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1-50 of 69
- Actor
- Stunts
Proud and passionate Angle, Pat Roach, was born and raised in Birmingham, England and grew to be a mountain of a man standing at six feet, five inches tall, with doorway-wide shoulders and a barrel chest.
Pat wrestled competitively under the name of "Bomber" Roach, and at one time held both the British and European Heavyweight Wrestling Championships. While still in the wrestling game, Roach broke into acting with a bit part in the Stanley Kubrick film Barry Lyndon (1975). He quickly became popular as an enforcer or warrior figure and appeared on-screen with some of Hollywood's biggest names. Many people would remember him as the muscle-bound, bald German guard who hands out a beating to Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), before being cut down by a spinning plane propeller.
In other film roles, Roach nearly eliminates 007 Sean Connery in the Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983), in dual roles as a resurrected demon and as a fierce warrior, he fought Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Conan sequel Conan the Destroyer (1984), and was back as a ferocious Indian guard pummeling poor Harrison Ford once again in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), before falling into a rock crusher.
He also appeared in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Red Sonja (1985) and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). Apart from his film activity, Pat ran a gymnasium in Birmingham, operated a used appliance business in the local markets and was known as a warm-hearted and genial man who was happy to chat with admiring fanatics, sign autographs and pose for photographs.
Roach was also very popular with English television audiences for his portrayal of gentle giant "Brian 'Bomber' Busbridge" in the series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1983) and was scheduled to appear in the fifth series of the show, when he died of cancer on July 17, 2004. He was 67 years old.- Emrys James was born on 1 September 1928 in Machynlleth, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for Dragonslayer (1981), The Scarlet and the Black (1965) and The Rise and Fall of César Birotteau (1965). He was married to Sian James. He died on 5 February 1989 in Evesham, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Rosamund Greenwood was born on 12 June 1907 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Witches (1990), The Missionary (1982) and Curse of the Demon (1957). She was married to Leo de Pokorny. She died on 15 July 1997 in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, UK.- Karac Plant was born on 22 April 1971 in Worcestershire, England, UK. He died on 26 July 1977 in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Paula Fiona Boyd was born in Nakuru Hospital (Kenya) on 14th March 1951 to Diane and Jock Boyd, and was the youngest of four siblings (Pattie Boyd, Jenny Boyd and Colin).
Boyd started her acting career as a child actress in Five Have a Mystery to Solve (1964), but she wanted to be a model like her older sisters.
In his pursue for Pattie Boyd, George Harrison's wife, Eric Clapton dated her briefly in 1969/70.
She had problems with drugs, as Pattie Boyd explained in her autobiography "Wonderful Tonight". - Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Edward Elgar was born on June 2, 1857, in Broadheath, near Worcester, where his father named William Elgar, was a music shop owner and a piano technician. Elgar was the fourth of six children. He was self-taught in all musical instruments, that were at his disposal in his father's shop, and he studied all the sheet music available in the shop.
Unrestricted by rules of "teaching", he remained highly original in developing his unique musical personality, that allowed him to surpass the other leading composers of his time. But having no teachers who would connect him into the entrenched musical establishment, it took all his genius, persistence and determination to advance through the rigid class structure of Victorian society. In 1889 Elgar married his student, Alice Roberts, daughter of the late General Sir Henry Roberts. She married beneath herself in opposition to her relatives. Alice played a vital role in Elgar's career by keeping a dogged faith in his genius.
Elgar was 42 when his "Enigma Variations" (1899) was premiered in London and brought him the first big success outside of his native Worcester. The performance of "The Dream of Gerontius" (1900) at the Rhine Festival in Dusseldorf earned him highest praise from Richard Strauss, who considered Elgar as the first English progressive musician.
The Coronation Ode "Land of Hope and Glory" came from his first "Pomp and Circumstance March" in D major (1901). Elgar prophesied: "I've got a tune that will knock'em-knock'em flat!... a tune like that comes once in a lifetime..." This piece became extremely popular and was later used in more than 30 films. In 1904 an all-Elgar festival was held at Covent Garden. In July of 1904, Elgar was knighted by King Edward VII.
Spending the winter of 1907-08 in Italy, Elgar composed the "Symphony No 1" in A flat. In just one year it had 100 performances all over Europe and in America, Australia and Russia, and was compared to the symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven. The "Symphony No 2" in E flat was written during 1909-1911. It was dedicated to the memory of King Edward VII and was considered by many the greatest of Elgar's symphonic works.
Elgar's incidental music for a children's play "The Starlight Express" (1915) and his patriotic "The Spirit of England" (1917) on the war poems by Laurence Binyon preceded his last great masterpiece, the elegiac "Cello Concerto" in E minor (1919). It was used as a main theme in Hilary and Jackie (1998).
The death of Alice Elgar in 1920 took away much of Elgar's inspiration and will to write music. He made a series of studio recordings of his works for HMV. In 1928 he was created Knight Commander of the Victorian Order (K.C.V.O.). In 1933 he recorded his "Violin Concerto" in B minor with then young Yehudi Menuhin and a few weeks later both flew to Paris for performances of this concerto. Elgar died on February 23, 1934 and was laid to rest beside his wife.- Joan Heath also appeared in 'Coronation Street' in 1960 playing May Hardman who was the first character to be killed off in the show. Her character was referred to in episode two but was first seen in episode three and for the following four episodes making her final appearance in the show on 30th December 1960.
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
A former schoolmaster at Culham College, Oxfordshire, Pearson abandoned his teaching career when he began to speculate on the educational propensities of the emerging medium of film. In 1913, he embarked on making instructive short films for London Pathé and subsequently founded his own production company. For Gaumont, he produced a series of popular thrillers, having created the character of 'Ultus the Avenger'. Ultus, one of the first-ever super heroes of the screen, was a master of disguise who fought against injustice and was always a step ahead of the police. Around the same time, Pearson also made the first filmed version of Arthur Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet (1914). Unable to locate any known actors with the necessary facial characteristics, Pearson cast an unknown accountant named James Bragington (who had never acted a day in his life) in the central role of Sherlock Holmes.
In 1918, Pearson combined forces with Thomas Welsh to form Welsh/Pearson Productions. He directed the cockney actress Betty Balfour in the popular Squibs (1921) series of comedies. He also made a number of idiosyncratic 'comedy-dramas' which examined the human condition. Of these, the patriotic Réveille (1924) was his own personal favorite. With the advent of talking pictures, Pearson continued to work as producer-director on 'quota quickies' until 1937, latterly based at Twickenham. During World War II, he was put in charge of Britain's Colonial Film Unit. A recipient of an OBE in 1951, Pearson was a former President of the Association of British Film Directors and Honorary Fellow of both the Royal Photographic Society and the British Film Academy.- Elsa Buchanan was born on 22 December 1908 in London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Mystery of Edwin Drood (1935), Peter Ibbetson (1935) and Here's to Romance (1935). She was married to Noll Charlton. She died on 17 January 2004 in Childswickham, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Actress
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Tamara Lees was born on 14 December 1924 in Vienna, Austria. She was an actress and writer, known for Filumena Marturano (1951), Totò sceicco (1950) and Una spada nell'ombra (1961). She was married to Fulvio Tiberio Vergari and Bonar Colleano. She died on 28 December 1999 in Pershore, Worcestershire, England, UK.- Bill Wayne was born on 14 June 1936 in Manchester, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Who Do You Do (1972), The Rolf Harris Show (1967) and The Good Old Days (1953). He died on 12 November 1985 in Alvechurch, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Carina Wyeth was born in 1954 in Hammersmith, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Boon (1986), Maybury (1981) and The Velvet Glove (1977). She was married to Geoffrey M Hall and Derek Goddard. She died in March 2022 in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Barbara Evans was born in 1932 in Birmingham, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Avengers (1961), Grubstreet (1972) and The Man in Room 17 (1965). She died on 4 July 2010 in Martin Hussingtree, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Mick Bonham was born on 13 July 1950 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, UK. He was married to Linda Turner. He died on 14 January 2000 in Redditch, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Frederick Rawlings was born on 19 August 1915 in Bristol, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Journey to Murder (1971), Journey to the Unknown (1968) and The Escape of R.D.7 (1961). He was married to Mary Vallange. He died in 2003 in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Mary Vallange was born on 9 January 1926 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Mystery at the Burlesque (1949) and William Comes to Town (1948). She was married to Frederick Rawlings. She died on 1 November 2008 in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Scott Sunderland was born on 19 September 1883 in Rock Ferry, Cheshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Pygmalion (1938) and Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939). He died on 12 December 1952 in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Gerald Nabarro was born on 29 June 1913 in London, England, UK. He was married to Joan Maud Violet im Thurn. He died on 18 November 1973 in Broadway, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Mary Navarro was born on 28 July 1859 in Sacramento, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Hearts of Oak (1914), Eve's Daughter (1918) and The Battle of Ballots (1915). She was married to Antonio F. de Navarro. She died on 29 May 1940 in Court Farm, Broadway, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Stanley Baldwin was born on 3 August 1867 in Bewdley, Worcestershire, England, UK. He died on 14 December 1947 in Astley Hall, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Mike Holgate was born on 27 May 1949 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK. He was a director, known for So You Think You've Got Troubles (1991), Jupiter Moon (1990) and Dramarama (1983). He died on 12 January 1992 in Pershore, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Kelly Groucutt was born on 8 September 1945 in Coseley, Staffordshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Summer Job (1989), Midnight (1988) and Kelly Groucutt: Am I A Dreamer (1983). He was married to Anna-Maria Bialaga and Carol. He died on 19 February 2009 in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, UK.- Jean Bloor was born on 18 March 1927 in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Joyous Errand (1957) and Dixon of Dock Green (1955). She died on 23 January 1989 in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Additional Crew
Guy Higgins was born on 5 November 1933 in Birmingham, England, UK. He is known for Hi-de-Hi! (1980) and Children's Royal Variety Performance (1988). He died on 19 June 2007 in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, UK.- Clifford T. Ward was born on 10 February 1944 in Stourport, Worcestershire, England, UK. He was married to Pat. He died on 18 December 2001 in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Actor
Ben Horton was born on 3 October 1912 in Herfordshire, Shropshire, England, UK. He was an actor. He died in November 1994 in Worcestershire, England, UK.- Music Department
- Actor
Charles Botterill was born on 22 September 1905 in Ilkley, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Doctor Who (1963) and The Limping Man (1953). He died in 1986 in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, UK.- Petra Charpentier was born on 8 June 1911 in Marylebone, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Great Gay Road (1931) and Nine Till Six (1938). She was married to Norman Wooland. She died in 1993 in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Donald Hunt is known for The Many Saints of Newark (2021) and A Haunting Harmony (1993). He was married to Jo. He died on 4 August 2018 in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, UK.- Geoffrey Clark was born on 9 September 1884 in Plympton, Devon, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Full Speed Ahead (1936), Queen of Crime (1938) and Lieut. Daring R.N. (1935). He was married to Catherine Lacey. He died in 1945 in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Eric Hillyard was born on 16 March 1915 in Colchester, Essex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Doctor Who (1963), Paris 1900 (1964) and Our Mister Ambler (1961). He died on 20 December 1985 in Broadway, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Production Designer
- Art Department
- Set Decorator
John Lageu was born in 1934 in Hackney, London, England, UK. He was a production designer and set decorator, known for Are You Being Served? (1977), Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1967) and Take Me High (1973). He was married to Susan Vear and Barbara J. Galley. He died on 24 February 1995 in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England, UK.- Writer Helen Simpson was born Helen De Guerry Simpson in Sydney, Australia, in 1897. Her father was a solicitor and her mother the daughter of a member of the French nobility. When she was a child her parents separated; her mother moved to London, England, and her father sent her to a Catholic convent boarding school. In 1914 she traveled to England to join her mother and attended Oxford in 1915. In 1918 she joined the Womens Royal Naval Service, posted to the decoding section of the Admiralty, and returned to Oxford the next year. She studied music, intending to become a composer, but became interested in the theatre; she wrote several plays and founded the Oxford Women's Dramatic Society. She ran afoul of the college authorities, however, who had strict regulations about male and female students acting together, and left Oxford in 1921 without finishing her degree.
In 1921 she returned to Sydney to attend her brother's wedding. There she published "Philosophies in Little", a collection of verse she had written. Two years later she wrote a play, "A Man of His TIme", based on the life of famed Italian artist Benvenuto Cellini, which was published in a "Sydney Daily Telegraph" literary contest, and was performed in Sydney the next year. She returned to Oxford in 1924. She bet someone that she could write a novel in five weeks and, as it turned out, she did--"Acquittal", a detective thriller published in London in 1925. It was a hit, and she turned out several more novels and plays in quick succession.
In 1927 she returned to Australia, and there married Denis Browne, a pediatric surgeon at the Hospital for Sick Children. They had a daughter, Clemence (named after her close friend, writer Clemence Dane). She was a prolific writer, turning out a slew of detective novels over the next few years (three of them in collaboration with Dane). She also wrote novels about the history of Australia and a biography of King Henry VIII.
In the 1930s she gave a series of lectures and broadcasts on literary history. She toured the US in 1938, but by that time her eyesight was failing and she cut back on her writing. She turned to politics and in 1938 was the Liberal candidate for Parliament for the Isle of Wight.
She died in Overbury, near Evesham, Worcestershire, In October of 1940, from injuries she received in an air raid. She was survived by her husband and daughter. - Patrick Leigh-Fermor was born on 11 February 1915 in London, England, UK. He was a writer, known for The Roots of Heaven (1958), The Lively Arts (1969) and The 11th Day (2005). He was married to Joan Monsell. He died on 10 June 2011 in Dumbleton, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Alan Rollinson was born on 15 May 1943 in Walsall, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom. He died on 2 June 2019 in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England, United Kingdom.
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Cinematographer
Davis Boulton was born on 2 May 1911 in Gloucestershire, England, UK. He was a cinematographer, known for The Haunting (1963), Modesty Blaise (1966) and It! (1967). He died on 29 January 1989 in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, UK.- N. Watt-Phillips was born on 7 August 1870 in Aberystwyth, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for The Fighting Cobbler (1915), The Treasure of Heaven (1916) and The Village Blacksmith (1917). He died on 1 December 1942 in Evesham, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Ian D. Struthers was born on 20 April 1915 in Cordoba, Argentina. He was a cinematographer, known for Fire Maidens of Outer Space (1956), The Girl in the Picture (1957) and Countdown to Danger (1970). He was married to Alice M. Tendall and Barbara B. Clark. He died on 3 November 1994 in Worcestershire, England, UK.- Grace Jones was born on 16 September 1906 in Liverpool, UK. She died on 7 June 2019 in Broadway, Worcestershire, UK.
- Sound Department
Basil Rootes was born on 8 November 1921 in Hastings, East Sussex, England, UK. He is known for Armchair Thriller (1978), The Rat Catchers (1966) and The Benny Hill Show (1969). He was married to Stella Mary Finlay Howe. He died on 3 July 2019 in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, UK.- Barbara Skelton was born on 26 June 1916 in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, UK. She was a writer, known for A Business Affair (1994). She was married to Derek Jackson, George Weidenfeld and Cyril Connolly. She died on 27 January 1996 in Pershore, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Barry Horne died on 5 November 2001 in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Henry Sandon was born on 10 August 1928 in East London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Green Green Grass (2005), Going for a Song (1965) and It's Patently Obvious (1976). He was married to Barbara Sophia Starkey. He died on 25 December 2023 in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Dorothy Thompson was born on 30 October 1923 in Greenwich, London, England, UK. She was married to E.P. Thompson. She died on 29 January 2011 in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Bruce Bairnsfather was born on 9 July 1887 in Murree, Punjab, British India [now Pakistan]. He was a writer and director, known for Carry on, Sergeant! (1928), Old Bill and Son (1941) and The Better 'Ole (1926). He was married to Cecilia Agnes Bruton. He died on 29 September 1959 in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, UK.- Additional Crew
- Writer
Richard Whittington-Egan was born on 22 October 1924 in Liverpool, England, UK. He was a writer, known for In Suspicious Circumstances (1991), An Innocent Man? Sgeulachd Oscar Slater (2012) and Biography (1987). He was married to Molly Tibbs, Elsie J. Wilkins and Ruth C. Kirkpatrick. He died on 14 September 2016 in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, UK.- Nancy Stratford was born on 10 April 1910 in Bury, Lancashire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Flames of Fear (1930) and That's His Weakness (1930). She died on 24 October 1990 in Eardiston, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- F. Oswell Jones was born on 31 December 1872 in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for A Night in Armour (1910). He died in 1971 in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Sara de Groot was born on 18 February 1868 in Dublin, Ireland, UK [now Republic of Ireland]. She was an actress, known for The Web of Fate (1916) and General Post (1920). She died on 2 August 1942 in Broadway, Worcestershire, England, UK.
- Sidney Dench was born in Brentwood, Essex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Power Game (1965). He was married to Cissy Whitfield. He died on 15 August 1968 in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England, UK.