Richard Attenborough has died, aged 90, his son Michael has confirmed

Richard Attenborough, the British actor and film director, has died at the age of 90.

Lord Attenborough's son Michael confirmed that he died at lunchtime yesterday, just five days away from his 91st birthday.

He was one of Britain's leading actors, before becoming a highly successful director.

The director - hailed as 'a titan of British cinema' - appeared in films including Brighton Rock, World War Two thriller The Great Escape and later in dinosaur blockbuster Jurassic Park.

Prime Minister David Cameron said he 'was one of the greats of cinema'.

Others expressing their love for Lord Attenborough included Ben Kingsley, who shot to superstardom after his performance as Mahatma Gandhi, and fellow actor Sir Roger Moore, who said he was 'a wonderful and talented man'.



Lord Attenborough, who was born in Cambridge, was the older brother of Sir David Attenborough, the naturalist and broadcaster, and John Attenborough, who was an executive at Alfa Romeo before his death in 2012.

In March last year, he moved into Denville Hall care home because of his failing health.

His wife Sheila Sim, 92, who suffers from dementia, had been based at the home since June 2012.

It was a specialist charity care home for elderly or sick entertainers in west London. Both Lord and Lady Attenborough helped to found the home and fundraised extensively to help its running.

Lord Attenborough had struck up a friendship with Diana, Princess of Wales, after the Prince of Wales asked him to help her write speeches.

He was well known within his wide circle of friends for his anecdotes and words of wisdom.

After news of his death was announced on Sunday evening, tributes flooded in for the silver screen star.

Mr Cameron said in a statement: 'His acting in Brighton Rock was brilliant, his directing of Gandhi was stunning - Richard Attenborough was one of the greats of cinema.'



Sir Ben Kingsley, 70, who won a coveted best actor Oscar for playing Gandhi, said: ‘He placed in me an absolute trust and in turn I placed an absolute trust in him and grew to love him. I along with millions of others whom he touched through his life and work will miss him dearly.’

Sir Roger Moore, an old friend of the star, tweeted: ‘Greatly saddened to hear the great Richard Attenborough has left us. Such a wonderful and talented man.’

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Lord Attenborough and his wife Shiela Sims, who married in 1945, had three children together after meeting at Rada in London, where they both trained as actors

Lord Attenborough, pictured left, with his brother Sir David Attenborough, right, the BBC naturalist and broadcaster

The director at the Galaxy British Book Awards held at Grosvenor House Hotel, London, in 2009

Tributes flooded in for the silver screen star, including Prime Minister David Cameron who said Lord Attenborough 'was one of the greats of cinema'

Lord Attenborough was given a knighthood in 1976. In 1993 he became a life peer as Baron Attenborough of Richmond Upon Thames, accepting the labour whip.

The renowned actor - who was also a long-serving president of Bafta - met his wife, a fellow actress, when they were students at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London and co-starred in a play, The Lady With The Lamp.

They married in 1945 and went on to have three children together: a son Michael, who became a theatre director, Jane and Charlotte, 54, an actress.

Lord Attenborough became good friends with Princess Diana and the Prince of Wales asked the director to help her write speeches. He was well-known for his words of wisdom

The silver screen legend with his wife Sheila Sims, pictured with Princess Diana at a party for her 36th birthday in 1997

Lord Attenborough, who won eight Oscars for his 1982 epic Gandhi, had been confined to a wheelchair since suffering a stroke six years ago.

But his family said he never fully recovered and continued to struggle to communicate and move around.



His son Michael last year described his father as 'fine' but 'very frail'.



His elder daughter, Jane Holland, and her daughter Lucy died in the 2004 South Asian Boxing Day tsunami.

During his 60-year career, he gathered 74 acting credits after appearing in 1942 war film In Which We Serve, directed by Noel Coward.

He also starred in Miracle on 34th Street, Elizabeth and Flight of the Phoenix.

Lord Attenborough won eight Oscars, including best picture and best director, for his 1982 epic Ghandi

The director, pictured in 1982 with actor Ben Kingsley, with the nine academy awards that he won for Gandhi

Lord Attenborough, who served with the Royal Air Force before embarking on his film career, pictured holding two of his Oscars for best film and best director for Gandhi

He made his directorial debut with 1969 musical Oh! What a Lovely War, following it up with Oscar-winning epic Gandhi in 1982.

His breadth of canvas and eye for detail were at their most impressive here, with Attenborough displaying a knack to control some 400,000 extras at the re-creation of Gandhi's funeral.



His 1987 film Cry Freedom, starring Denzel Washington, told the story of anti-apartheid leader Steve Biko.

During the Second World War, Lord Attenborough served with the Royal Air Force, and was seconded to the newly-formed RAF film unit at Pinewood Studios after initial pilot training.

The actor, pictured right, also starred in the 1963 World War Two thriller, The Great Escape, pictured above

His seminal movie Brighton Rock, pictured left and right, in which he played a psychopathic young gangster, was released in 1947 He has been hailed as a 'titan of British cinema' after his 60-year career, which started with Brighton Rock

Lord Attenborough pictured with his wife, actress Sheila Sim, in Agatha Christie's The Moustrap in 1952

He appeared in the 1943 propaganda film Journey Together before qualifying as a sergeant and flying on missions all over Europe filming the outcome of Bomber Command sorties.

He and Miss Sim, who married in 1945, co-starred in the original West End production of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap in 1952.

Lord Attenborough was brought up in Leicester where he was educated at Wyggeston, a local grammar school.

The actor stared as eccentric developer John Hammond in cult classic Jurassic Park, with Samuel L Jackson, pictured left

He is pictured second from left with Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern and Sam Neill, watching dinosaur eggs hatch in a scene from the 1993 movie

Lord Attenborough starred as Kris Kringle in the 1994 festive hit Miracle on 34th Street

His father, who was principal of the local university college, instilled in his children the belief that not one minute of the day should be wasted.

It was a philosophy that Attenborough carried into his professional life astonishing colleagues with his tireless 20-hours-a-day energy.

A dedicated socialist, he was introduced to rebellious politics by his mother, who joined protest marches in the 1930s against Spain's General Franco and took in Basque refugees from the Spanish Civil War.

His parents also helped to co-ordinate the evacuation of Jewish children from Europe.

Lord Attenborough pictured in 1960 with his daughters Jane and Charlotte. Jane died during the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004. His daughter Charlotte is an actress Lord Attenborough with his granddaughter Lucy when she was just five years old Richard Attenborough after receiving his Knighthood from the Queen at Buckingham Palace. He is pictured with his wife Sheila, son Michael and daughters Charlotte and Jane (right) Lord Attenborough with his wife Sheila and (from left to right) their children Michael, Charlotte and Jane, pictured at a Sussex University graduation ceremony in Brighton in 1999

The director with Archbishop Desmond Tutu at a Hyde Park rally for Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday in 1988

Steven Spielberg (left) with Richard Attenborough at the premiere of Jurassic Park in July 1993

Lord Attenborough had followed his parents in their work and was known for his extensive work as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and other humanitarian causes.

He was a life-long Labour supporter. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon, Labour’s leader in the House of Lords, said she was ‘proud’ that the actor was a Labour peer.

‘Very sad to learn of death of Richard Attenborough, a fine man in every way. Proud that he was a Labour peer,’ she said.



Actress Samantha Bond tweeted: ‘So saddened to hear we have lost Sir Richard Attenborough. Great actor, great director, - funny, flirtatious, intelligent, a true gentleman.’

Broadcaster Stephen Fry wrote: ‘Sad to hear of Dickie Attenborough. Family secret - he was Richard and David Dave. True story. He did so so much in so many arenas.’

Former tennis star Boris Becker said he was 'a true legend' while Little Britain star David Walliams wrote: ‘Richard Attenborough as Pinkie in Brighton Rock from 1947. One of the greatest film performances of all time.’

Actress Mia Farrow also tweeted: ‘Richard Attenborough was the kindest man I have ever had the privilege of working with. A Prince. RIP “Pa” – and thank you.’

Comedian and actor Ricky Gervais tweeted: ‘RIP Richard Attenborough. One of the true greats of the silver screen.’

'Dickie Attenborough was passionate about everything in his life - family, friends, country and career,' said Steven Spielberg, director of Jurassic Park. 'He made a gift to the world with his emotional epic Gandhi and he was the perfect ringmaster to bring the dinosaurs back to life as John Hammond in Jurassic Park. He was a dear friend and I am standing in an endless line of those who completely adored him.'



He was also hailed as a ‘titan of British cinema’ by BAFTA.

In a statement Bafta said: ‘A passionate filmmaker, a man of principle and - in contradiction of sometimes lachrymose image - possessing the kind of dogged determination that sees films get made after decades of toil, and serve on committees for the greater good of an industry he loved.

‘A titan of British cinema, to say he embodied its finest qualities is to have it backwards. British film would do well to live up to the example of industry, skill and compassion set by Richard, Lord Attenborough.’

A life-long fan of Chelsea Football Club, the club last night said it was ‘saddened’ by the death.

In a statement, Chelsea FC said: ‘Lord A was a thoroughly lovely and talented man who used his fame and influence for the good of the many causes close to his heart. We will always be grateful that our football club was one of them.’

Diane Abbot, Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, tweeted: ‘Very said to hear Richard Attenborough has died – a man of the establishment who was never afraid to challenge that same establishment.

‘Richard Attenborough’s unstinting and passionate support for the anti-apartheid struggle here and in South Africa will stand the test of time.’



SIR RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH'S WORDS OF WISDOM

Lord Attenborough was known for his anecdotes and words of wisdom. Here are some of his thoughts: On modern-day heroes: 'I passionately believe in heroes, but I think the world has changed its criteria in determining who it describes as a hero... 'If someone does something in an entertainment/pop ambience, that person becomes someone who has an impact on the conduct and attitude of a huge number of people who peripherally come in contact with them. 'I'm simply saying that heroes are people whose activities, whose attitudes and whose judgment you just think, wow. That's good, that's right, that's real.' Speaking to Sussex University's student magazine about modern society: 'I think the world is a harder place now for young people... In the 40s and 50s, life seemed much simpler, especially in terms of what was acceptable and what was not acceptable. The world is also, I think, more corrupt.' On the death of his daughter Jane - tragedy struck on Boxing Day 2004 when Lord Attenborough's elder daughter Jane Holland, her daughter, Lucy, and her mother-in-law, also named Jane, were killed in the south-Asian tsunami: 'I can talk to people about Jane now, although sometimes I can't get the words out. I can also see her. I can feel her touch. I can hear her coming into a room. 'She comes in laughing or excited or determined, but always full of commitment. That was the very essence of Jane - commitment. And music.' On his coping mechanism for dealing with the deaths - an actors' gift of compartmentalising: 'If you are playing in Charley's Aunt and your favourite aunt died that lunchtime, you'll still have to go on the stage and play Charley's Aunt. 'You have to be able to separate things. I can't think of Ginny (a pet name for Jane) all the time. I think of Ginny when my mind allows me to.' On his regrets of putting work ahead of family on occasions: 'I adore my family, they are my joy. However, I am committed to my work. If on a Saturday morning when I was ostensibly going to be with the children and something arose at Rada or at Unicef or at the orphanage or whatever, I would allow the other pressures to take precedent. 'Now I have a guilt...' Modestly explaining to the BBC why he thought ET was 'an infinitely more creative and fundamental piece of cinema' than his multi-Oscar-winning Gandhi film: '(Business partner Diana Hawkins) and I went to see ET in Los Angeles shortly before all the awards and we used language when we came out, to the extent of saying: 'We have no chance - ET should and will walk away with it'... 'Without the initial premise of Mahatma Gandhi, the film would be nothing. Therefore it's a narrative film but it's a piece of narration rather than a piece of cinema, as such. 'ET depended absolutely on the concept of cinema and I think that Steven Spielberg, who I'm very fond of, is a genius. 'I think ET is a quite extraordinary piece of cinema.' Telling the Guardian why he was always a character actor, never a traditional leading man: 'Well, I'm 4ft 2ins, and not exactly a matinee idol.' Telling the Evening Standard what could tempt him back into acting: 'If Steven (Spielberg) asked me to do Jurassic Park 4, then I'd jump at it, but that's about it.' On his hopes to keep making movies until the day he died: 'On my last day of shooting, I'd be happy to say: 'Cut, it's a wrap' and fall off the twig.'



