vale, Gwent, Wales, UK. He is known for Telstar: The Joe Meek Story (2008), The Clothes Show (1986) and Children in Need (1992). He is married to Sue Mann. They have two children. He was previously married to Sandie Shaw.- Deborah Bull was born on 22 March 1963 in Derby, Derbyshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Prince of the Pagodas (1990), Steptext (1997) and 'Still Life' at the Penguin Cafe (1991).
- Actress
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Music Department
Janet Baker was born on 21 August 1933 in York, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Morgan (2016), Byzantium (2012) and Happiness (1998).- Celia Birtwell was born in 1941 in Salford, Lancashire, England, UK. She was previously married to Ossie Clark.
- Actor
- Writer
- Art Department
Peter Blake was born on 25 June 1932 in Dartford, Kent, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for For the Sake of Appearance (1973), Battle of Britain (2000) and Eric Clapton: 24 Nights (1991). He was previously married to Jann Haworth.- Composer
- Soundtrack
Lennox Berkeley was born on 12 May 1903 in Boars Hill, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK. He was a composer, known for This Beautiful Fantastic (2016), Hotel Reserve (1944) and Affairs of a Rogue (1948). He died on 26 December 1989 in London, England, UK.- Pat Barker was born on 8 May 1943 in Thornaby-on-Tees, North Yorkshire, England, UK. She is a writer, known for Stanley & Iris (1990), Behind the Lines (1997) and Bookmark (1983). She was previously married to David Barker.
- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
George Benjamin was born on 31 January 1960 in London, England, UK. He is a composer and actor, known for Forty Minutes (1981), Written on Skin (2014) and Towards Antara (1987).- David Butler was born on 17 October 1924. He was married to Marilyn Butler. He died on 8 November 2022.
- Additional Crew
- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
Correlli Barnett was born on 28 June 1927 in Norbury, Surrey, England, UK. He was a writer, known for The Great War (1964), Bird's-Eye View (1969) and Isoroku Yamamoto Grand Admiral, Imperial Japanese Navy (1970). He was married to Ruth Murby. He died on 10 July 2022 in the UK.- Writer
- Actress
- Producer
Joan Bakewell was born on 16 April 1933 in Stockport, Cheshire, England, UK. She is a writer and actress, known for Iris (2001), The Touchables (1968) and Screen One (1985). She was previously married to Jack Emery and Michael Bakewell.- A.S. Byatt was born on 24 August 1936 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, UK. She was a writer, known for Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022), Possession (2002) and Angels and Insects (1995). She was married to Peter John Duffy and Ian Charles Rayner Byatt. She died on 16 November 2023 in London, England, UK.
- Music Department
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Hugh Bean was born on 22 September 1929 in Beckenham, Kent, England, UK. He is known for Berberian Sound Studio (2012), No Distance Left to Run (2010) and Gala Performance (1963). He was married to Mary Dorothy Harrow. He died on 26 December 2003 in Beckenham, Kent, England, UK.- Producer
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A director of Thames Television, Euston Films and Thorn EMI, John Brabourne's entrepreneurial skills were crucial to creating some major successes in the British cinema. In the sixties he produced two celebrated Shakespeare adaptations, the film of Othello (1965) starring Laurence Olivier and Maggie Smith and Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 Romeo and Juliet (1968). He also produced a film version of August Strindberg's The Dance of Death (1969), starring Olivier.
John Ulick Knatchbull, the seventh Baron Brabourne, was born in 1924 and educated at Eton and Brasenose College, Oxford. He succeeded the title when his brother, Norton, was killed in action in 1943. During the war John Brabourne served as an officer in the Coldstream Guards in France. He married Patricia Mountbatten, daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten, in 1946.
Brabourne began his film career as a production manager on such movies as Pursuit of the Graf Spee (1956) (1956) and he later co-produced the wartime drama Sink the Bismarck! (1960) with Richard Goodwin.
Three years later he and Goodwin set up a consortium to introduce Pay-TV, a cable service whose subscribers would buy films, opera and the arts on meter. The scheme eventually failed and Brabourne and his partners decided to wind up the operation with £1 million losses. "We were years ahead of our time," he said.
Brabourne went on to produce a series of box office hits including Up the Junction (1968), The Tales of Beatrix Potter (1971), Murder on the Orient Express (1974) starring Albert Finney, Death on the Nile (1978) with Peter Ustinov, The Mirror Crack'd (1980) with Elizabeth Taylor, Evil Under the Sun (1982) (1982) again with Ustinov, and Little Dorrit (1987) starring Alec Guinness.
He always described himself as a "creative producer". "I've always been very involved with the directors," he said. "I set out to become a director myself but changed my mind. The things that interested me were the story, which is number one for me, the script, which is certainly number two, and the third really important factor is the editing. I found that, although I like to work with actors, I don't really have a feeling for directing."
He was also a governor of the British Film Institute and was appointed a CBE in 1983 for his services to the film industry.- Shami Chakrabarti was born on 16 June 1969 in London, England, UK.
- Actor
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- Soundtrack
Born in Nottingham to a mother who was one of the first women stage directors in Britain and a father who was a revue actor. He later moved to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music then went to drama school during which time he appeared in many school broadcasts for the BBC. After winning the Drama Cup he joined the Regents Park Open Air Theatre where he spent 3 seasons during which time he was also doing a great deal of broadcasting. and it was on the radio show 'Accent on Youth' which led him into revue. The writers Peter Myers and Alec Grahame gave him a chance in their Theatre Club Revues when he replaced Michael Medwin.Following this he did 'High Spirts' at the London Hippodrome and subsequently 6 seasons of Fol-de-Rols. While doing the show in Edinburgh he was spotted by George Innes who booked him for BBC television's 'High Summer' He has 4 daughters including twins.- Joe Calzaghe was born on 23 February 1972 in Hammersmith, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Solitary (2015), Undisputed (2023) and Fish Finger Sandwich (2017). He was previously married to Mandy M. Davies.
- Whina Cooper was born on 9 December 1895 in Te Karaka, New Zealand. She was married to William Cooper and Richard Gilbert. She died on 26 March 1994 in Hokianga, New Zealand.
- Producer
- Director
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Bill Cotton was born on 23 April 1928 in Paddington, London, England, UK. He was a producer and director, known for Play Your Hunch (1961), Searching (1995) and Billy Cotton Band Show (1956). He was married to Kathryn (Kate) Mary Burgess, Ann Corfield Henderson and Bernardine (Boo) Maud Sinclair. He died on 11 August 2008 in Bournemouth, Dorset, England, UK.- Actress
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Sarah Connolly was born on 13 June 1963 in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Children of Men (2006), Julius Caesar (2006) and The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006).- Rosemary Conley was born on 19 December 1946 in Leicestershire, England, UK. She has been married to Mike Rimmington since 1986. She was previously married to Phil Conley.
- Lesley Collier was born on 13 March 1947 in Orpington, Kent, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Tales of Beatrix Potter (1971), The Nutcracker (1985) and The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella (1976).
- Producer
- Music Department
- Director
Hector Crawford was born on 14 August 1913 in Fitzroy, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He was a producer and director, known for Fortress (1985), Cop Shop (1977) and Homicide (1964). He was married to Glenda Raymond and Edna Marie Stock. He died on 11 March 1991 in Kew, Victoria, Australia.- Music Department
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- Soundtrack
Imogen Cooper was born on 28 August 1949. She is known for The White Countess (2005), My Life So Far (1999) and The Captive (2000).- Producer
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Peter Cheeseman was born on 27 January 1932 in Cowplain, Hampshire, England, UK. He was a producer, known for Jock on the Go (1967), Second City Firsts (1973) and Armchair Theatre (1956). He was married to Romy Saunders and Joyce Holliday. He died on 27 April 2010 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, UK.- David Chipperfield was born on 18 December 1953 in London, England, UK.
- Actress
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Joan Cross was born on 7 September 1900 in London, England, UK. She was an actress and writer, known for The Beggar's Opera (1953), The Case of 'The Smiling Widow' (1957) and Falstaff (1972). She died on 12 December 1993 in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, England, UK.- Music Department
- Composer
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Attended the Royal Academy of Music beginning at the age of 17. His first American professional appearance occurred at the Newport Jazz Festival on July 3, 1959. He founded the London Symphony Orchestra's Pops Program and served as the orchestra's Pops Musical Director.- Margaret Drabble was born on 5 June 1939 in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, UK. She is a writer, known for A Touch of Love (1969), Isadora (1968) and It's a Woman's World (1964). She has been married to Michael Holroyd since 1982. She was previously married to Clive Swift.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Anthony Dowell was born on 16 February 1943 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Romeo and Juliet (1966), Great Performances (1971) and Valentino (1977).- Actor
- Producer
Richard Dimbleby was born on 25 May 1913 in Richmond, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor and producer, known for Libel (1959), This Is the BBC (1959) and School for Sinners (1965). He died on 22 December 1965 in London, England, UK.- Music Department
- Composer
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Sir Peter Maxwell Davies is one of the leading composers of his generation. After early study at Manchester University, he pursued additional compositional study with Goffredo Petrassi in Rome and as a Harkness Fellow at Princeton University under Roger Sessions and Earl Kim. He has written hundreds of works in nearly every form which have and continue to be performed around the world. He was, for many years, the artistic director of "The Fires of London", a virtuoso chamber ensemble specializing in the performance of musical theatre works. His best known composition ("Eight Songs for a Mad King" (1969)) was written for this ensemble. He began writing orchestral music extensively in the late 1970's and the 1980's and 1990's have produced a huge number of orchestral compositions: including 8 symphonies, concerti, cantatas, and many other shorter orchestral works. He has received countless honors for his work including a knighthood. His work in film consists of two film scores for director Ken Russell.- James Dyson was born on 2 May 1947 in Cromer, Norfolk, England, UK. He has been married to Deirdre Hindmarsh since 1968. They have three children.
- Additional Crew
- Actress
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It has been rightly suggested that Dame Ninette de Valois is one of the most important women of the century. It was due to her drive and ambition that the modern English ballet was created. In that respect she changed history single handed. Born in Ireland, young Ninette (her stage name was her mother's suggestion) came to England aged 7 to study dance.
At that time (1905) the only ballet seen in England was touring Russian or French companies. Inspired by a perfromance of the Ballets Russes under Diaghilev, she joined them in 1923. By the mid 1920's she was convinced that Britain needed and should be capable of producing it's own National Ballet and she set about working towards it with a single minded determination.
By 1926 she opened her first school in London, called the Academy of Choreographic Arts. By the early 1930s she had, with the help of Lillian Bayliss, the director of The Old Vic that the theater needed it's own ballet company and school. With help from Lillian Bayliss, Madame (as she was known by her pupils), bought the old Sadler's Wells Theatre and opened her new Ballet School there.
As well as starting the new theatre and ballet school she also found time to choreograph such works as The Rake's Pregress (based on the Hogarth prints) for the new company. She soon attracted quite a few talented people around her including the young Frederick Ashton.
By 1934 the new theatre and ballet school were in full operation and they produced full length ballets such as Giselle and Copellia (featuring Alicia Markova). That year a young dancer may have been found in the ranks by the name of Margot Fonteyn. de Valois had realised from the beginning that the only way to make a truly British Ballet was to have a complete system in place from school to stage.
She had developed what came to be known as the English Ballet style of narrative, lyrical ballet and this was taught in the school. She was also still an innovative choreograph such innovative works as Checkmate (1937). During the years of the second world war they toured extensively and became a major morale booster.
For all her work Ninette was created a Dame of the Order of the British Empire in 1951. In 1955 she started a new ballet school in White Lodge, Richmond Park, Surrey. Away from the busy metropolis the Royal Ballet (as they had become) had a perfect home here. Although retired since 1963, Dame Ninette is still a powerful force in the world of ballet.- Writer
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Carol Ann Duffy was born on 23 December 1955 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. She is a writer and producer, known for National Theatre Live: Everyman (2015), Pygmalion's Bride (2016) and Human Interest (2014).- Music Department
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Colin Davis was born on 25 September 1927 in Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK. He is known for Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Red Sparrow (2018) and The Big Lebowski (1998). He was married to Ashraf Naini and April Cantelo. He died on 14 April 2013 in London, England, UK.- Director
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Rob Dickins was born in 1950 in London, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for Enya: On My Way Home (1996), Cher: Believe (1998) and The Brit Awards 1994 (1994). He is married to Cherry Gillespie. They have one child.- Ted Dexter was born on 15 May 1935 in Milan, Italy. He was married to Susan Longfield. He died on 26 August 2021 in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England, UK.
- Soundtrack
Andy Davis was born on 10 August 1949 in the UK.- Elma Dangerfield was born on 11 October 1907 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, UK. She was a writer, known for Radio Lover (1936). She was married to Edward Dangerfield. She died on 22 January 2006 in London, England, UK.
- Music Department
Paul Daniel was born on 1 July 1958 in Birmingham, England, UK. He is known for The Belly of an Architect (1987), The Beggar's Opera (1983) and Trouble in Tahiti (2001).- Music Department
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Edward Downes was born on 17 June 1924 in Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK. He is known for How Much Do You Love Me? (2005), The Extra Man (2010) and Gala Performance (1963). He was married to Joan Downes. He died on 10 July 2009 in Forch, Zurich, Switzerland.- Director
- Actress
Siobhan Davies is an acclaimed British choreographer, founder and artistic director of Siobhan Davies Dance. Her creativity stems from her belief in dance as a wellspring of ideas, knowledge and forms. She began dancing while a student at Art College and soon joined London Contemporary Dance Theatre, founding in 1982 the influential company Second Stride with Richard Alston and Ian Spink. She made her first work in 1972 and formed her own company in 1988, creating since then over 40 works to critical acclaim (Olivier Awards, South Bank Show Award). Siobhan Davies' curiosity has led her to extend her work beyond dance into performance, visual arts, film and crafts. Her company, Siobhan Davies Dance has grown from a touring company into an investigative cultural organisation working across disciplines. Its home, Siobhan Davies Studios in south London, offers a public programme of curated exhibitions and talks, participatory projects and classes. Siobhan Davies has recently developed work for non-theatrical spaces: The Collection (2009) at Victoria Miro Gallery and Siobhan Davies Commissions (2011) at The Bargehouse.- Laura Davies was born on 5 October 1963 in Coventry, West Midlands, England, UK.
- Dame Susan Devoy was born on 1 January 1964 in Rotorua, New Zealand.
- Basil D'Oliveira was born on 4 October 1931 in Signal Hill, Cape Town, Cape Province, Union of South Africa. He was married to Naomi Brache. He died on 19 November 2011 in England, UK.
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Howard Davies was born on 26 April 1945 in Durham, Newcastle, England, UK. He was a director and writer, known for The Secret Rapture (1993), The Last of the Haussmans (2012) and National Theatre Live: The Cherry Orchard (2011). He was married to Clare Holman and Susan Wall. He died on 25 October 2016 in the UK.- Actor
- Producer
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Geraint Evans was born on 16 February 1922 in Cilfynydd near Pontypridd, Wales, UK. He was an actor and producer, known for Les contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann) (1981), Nitram (2021) and The Gift (1990). He was married to Brenda Evans Davis. He died on 19 September 1992 in Aberystwyth, Wales, UK.- Jonathan Edwards was born on 10 May 1966 in Westminster, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Fast Girls (2012), Doctors (2000) and Olympic Games (1936). He has been married to Alison Joy Briggs since 1990.
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Mark Elder was born on 2 June 1947 in Hexham, Northumberland, England, UK. He is a writer, known for Xerxes (1988), Verdi (1994) and Rigoletto (1982). He is married to Mandy. They have one child.- John Enderby was born on 16 January 1931 in Lincolnshire, England, UK. He is married to Susan Enderby. They have four children.
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- Actor
Sebastian Faulks was born on 20 April 1953 in England, UK. He is a writer and producer, known for Charlotte Gray (2001), Birdsong and On Green Dolphin Street.- Writer
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Antonia Fraser was born on 27 August 1932 in London, England, UK. She is a writer and actress, known for Jemima Shore Investigates (1983), Tales of the Unexpected (1979) and Armchair Thriller (1978). She was previously married to Harold Pinter and Hugh Charles Patrick Joseph Fraser.- Dick Francis learned to ride when he was five, on a donkey. His older brother offered him sixpence if he could jump the fence sitting backwards on the donkey. It took five tries, but the determined five-year-old did finally manage to stay on the donkey as he jumped the fence. He collected the sixpence from his brother and earned his first riding fee. Of that experience he says, "In my heart, from that moment, I became a professional horseman." He became an amateur steeplechase rider when he was 26, and two years later began riding as a professional steeplechase jockey. He won more than 350 races, and was retained as jockey to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother for four seasons. Perhaps his most famous and controversial ride was on the Queen Mother's horse, Devon Loch, in the 1956 Grand National. Fifty yards from the finish line, with the race virtually won, the horse just suddenly fell. Afterwards, they could find nothing wrong with the horse, and the mystery as to what happened has never been solved. Soon after, at 36, Francis decided to retire as a jockey. He became a racing correspondent for the Sunday Express and published his first book, an autobiography entitled "The Sport of Queens," in 1957. His first mystery novel, "Dead Cert," was published in 1962. Since then he has written an average of a mystery per year, to the delight of his many fans. He writes about what he knows best, and each novel touches on racing and horses in some way. The mysteries are more than simple "horse stories," though, as Francis uses his descriptive style to bring to life heroes who are actors, artists, photographers, bankers, contractors, wine merchants, inventors, diplomats, teachers, pilots, meteorologists - and the list goes on. Francis speculated in his autobiography that he would be remembered as "the man who didn't win the National", but to his many fans around the world, he will always be the definitive Master of Mystery.
- Kathleen Ferrier was born on 22 April 1912 in Higher Walton, Lancashire, England, UK. She was married to Bert Wilson. She died on 8 October 1953 in London, England, UK.
- Brendan Foster is a British former long-distance runner who founded the Great North Run.
He won the bronze medal in the 10,000 meters at the Montreal 1976: Games of the XXI Olympiad (1976), and the gold medal in the 5,000 meters at the 1974 European Championships and the 10,000 meters at the 1978 Commonwealth Games.
Brendan Foster's athletic career saw him compete in three Olympic Games, claiming Britain its only track and field medal (bronze in the 10,000 meters) at the Montreal 1976: Games of the XXI Olympiad (1976). In 1973 he broke the World Record for two miles at Crystal Palace with a time of 8:13.68. Foster's final major race was the Moscow 1980: Games of the XXII Olympiad (1980) 10,000-metre final, where he finished eleventh, almost 40 seconds behind the winner, Ethiopia's Miruts Yifter.
In 2010, he was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame. - Doris Fitton was born on 3 November 1897 in Manila, Philippines. She was an actress, known for The Stowaway (1958) and The Night, the Prowler (1978). She was married to Norbert Mason. She died on 2 April 1985 in St. Leonards, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
- Sir Thomas "Tom" Finney, CBE was an English footballer, famous for his loyalty to his hometown club, Preston North End F.C., for whom he made 569 first-class appearances, as well as for his performances for the England National Football Team.
Finney was born at his family home in Preston, Lancashire in 1922 to his parents Margaret (née Mitchell) and Alfred Finney.
For his various charitable work, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1961 New Year Honours and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1992 New Year Honours, and was finally knighted six years later in the 1998 New Year Honours. - Writer
- Actress
Sylvie Guillem was born on 25 February 1965 in Paris, France. She is a writer and actress, known for Prokofiev: Cinderella (1997), Evidentia - A Film Conceived by Sylvie Guillem (1995) and Une étoile pour l'exemple (1988). She is married to Gilles Tapie.- Actress
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Lesley Garrett was born on 10 April 1955 in Waterside, South Yorkshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Great Performances (1971), The Mikado or the Town of Titipu (1987) and Margery Booth: The Spy in the Eagle's Nest (2014). She is married to Peter Christian. They have two children.- Simon Gray was born on 21 October 1936 in Hayling Island, Hampshire, England, UK. He was a writer, known for Screen Two (1985), The Wednesday Play (1964) and Butley (1974). He was married to Victoria Rothschild and Beryl Mary Kevern. He died on 6 August 2008 in London, England, UK.
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Leon Goossens was born on 12 June 1897 in Liverpool, England, UK. He is known for Girl with Green Eyes (1964), Clean Slate (1994) and Alice in Wonderland (1966). He was married to Leslie Burrowes and Fay Yeatman. He died on 12 February 1988 in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, UK.- Music Department
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John Eliot Gardiner was born on 20 April 1943 in Dorset, England, UK. He is a writer and actor, known for Original Sin (2001), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) and Seven Psychopaths (2012).- Actress
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Beryl Grey was born on 11 June 1927 in Highgate, London, England, UK. She was an actress and writer, known for Producers' Showcase (1954), This Is the BBC (1959) and Chelsea at Nine (1957). She was married to Sven Svensson. She died on 10 December 2022 in England, UK.- Actor
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Alexander Grant was born on 22 February 1925 in Wellington, New Zealand. He was an actor, known for The Tales of Beatrix Potter (1971), The Dream (1967) and Producers' Showcase (1954). He died on 30 September 2011 in London, England, UK.- Additional Crew
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Clive Gillinson was born on 7 March 1946 in Bangalore, India. He is a producer, known for Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog (2019), Great Performances (1971) and Lost Bohemia (2010).- Additional Crew
Ernst Gombrich was born on 30 March 1909 in Vienna, Austria. He is known for De Artificiali Perspectiva (1991), Art on Film, Program 5: Subject & Expert (1992) and The South Bank Show (1978). He was married to Ilse Heller. He died on 3 November 2001 in London, England, UK.- Music Department
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- Soundtrack
Jane Glover was born on 13 May 1949 in North Yorkshire, England, UK. She is a writer, known for Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), Cinderella (2018) and Highlights from Iolanthe (2000).- Music Department
Reginald Goodall was born on 13 July 1901 in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England, UK. Reginald is known for Davy (1957). Reginald was married to Eleanor Gibbs. Reginald died on 5 May 1990 in Bridge, near Canterbury, Kent, England, UK.- Alun Hoddinott was born on 11 August 1929 in Bargoed, Glamorganshire, Wales, UK. He was a composer, known for Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960), Border Country (1979) and The Magical World of Disney (1954). He was married to Rhiannon. He died on 12 March 2008 in Swansea, Wales, UK.
- Composer
- Music Department
- Writer
Antony Hopkins was born on 21 March 1921 in Bush Hill Park, Edmonton, London, England, UK. He was a composer and writer, known for Decameron Nights (1953), Billy Budd (1962) and Cast a Dark Shadow (1955). He was married to Beatrix Taylor and Muriel Alison Purves. He died on 6 May 2014 in Ashridge, Hertfordshire, England, UK.- Writer
- Additional Crew
Richard Holmes was born on 29 March 1946 in Aldridge, Staffordshire, England, UK. He was a writer, known for Theatre Night (1985), Soldiers (1984) and Wellington: The Iron Duke (2002). He was married to Katharine Elizabeth Saxton. He died on 30 April 2011.- Actor
- Director
Giles Havergal was born on 9 June 1938 in Edinburgh, Lothian, Scotland, UK. He is an actor and director, known for Monarch of the Glen (2000), A Christmas Carol (1962) and MI-5 (2002).- Writer
- Additional Crew
Michael Holroyd was born on 27 August 1935 in Marylebone, London, England, UK. He is a writer, known for Carrington (1995), Androcles and the Lion (1983) and The London Programme (1975). He has been married to Margaret Drabble since 1982.- Katharine Hamnett was born on 16 August 1947 in Gravesend, Kent, England, UK. She is an executive.
- David Hemery was born on 18 July 1944 in England, UK.
- Art Department
Howard Hodgkin was born on 8 August 1932 in London, England, UK. He is known for The Art Game (1966), Pablo Picasso: The Legacy of a Genius (1981) and Omnibus (1967). He was married to Julia Lane. He died on 9 March 2017 in London, England, UK.- Additional Crew
- Writer
Alistair Horne was born on 9 November 1925 in London, England, UK. He was a writer, known for Chronicle (1966), The Great War (1964) and Timewatch (1982). He was married to Sheelin Lorraine Ryan and Renira Margaret Hawkins. He died on 25 May 2017 in Turville,Oxfordshire, England, UK.- Music Department
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Christopher Hogwood was born on 10 September 1941 in Nottingham, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Big Nothing (2006), The Hand of God (2021) and The Brand New Testament (2015). He died on 24 September 2014 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK.- John Hackett was born on 5 November 1910 in Perth, Western Australia, Australia. He died on 10 September 1997.
- Soundtrack
Vernon Handley was born on 11 November 1930 in Enfield, London, England, UK. He died on 10 September 2008 in Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK.- Thomas Hemsley was born on 12 April 1927 in Coalville, Leicestershire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Iolanthe (1982), Idomeneo (1983) and The Merry Wives of Windsor (1957). He was married to Gwen. He died on 11 April 2013 in London, England, UK.
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Richard Hickox was born on 5 March 1948 in Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire, England, UK. He is known for G-Force (2009), The Tree of Life (2011) and Lorenzo's Oil (1992). He was married to Pamela Helen Stephen and Frances Sheldon-Williams. He died on 23 November 2008 in Swansea, Wales, UK.- Writer
- Actor
- Soundtrack
David Hatch was born on 7 May 1939. He was a writer and actor, known for The Tennis Elbow Foot Game (1968), The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) and Broaden Your Mind (1968). He was married to Mary Clancy and Ann Elizabeth Martin. He died on 12 June 2007 in Chalfont St. Giles, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.- Hammond Innes was born on 15 July 1913 in Horsham, Sussex, England, UK. He was a writer, known for Hell Below Zero (1954), The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959) and Snowbound (1948). He was married to Dorothy Mary Lang. He died on 10 June 1998 in Suffolk, England, UK.