Advanced search
- TITLES
- NAMES
- COLLABORATIONS
Search filters
Enter full date
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
Only includes names with the selected topics
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
1-50 of 218
- Actor
- Composer
- Producer
Anthony Hopkins was born on December 31, 1937, in Margam, Wales, to Muriel Anne (Yeats) and Richard Arthur Hopkins, a baker. His parents were both of half Welsh and half English descent. Influenced by Richard Burton, he decided to study at College of Music and Drama and graduated in 1957. In 1965, he moved to London and joined the National Theatre, invited by Laurence Olivier, who could see the talent in Hopkins. In 1967, he made his first film for television, A Flea in Her Ear (1967).
From this moment on, he enjoyed a successful career in cinema and television. In 1968, he worked on The Lion in Winter (1968) with Timothy Dalton. Many successes came later, and Hopkins' remarkable acting style reached the four corners of the world. In 1977, he appeared in two major films: A Bridge Too Far (1977) with James Caan, Gene Hackman, Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Elliott Gould and Laurence Olivier, and Maximilian Schell. In 1980, he worked on The Elephant Man (1980). Two good television literature adaptations followed: Othello (1981) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982). In 1987 he was awarded with the Commander of the order of the British Empire. This year was also important in his cinematic life, with 84 Charing Cross Road (1987), acclaimed by specialists. In 1993, he was knighted.
In the 1990s, Hopkins acted in movies like Desperate Hours (1990) and Howards End (1992), The Remains of the Day (1993) (nominee for the Oscar), Legends of the Fall (1994), Nixon (1995) (nominee for the Oscar), Surviving Picasso (1996), Amistad (1997) (nominee for the Oscar), The Mask of Zorro (1998), Meet Joe Black (1998) and Instinct (1999). His most remarkable film, however, was The Silence of the Lambs (1991), for which he won the Oscar for Best Actor. He also got a B.A.F.T.A. for this role.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Catherine Zeta-Jones was born September 25, 1969 in Swansea, Wales (and raised in the nearby town of Mumbles), the only daughter of Patricia (nee Fair) and David James "Dai" Jones, who formerly owned a sweet factory. She attended Dumbarton House School (Swansea). Her father (the son of Bertram (1912-1970) and Zeta Davies Jones (1917-2008)) is of Welsh descent and her mother (the daughter of William (1921-2000) and Catherine O'Callaghan Fair (1920-2001) ) is of English, Irish, and Welsh ancestry. Her brothers are David Jones (born 1967), a development executive, and Lyndon Jones (born 1972), who works at her production company. Her birth name was simply Catherine Jones, but she added her paternal grandmother's name ("Zeta") so as to stand out from the many other young women with the exact same name.
She showed an interest early on in entertainment. She starred on stage in "Annie", "Bugsy Malone" and "The Pajama Game". At age 15, she had the lead in the British revival of "42nd Street". She was originally cast as the second understudy for the lead role in the musical but when the star and first understudy became sick the night the play's producer was in the audience, she was given the lead for the rest of the musical's production. She first made a name for herself in the early 1990s when she starred in the Yorkshire Television comedy/drama series The Darling Buds of May (1991). The series was a success and made her one of the United Kingdom's most popular television actresses.
She subsequently played supporting roles in several films including Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992), the miniseries Catherine the Great (1995) and a larger role as the seductive Sala in The Phantom (1996) before landing her breakthrough role playing the fiery Elena opposite Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas in The Mask of Zorro (1998). She starred in many big-budget blockbusters like Entrapment (1999), The Haunting (1999) and Traffic (2000), for which many believed she was robbed of an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress as murderous vaudevillian Velma Kelly in the musical comedy Chicago (2002). She then appeared opposite George Clooney in Intolerable Cruelty (2003), Ocean's Twelve (2004) and reprised her starring role in the sequel The Legend of Zorro (2005).
In November 2000, she married actor Michael Douglas. She gave birth to their son Dylan Michael in August 2000 followed by daughter, Carys, in April 2003. She was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to drama.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Aneurin Barnard was born on 8 May 1987 in Ogwr, Mid Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for Dunkirk (2017), The Goldfinch (2019) and Cilla (2014). He has been married to Lucy Faulks since 2017. They have one child.- After securing a place to study English Literature at Trinity College Oxford, Olly became actively involved in the university's dramatic society. Upon graduating he was awarded a scholarship to train at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and studied there for two years. Upon graduating from LAMDA, Ollly met Gregory Doran - the Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) - and was offered the title role in Shakespeare's "lost play" Cardenio. Doran directed and Olly performed the role to critical acclaim, cited as a "dashing professional debut" for Olly by Mark Shenton writing for The Stage, noted for "a beguiling Cardenio" by Mark Taylor at the Independent and being telegraphed as a "talented young man on the path to future stardom" by Simon Tavener at London's leading theatre website WhatsOnStage. While at the RSC, Olly also worked with acclaimed British playwright Antony Neilson. Other theatre roles followed, including The City Madam at the RSC and I Am A Camera, to name a few. Most recently Olly reunited with Neilson for his original play Narrative in a part specifically written for Olly by Neilson and performed at the Royal Court.
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Ray Milland became one of Paramount's most bankable and durable stars, under contract from 1934 to 1948, yet little in his early life suggested a career as a motion picture actor.
Milland was born Alfred Reginald Jones in the Welsh town of Neath, Glamorgan, to Elizabeth Annie (Truscott) and Alfred Jones. He spent his youth in the pursuit of sports. He became an expert rider early on, working at his uncle's horse-breeding estate while studying at the King's College in Cardiff. At 21, he went to London as a member of the elite Household Cavalry (Guard for the Royal Family), undergoing a rigorous 19-months training, further honing his equestrian skills, as well as becoming adept at fencing, boxing and shooting. He won trophies, including the Bisley Match, with his unit's crack rifle team. However, after four years, he suddenly lost his means of financial support (independent income being a requirement as a Guardsman) when his stepfather discontinued his allowance. Broke, he tried his hand at acting in small parts on the London stage.
There are several stories as to how he derived his stage name. It is known, that during his teens he called himself "Mullane", using his stepfather's surname. He may later have suffused "Mullane" with "mill-lands", an area near his hometown. When he first appeared on screen in British films, he was billed first as Spike Milland, then Raymond Milland.
In 1929, Ray befriended the popular actress Estelle Brody at a party and, later that year, visited her on the set of her latest film, The Plaything (1929). While having lunch, they were joined by a producer who persuaded the handsome Welshman to appear in a motion picture bit part. Ray rose to the challenge and bigger roles followed, including the male lead in The Lady from the Sea (1929). The following year, he was signed by MGM and went to Hollywood, but was given little to work with, except for the role of Charles Laughton's ill-fated nephew in Payment Deferred (1932). After a year, Ray was out of his contract and returned to England.
His big break did not come until 1934 when he joined Paramount, where he was to remain for the better part of his Hollywood career. During the first few years, he served an apprenticeship playing second leads, usually as the debonair man-about-town, in light romantic comedies. He appeared with Burns and Allen in Many Happy Returns (1934), enjoyed third-billing as a British aristocrat in the Claudette Colbert farce The Gilded Lily (1935) and was described as "excellent" by reviewers for his role in the sentimental drama Alias Mary Dow (1935). By 1936, he had graduated to starring roles, first as the injured British hunter rescued on a tropical island by The Jungle Princess (1936), the film which launched Dorothy Lamour's sarong-clad career. After that, he was the titular hero of Bulldog Drummond Escapes (1937) and, finally, won the girl (rather than being the "other man") in Mitchell Leisen's screwball comedy Easy Living (1937). He also re-visited the tropics in Ebb Tide (1937), Her Jungle Love (1938) and Tropic Holiday (1938), as well as being one of the three valiant brothers of Beau Geste (1939).
In 1940, Ray was sent back to England to star in the screen adaptation of Terence Rattigan's French Without Tears (1940), for which he received his best critical reviews to date. He was top-billed (above John Wayne) running a ship salvage operation in Cecil B. DeMille's lavish Technicolor adventure drama Reap the Wild Wind (1942), besting Wayne in a fight - much to the "Duke's" personal chagrin - and later wrestling with a giant octopus. Also that year, he was directed by Billy Wilder in a charming comedy, The Major and the Minor (1942) (co-starred with Ginger Rogers), for which he garnered good notices from Bosley Crowther of the New York Times. Ray then played a ghost hunter in The Uninvited (1944), and the suave hero caught in a web of espionage in Fritz Lang's thriller Ministry of Fear (1944).
On the strength of his previous role as "Major Kirby", Billy Wilder chose to cast Ray against type in the ground-breaking drama The Lost Weekend (1945) as dipsomaniac writer "Don Birnam". Ray gave the defining performance of his career, his intensity catching critics, used to him as a lightweight leading man, by surprise. Crowther commented "Mr. Milland, in a splendid performance, catches all the ugly nature of a 'drunk', yet reveals the inner torment and degradation of a respectable man who knows his weakness and his shame" (New York Times, December 3, 1945). Arrived at the high point of his career, Ray Milland won the Oscar for Best Actor, as well as the New York Critic's Award. Rarely given such good material again, he nonetheless featured memorably in many more splendid films, often exploiting the newly discovered "darker side" of his personality: as the reporter framed for murder by Charles Laughton's heinous publishing magnate in The Big Clock (1948); as the sophisticated, manipulating art thief "Mark Bellis" in the Victorian melodrama So Evil My Love (1948) (for which producer Hal B. Wallis sent him back to England); as a Fedora-wearing, Armani-suited "Lucifer", trawling for the soul of an honest District Attorney in Alias Nick Beal (1949); and as a traitorous scientist in The Thief (1952), giving what critics described as a "sensitive" and "towering" performance. In 1954, Ray played calculating ex-tennis champ "Tony Wendice", who blackmails a former Cambridge chump into murdering his wife, in Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder (1954). He played the part with urbane sophistication and cold detachment throughout, even in the scene of denouement, calmly offering a drink to the arresting officers.
With Lisbon (1956), Ray Milland moved into another direction, turning out several off-beat, low-budget films with himself as the lead, notably High Flight (1957), The Safecracker (1958) and Panic in Year Zero! (1962). At the same time, he cheerfully made the transition to character parts, often in horror and sci-fi outings. In accordance with his own dictum of appearing in anything that had "any originality", he worked on two notable pictures with Roger Corman: first, as a man obsessed with catalepsy in The Premature Burial (1962); secondly, as obsessed self-destructive surgeon "Dr. Xavier" in X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963)-the Man with X-Ray Eyes, a film which, despite its low budget, won the 1963 Golden Asteroid in the Trieste Festival for Science Fiction.
As the years went on, Ray gradually disposed of his long-standing toupee, lending dignity through his presence to many run-of-the-mill television films, such as Cave in! (1983) and maudlin melodramas like Love Story (1970). He guest-starred in many anthology series on television and had notable roles in Rod Serling's Night Gallery (1969) and the original Battlestar Galactica (1978) (as Quorum member Sire Uri). He also enjoyed a brief run on Broadway, starring as "Simon Crawford" in "Hostile Witness" (1966), at the Music Box Theatre.
In his private life, Ray was an enthusiastic yachtsman, who loved fishing and collecting information by reading the Encyclopedia Brittanica. In later years, he became very popular with interviewers because of his candid spontaneity and humour. In the same self-deprecating vein he wrote an anecdotal biography, "Wide-Eyed in Babylon", in 1976. A film star, as well as an outstanding actor, Ray Milland died of cancer at the age of 79 in March 1986.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Endearing, bushy-whiskered Welsh character actor whose screen repertoire seemed to consist for the better part of variations on a similar theme, namely stereotypical stiff-upper-lip or bumbling British gents. The son of an actress and an actor-manager and on stage from early childhood, Fox began his career in repertory theatre. During the last two years of World War II he served on a minesweeper in the Royal Navy. In 1952, he joined the ensemble of Brian Rix's Whitehall Farces as one of the 'Reluctant Heroes' and the 'Simple Spymen'. Buoyed by popular success, he probably developed his stock-in-trade character around this time. Following a stint on the London stage, Fox then landed several small roles in British films and co-starred for the BBC in the short-lived comedy series Three Live Wires (1961). The show's American producer promised him a shot at Hollywood and the actor and his wife promptly moved to Los Angeles. In 1962, Fox made his American stage debut at the Civic Playhouse in the three-act mystery play "Write Me a Murder" by Frederick Knott. The following year he appeared as a blundering waiter in The Danny Thomas Show (1953).
During the 1960's he became a familiar face on television, staking his particular claim to comedy relief fame as the cranky warlock physician Dr. Bombay in Bewitched (1964) (a character he declared was based on a naval officer with whom he served during the war) and as the buffoonish Colonel Rodney Crittenden in Hogan's Heroes (1965) (who was hopefully not based on anyone). He was also a Dr. Watson to Stewart Granger's Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1972), striding a kind of middle ground between the Watson of Nigel Bruce and that of Edward Hardwicke. His many guest roles as assorted 'visiting' English officers included, among others, 12 O'Clock High (1964), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964), Columbo (1971) and M*A*S*H (1972). More recently, he appeared as Archibald Gracie IV, survivor (albeit briefly) of the sinking of the Titanic (1997) and as the unflappable aviator Winston Havelock going off to his last 'tally-ho' in The Mummy (1999). His ongoing commitment to theatrical work led to engagements in Canada with Stage West, in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and starring on Broadway in a 1978 production of "3 Rue de L'Amour" with Louis Jourdan and Kathleen Freeman.
In private life, Fox was renowned as an expert theatre historian. He was reputedly a keen gardener, a painter of landscapes and a devotee of performing magic.- While in his teens, Owen Teale occasionally worked at Porthcawl Little Theatre. In September 1980 he was accepted by the Guildford School of Acting and by Christmas of 1983 had obtained his Equity card. His first proper work was as a dancer in the musical "Cabaret" in Plymouth, Devon. Subsequently he was approached by BBC-TV and landed a role in The Mimosa Boys (1985). Two years spent as a jobbing actor were followed by roles in the stage version of "The Fifteen Streets", "When She Danced" and "The Comedy of Errors". In 1990 he appeared in Robin Hood (1991) starring Patrick Bergin and immediately after finishing this film, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford upon Avon.
- Paul Rhys was born on 19 December 1963 in Neath, Wales,to working class Catholic parents, Kathryn Ivory, and Richard Charles Rhys, a laborer. He received a Bernard Shaw Scholarship to study at RADA. In the first term he was spotted by Philip Prowse and was invited to perform in Oscar Wilde's A Woman of No Importance at the Glasgow Citizens Theatre. While still at RADA, he appeared in his first film role as Dean Swift in Julien Temple's film Absolute Beginners (1986).
He then was in Franklin J. Schaffner's Lionheart (1987), and played opposite Colin Firth in Richard Eyre's award-winning film Tumbledown (1988). Director Robert Altman cast him as Vincent van Gogh's younger brother Theo in Vincent & Theo (1990) He then played Sydney Chaplin opposite Robert Downey Jr.'s Charlie Chaplin in Richard Attenborough's Chaplin (1992), and Massis in Alan Bennett's 102 Boulevard Haussmann (1990). Next film roles include the part of the Photographer in Nina Takes a Lover (1994) and Dr Ferral in From Hell (2001). He appeared opposite Peter O'Toole in Rebecca's Daughters (1992). A series of films followed including From Hell (2001), Food of Love (2002), Love Lies Bleeding (1999), Becoming Colette (1991) and Hellraiser: Deader (2005).
Running parallel to Rhys's film work has been a diverse and notable television career, working in leading roles with directors such as Mike Hodges, Stephen Frears, Richard Eyre, Philip Martin, Christopher Morahan, Tom Vaughan, Edward Hall, Harry Bradbeer in productions including Tumbledown (1988), A Dance to the Music of Time (1997), The Heroes (1989), Ghosts, Mystery!: Gallowglass (1993), The Healer (1994), Anna Karenina (1997), The Deal, Beethoven (2005), The Ten Commandments (2005), Borgia (2011), Luther (2010), and [Spooks].
He played the lead as traitor Aldrich Ames in The Assets (2014) miniseries, as King George III in TURN: Washington's Spies (2014) and as Sir John Conroy in Victoria (2016). Rhys has made a minor industry out of playing vampires: Being Human (2008) (as Ivan);( as Vlad, the Prince of Wallachia, aka Dracula, in seasons 1-3 of the 2015 series Da Vinci's Demons (2013); and as Andrew Hubbard in two seasons of the 2020-22 hit, A Discovery of Witches (2018).
In 2022, Rhys appeared in three films for 2023 release: in Ridley Scott's Napoleon (2023), as Talleyrand, opposite Joaquin Phoenix; as Duncan in Emerald Fennell's Saltburn (2023); and as Droite in Widow Clicquot (2023).
Paul Rhys lives in London and New York. - Actor
- Soundtrack
Singled out as a Screen international Star of tomorrow 2012, Tom's film debut came at college in Hunky Dory with Minnie Driver. He has since starred in The History Boys at The Sheffield Crucible, Torch Song Trilogy at The Menier Chocolate Factory and in 2014 made his West End debut in Jez Butterworth's MOJO with Ben Whishaw, Daniel Mays and Rupert Grint at The Harold Pinter Theatre soon after Tom starred as the lead in Polly Stenhams brilliant new play Hotel at the National Theatre- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Robert Pugh grew up in a village called the Tynte, a small mining village set just outside Pontypridd, where Tom Jones was raised. The Tynte is a few miles in between Aberdare and Pontypridd about twenty miles north of Cardiff. He attended the Rose Bruford acting school, from which he graduated in 1976.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Richard Marquand was born on 22 September 1937 in Llanishen, Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He was a director and producer, known for Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Nowhere to Run (1993) and Jagged Edge (1985). He was married to Carol Bell and Josephine Marquand. He died on 4 September 1987 in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, UK.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Welsh Superstar Mezzo Soprano Katherine Jenkins OBE officially became the world's most successful classical singer after she was crowned 'The Biggest Selling Classical Artist of the Century' by Classic FM. She further cemented her title by gaining her 13th Number 1 Album - smashing the record books since signing to Universal Classics at the tender age of 23. Then a school teacher, Katherine burst onto the music scene in 2003 when she performed at Westminster Cathedral in honour of Pope John Paul II's Silver Jubilee, became the mascot for her much beloved Welsh Rugby Team, singing the anthem before important international matches & had her debut performance at the Sydney Opera House. Awards and accolades followed as well as invitations to sing for Popes, Presidents and Princes. Jenkins is a firm favourite of the British Royal Family having been invited to sing 'God Save The Queen' at Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee, perform at The Queen's Coronation Concerts at Buckingham Palace and more recently at Her Majesty's 90th Birthday celebrations at Windsor Castle.
Born in South Wales, Katherine learned to sing as a chorister of St. David's Church choir, Neath. Her love of music was well nurtured in the Welsh Valleys, where she had the opportunity to join choral groups, perform with Welsh Male Voice Choirs as well as participate in Eisteddfods and other musical events. She has always accredited her down to earth nature to her Welsh roots and her amazing family who she lovingly calls 'The Taffia'. Sadly, Katherine's father Selwyn passed away from cancer when she was just 15 and since then his memory has been a driving force in her life every album, every award has been dedicated to him.
Within months of graduating from the Royal Academy of music, Katherine signed the 'biggest recording deal in UK classical music history' and released her debut album 'Premiere', which became her first classical number one album. 6 months later, her second album, 'Second Nature' also reached number 1 and went on to earn Katherine her first Classic BRIT Award for best album in 2005. The following year brought Katherine her second Classic BRIT award 'Album of the Year' for 'Living A Dream'.
Sold out tours followed, as did performances and recordings with Placido Domingo, Andrea Bocelli, Jose Carreras, David Foster, Dame Kiri te Kanawa, Sir Bryn Terfel, Rolando Villazon, Juan Diego Florez, Valery Gergiev & Il Divo. Not afraid of stepping outside of her comfort zone, Katherine has appeared as a mentor in ITV's 'Popstar to Operastar', played the role of Abigail in the BBC's iconic Dr Who Christmas Special, tap danced her way through 'Viva la Diva' with Prima Ballerina Darcey Bussell as well as, most notably, winning 2nd place in the U.S. hit TV show 'Dancing with the Stars' in 2012. After years as a guest performer, Katherine was delighted to officially join the BBC 'Songs of Praise' family as a regular presenter of the weekly religious programme.
Also known as the 'Forces Sweetheart', Charity work has always played an important role for Jenkins. After singing 'We'll Meet Again' with Dame Vera Lynn at the 60th Anniversary of VE Day, she travelled to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Cyprus & Northern Ireland to entertain the troops. She was presented with an OBE by HRH Prince of Wales for services to Music and charity in 2013.
2017 saw Jenkins's debut on the West End stage playing Julie Jordan in Carousel with English National Opera at the London Coliseum, her performance earning her rave reviews from both the British and International press. In 2019, Katherine made her film role debut alongside Jonny Depp and Bill Nighy in 'Minamata', a movie scheduled for release later this year.
2020 will see new music from Katherine in the form of her 14th studio album as well as performances in Dubai, Tokyo, tours of Australia & New Zealand and a special one off performance on the Great Wall of China.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Philip Madoc was born in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, and attended Twyn School. He became interested in acting when he was a teenager. He studied at the University of Vienna and pursued a theatrical career by attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. During the 1960s, he became a familiar face on British television, often cast in sinister roles due to his dark looks and deep voice. He became particularly familiar to fans of fantasy television, playing five different roles on The Avengers (1961) and four different roles on Doctor Who (1963). Into the 1970s and the guest appearances kept coming, including comedies such as Dad's Army (1968) (as a U-Boat captain in one of the most famous scenes on British TV) and The Good Life (1975). Although widely respected as a versatile actor adept at accents, Madoc never really became a star until 1981, when he portrayed former British prime minister David Lloyd George on an acclaimed television series, The Life and Times of David Lloyd George (1981). Madoc has not been short of work for the last 40 years, a rare accomplishment for an actor, and has worked on films, radio and on the stage as well as his prolific television career. Madoc died of cancer in 2012.- Alan David was born on 29 December 1947 in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for The Painted Veil (2006), Wimbledon (2004) and The Oxford Murders (2008).
- Actress
- Casting Director
Nicola Reynolds was born in 1974 in Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. She is an actress and casting director, known for Human Traffic (1999), The Machine (2013) and Ideal (2005).- Dave Wong is a British actor and Martial Artist who was born in Bridgend, South Wales United Kingdom. His parents from China came to settle in the UK around the 1950's. With the intentions of becoming a computer programmer, plans changed and whilst in his 30's he took up a career in acting during the mid 1990's. Was a former soldier with the Royal Regiment of Wales and then later with the Royal Logistics Corps of the Territorial Army. Is a holder of a black belt in Wado Ryu Karate, one of the founders of Sen Martial Arts and President of the World Martial Kombat Federation.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
This distinctive-looking, bushy-browed, heavy-set Welsh character actor played dozens of rustics, sea captains, sheriffs, priests and police officers during a forty-year long career, starting in 1926. His was the perfect face for period drama. At the peak of his popularity, Owen co-starred as a first mate in Captain David Grief (1957), a South Seas adventure based on stories by Jack London. During the 1940's and 50's, he was prolific on radio, lending his voice to crime dramas like "Pursuit" (CBS, 1949-52) and "Pete Kelly's Blues". His best-known role was that of alcoholic 'wharf-bum' Jocko Madigan, drunk ex-doctor friend and sidekick of star Jack Webb, in "Pat Novak for Hire". He also voiced Towser in One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)).- William Squire was born on 29 April 1917 in Neath, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for The Lord of the Rings (1978), Doctor Who (1963) and Where Eagles Dare (1968). He was married to Juliet Harmer and Betty P. Dixon. He died on 3 May 1989 in London, England, UK.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ronald Lewis was born on 11 December 1928 in Port Talbot, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for Helen of Troy (1956), Storm Over the Nile (1955) and Billy Budd (1962). He was married to Elizabeth Phillips and Norah Gorsen. He died on 11 January 1982 in Pimlico, London, England, UK.- Actor
- Director
Robert Gwilym was born in December 1956 in Neath, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He is an actor and director, known for It Had to Be You (2023), Casualty (1986) and Soldier Soldier (1991).- Ryan Day was born on 23 March 1980 in Mid Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He has been married to Lynsey Day since 2008. They have two children.
- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Director
Rhys Thomas was born on 18 September 1979 in Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He is a producer and director, known for Comrade Detective (2017), Documentary Now! (2015) and Saturday Night Live (1975).- Beth Morris was born on 19 July 1943 in Gorseinon, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. She was an actress, known for David Copperfield (1974), I, Claudius (1976) and Barlow at Large (1971). She was married to Stephen Moore. She died on 1 March 2018 in Y Garn, Penllergaer, Wales, UK.
- Michael Elwyn was born on 23 August 1942 in Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for The Iron Lady (2011), Piece of Cake (1988) and Robin Hood (2006).
- The younger brother of matinee idol Donald Houston attended elementary school in Wales but was largely self-educated with a love of sports and a strong leaning towards the arts and humanities. Glyn's working life began on his grandmother's milk round in Tonypandy. After leaving the Rhondda Valley he held down a variety of short-lived jobs and war-time appointments: with the Bristol Aeroplane Company, as a gunner with the Fleet Air Arm, a labourer on the docks at Cardiff and with the Military Police. Eventually posted to Singapore, Glyn served with the Royal Signals Regiment where his comedic potential was first recognised. Having joined the Entertainments National Service Association (and being promoted to Acting Sergeant) he put together a variety show for serving troops which toured India.
Following demobilisation at war's end, brother Donald helped him secure a position as assistant stage manager with the Guildford Repertory Theatre. On-the-job training in touring plays was to provide the foundation for a screen career which began when the director Basil Dearden created a part specifically for him in the Ealing production of The Blue Lamp (1950). Over the next six years, Glyn would appear regularly in films playing assorted working class types, sailors and soldiers (frequently Cockneys) in dramas with a crime, naval or military theme. These included classic productions like The Clouded Yellow (1950), The Cruel Sea (1953), Turn the Key Softly (1953) (famously, as Joan Collins's first onscreen lover) and The One That Got Away (1957). Many were small parts or even cameos, but occasional leads eventually followed. In Solo for Sparrow (1962), Glyn enjoyed a rare starring turn as a Scotland Yard Inspector turned private eye who brings down a gang of villains (one of them a young Michael Caine). He had a further leading role as yet another policeman in Emergency (1962), surfaced in a couple of Hammer horrors and played the comic foil in four Norman Wisdom farces, beginning with A Stitch in Time (1963). From 1958 Glyn also appeared in a staple of TV shows, live broadcasts, anthologies, soap operas and classic adaptations (notably, Lord Peter Wimsey's impeccable manservant Mervyn Bunter in Clouds of Witness (1972)) and Rosa Bud's guardian Grewgious in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1993) .
His most consistent stock-in-trade characters continued to be serious professionals, generally in uniformed garb as officers (Colonel Wolsey in Doctor Who (1963) "The Awakening"), or, most frequently, police inspectors and superintendents (Outbreak of Murder (1962), Gideon C.I.D. (1964), Z Cars (1962), Softly Softly (1966)). Though he maintained a prolific career on stage in plays by Chekov, Shaw, Miller and others, his one self-confessed regret was not having become a leading light on the Shakespearean stage. Glyn Houston became recipient of a Bafta Cymru special award in 2008 for outstanding contribution to film and television. His autobiography, "Glyn Houston, A Black and White Actor", appeared the following year. - Steve Jones was born in 1977 in Rhondda, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008), It's a Wonderful Afterlife (2010) and Comedy Lab (1998).
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Mark Donovan was born on 12 October 1968 in Aberdare, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for Shaun of the Dead (2004), Les Misérables (2012) and In Bruges (2008). He has been married to Lea Ann Hays since 12 February 2005.- Dorothea Phillips was born on 5 September 1928 in Penygraig, Rhondda, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. She is an actress, known for 102 Dalmatians (2000), Under Milk Wood (1971) and Festival (1963).
- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Andrew Jones was a prolific independent film producer, screenwriter, director and editor.
Born on 6th October 1983 in Swansea, South Wales, Andrew was educated at Olchfa Comprehensive School and later attended the University of Glamorgan. At the age of 27, he founded UK production company North Bank Entertainment to produce independent genre films with a similar aesthetic to the work of American luminaries Roger Corman and Charles Band. Andrew went on to become one of the most prolific independent film producers in the UK with an established track record of commercially successful titles. Andrew's feature films, most of which he also wrote and directed, regularly received distribution in numerous territories around the world including the UK, North America, Canada, Germany, South America, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, the Philippines, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Distribution companies he worked with include Lionsgate, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures and 4Digital Media.
In North America, Andrew's independent titles regularly appeared on the DVD shelves of retail giants such as Walmart, generating a high level of physical sales which consistently defy the odds. In the United Kingdom, nine of Andrew's films reached the Top 30 of the national DVD chart, thirteen of his films placed in the Top 5 of best selling Direct-to-Video titles in their first week of release and four of his films reached the Number 1 position on the HMV DVD Premiere Chart.
According to the annual BFI Research and Statistics booklet North Bank Entertainment regularly maintained a Top 10 spot on the list of production companies involved in the greatest number of commercially released British feature films each year. Andrew's top selling titles include the Robert (2015) franchise which to date has generated five films, culminating with Robert Reborn (2019) all of which have been released in dozens of territories worldwide.
Andrew was married to artist and filmmaker Sharron Jones and resided in his hometown of Swansea in South Wales until his passing in 2023.- Philip Sayer was born on 26 October 1946 in Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for The Hunger (1983), Bluebell (1986) and Slayground (1983). He died on 19 September 1989 in London, England, UK.
- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Marian Davies was born on 23 November 1940 in Neath, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. She is an actress, known for Ryan and Ronnie (1971), The Benny Hill Show (1969) and Only When I Laugh (1979).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Hywel Simons was born on 10 February 1970 in Neath, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for Shakespeare in Love (1998), The Bill (1984) and Poldark (2015). He has been married to Sarah Tansey since 8 August 2005.- Sophie Evans grew up in Tonypandy in the Rhondda Valleys of Wales with younger sister Beth and their parents, Michelle and David. Sophie appeared on BBC-1's Over the Rainbow (2010), Andrew Lloyd Webber's search for a Dorothy; she placed runner-up. After that she attended Arts Educational Schools Chiswick, studying musical theatre. She then went on to become Alternate Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz", performing one show a week at the London Palladium. After a year as alternate, Sophie took on the role full-time performing eight shows a week. She has sung at various venues across the UK, including The Royal Albert Hall, The Royal Opera House (for the Olivier Awards), The Wales Millennium Centre, The Millennium Stadium, Liberty Stadium, Cardiff City Stadium, The Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Manchester Bridgewater Hall, and Headingley Stadium.
She has been featured in numerous television program, including a week-long stint on S4C's cariad@iaith/love4language, where she learned Welsh with other Welsh personalities. ITV also followed her for a year during the "Wizard of Oz" run for a documentary called "Dare to Dream". Sophie appears as part of The Marmalade Sandwich in Simon Pegg and Nick Frost' The World's End (2013). She has also had her own TV Christmas Show on BBC One Wales, where she performed with the BBC National Orchestra and special guests Michael Ball and Only Boys Aloud. - Stunts
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Edd Osmond is an Actor, Creature Performer and Stunt Performer known for his work on Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023), His Dark Materials (2019-2022) Tim Burtons 'Dumbo' (2019), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2018), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and Snow White and the Huntsman (2012).
Edd was born in South Wales, UK.- Actor
- Writer
Lane Meddick was born on 18 March 1924 in Barry, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Flower of Evil (1961), The Death Wheelers (1973) and Journey's End (1954). He died on 1 January 2017 in Binfield Heath, Berkshire, England, UK.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Anneka Rice was born on 4 October 1958 in Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for Comic Relief: Behind the Nose (1992), Challenge Anneka (1987) and Strangers (1978). She was previously married to Nicholas Allott.- Victoria Plucknett was born in 1953 in Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. She is an actress, known for The Duchess of Duke Street (1976), The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978) and BBC Play of the Month (1965). She has been married to William E. Jones since 1977.
- Mike Gwilym was born on 5 March 1949 in Neath, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for Priest of Love (1981), The Theban Plays by Sophocles (1986) and Theatre Night (1985).
- Dennis Burgess was born on 18 February 1926 in Neath, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for The Elephant Man (1980), The Sandbaggers (1978) and Father Brown (1974). He died on 3 November 1980 in Dacorum, Hertfordshire, England, UK.
- Gwenllian Davies was born in 1914 in Bedlinog, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. She was an actress, known for Kinky Boots (2005), Onegin (1999) and According to Bex (2005). She died on 24 July 2007 in Torbay, Devon, England, UK.
- Lynn Hunter was born in Twynyrodyn, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. She is known for Submarine (2010), Jurassic World Dominion (2022) and One for the Road (2021).
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Born in Aberdare, South Wales, he spent the first twenty years of his life in neighboring town Merthyr Tydfil, before moving to America at the age of twenty to train to be a preacher.
Directed the film RISEN: The Howard Winstone Story, which is based on his friend Howard Jr.'s father. The film played played for 11 weeks in UK cinemas and has to date been distributed in five continents and over twenty countries. The film picked up several awards, including Best Film at the New Jersey Film Festival, best original vision at the the indie festival Bootleg and a BAFTA Cymru award for best actor.
Followed RISEN up with THE REVEREND, starring Tamer Hassan, Rutger Hauer and Doug Bradley. The film was released in North America by Level 33 and in the UK by Metrodome.
Was an Executive Producer on the Multi-Award winning THE SEASONING HOUSE and produced WE STILL KILL THE OLD WAY and AGE OF KILL for Anchor Bay Entertainment. Currently working on EAT LOCAL (2016) for GFM Films..- Andrew Lennon was born on 27 April 1973 in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, South Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for Protein, House of America (1997) and That's My Chair, That Is (2019).
- Gavin Lee Lewis is a Welsh born actor. The eldest of four sons. Gavin started his acting career back in 2014 where he had his first stunt job doubling for Richard Wisker in Up All Night- The Friday Download Movie. Since then Gavin has gained roles in S4C Pobol y Cwm playing the role of Barry and also in American Tv series Suspitions where he plays the role of Mike. Gavin was born in Wales but swiftly moved around the world due to his father being in the British Army at the time.
- Graham Curnow was born on 18 July 1930 in Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for ITV Play of the Week (1955), Three Men in a Boat (1956) and She Always Gets Their Man (1962). He died on 29 July 1997 in Brighton, Sussex, England, UK.
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Additional Crew
Carol Minogue was born in February 1945 in Maesteg, Mid-Glamorgan, Wales, UK. Carol is known for Kylie: Intimate and Live (1998), Kylie Live: 'Let's Get to It Tour' (1992) and Kylie: Live in Sydney (2001). Carol has been married to Ron Minogue since 1965. They have three children.- John-Paul MacLeod was born in 1986 in Port Talbot, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for The Machine (2013), Calendar Girls (2003) and Taliesin Jones (2000).
- Ivor Emmanuel was born on 7 November 1927 in Margam, Port Talbot, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for Zulu (1964), Plain and Fancy (1956) and Secombe and Friends (1959). He was married to Malinee Oppenborn, Patricia Bredin and Jean Beazleigh. He died on 19 July 2007 in Malaga, Spain.
- Jay Ruckley was born on 6 September 1998 in Barry, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for Grandpa in My Pocket (2009), Casualty (1986) and The Itch of the Golden Nit (2011).
- Production Designer
- Art Department
- Art Director
Leslie Dilley was born on 11 January 1941 in Rhondda, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He is a production designer and art director, known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and The Abyss (1989).