Notable Welsh People
Many have inadequate bios here, so do look them up.
Not found on imdb:
King Arthur
Billy Boston (rugby league player)
Edward Bowen (radar scientist)
Buddug/Boudica (ancient British female warrior)
Betsi Cadwaladr (19th century nurse, traveller)
Caradog/Caractacus (ancient British chieftain)
John Charles (footballer)
Dafydd ap Gwilym (medieval poet)
Saint David/ Dewi Sant
David Davies (businessman)
Donald Davies (computer scientist, inventor of packet switching)
W.H.Davies (writer)
Lyn Evans (CERN director, Hydron Collider project leader)
George Everest (geographer, the mountain named after him)
Barry Flanagan (sculptor)
John Frost (Chartist political activist)
John Gibson (19th century sculptor)
Giraldus Cambrensis/ Gerald of Wales (medieval writer)
Owain Glyndwr (medieval freedom fighter)
Clive Granger (Nobel winning economist)
William Grove (scientist, 1st fuel cell)
Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd (medieval female warrior)
Henry V
Henry VII
George Herbert (17th century poet)
John Houghton (environmental scientist)
Michael Howard (politician)
David Hughes (scientist, inventor- radio transmissions, microphone, teleprinter..)
Elizabeth Phillips Hughes (educationalist)
Hywel Dda (medieval law maker)
J.D. Innes (painter)
Barry John (rugby player)
Goscombe John (sculptor)
Gwen John (painter)
Ernest Jones (psychiatrist)
Michael Jones (founder of Welsh colony in Patagonia)
Steve Jones (athlete, Marathon world record)
Thomas Jones (painter)
William Jones (mathematician, astronomer)
Owain Lawgoch (medieval soldier)
Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (medieval ruler)
Myrddin/ Merlin
Henry Morgan (pirate)
William Morgan (bishop, bible translator)
Beau Nash (leader of 18th century fashion)
Robert Owen (Co-operative socialist)
Saint Patrick
Richard Price (18th century political writer, philosopher, mathematician)
William Price (free thinking 19th century doctor)
Pryce Pryce-Jones (19th century mail order shopping)
Paulo Radmilovic (swimmer, 4 Olympic golds)
Robert Recorde (mathematician, invented = sign)
Rhodri Mawr (medieval ruler)
Bart Roberts (pirate)
Evan Roberts (religious leader)
Kate Roberts (writer)
Sarah Siddons (18th century actress)
Taliesin (early medieval poet)
R.S. Thomas (poet)
Alfred Russel Wallace (co-originator of the theory of evolution by natural selection, biologist, naturalist, traveller, socio-political writer)
Evan Walters (painter)
Evan Williams (scientist, discoverer of Meson particle)
Kyffin Williams (painter)
R Williams Parry (poet)
Richard Wilson (painter)
Walter Wingfield (inventor of lawn tennis)
~
Welsh Parentage:
John Adams
John Quincy Adams
Lily Allen
Richard Ameryk
Patricia Arquette
Rosanna Arquette
Brenda Blethyn
Humphrey Bogart
Daniel Boone
David Bowie
Frank Brangwyn
Edward Byrne Jones
Dean Cain
William Cecil
Charlie Chaplin
Julie Christie
Petula Clarke
Hilary Clinton
Sacha Baron Cohen
Michelle Collins
Calvin Coolidge
Kevin Costner
Sue Cook
Courtenay Cox
Daniel Craig
Oliver Cromwell
Russell Crowe
Tom Cruise
Jack Daniel
Elizabeth David
Bette Davis
Jefferson Davis
James Dean
Johnny Depp
Ken Dodd
John Donne
Robert Duvall
The Edge
Tracy Edwards
George Eliot (née Mary Anne Evans)
Elizabeth I
Alice Catherine Evans
Bill Evans
Lee Evans
Martin Evans
Oliver Evans
William Fargo
Glenn Ford
James Garfield
Garibaldi
Al Gore
D W Griffith
Nell Gwynn
Teri Hatcher
Henry VIII
Bob Hope
Gerard Manley Hopkins
Billy Hughes
Howard Hughes
Murray Humphrys
Anjelica Huston
John Huston
Jesse James
David Jason
Thomas Jefferson
Joseph Jenkins
Allan Jones
Allen Jones
Bobby Jones
Inigo Jones
Robert E Lee
John Llewelyn Lewis
Leona Lewis
Meriwether Lewis
Sinclair Lewis
Abraham Lincoln
Cariad Lloyd
Jack London
Myrna Loy
Chelsea/Bradley Manning
Dannii Minogue
Kylie Minogue
James Monroe
JP Morgan
John Nash
Olivia Newton-John
Jack Nicholson
Leslie Nielsen
Richard Nixon
Donnie Osmond
Wilfred Owen
William Penn
Michael Phelps
Fiona Phillips
Brad Pitt
Rhian Ramos
Alan Rickman
Julia Roberts
Gena Rowlands
Susan Sarandon
Delia Smith
Kevin Spacey
Margaret Thatcher
Edward Thomas
David Thompson
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Gore Vidal
Carol Vorderman
William Wallace
Naomi Watts
Esther Williams
Kenneth Williams
Robin Williams
Bruce Willis
Reese Witherspoon
Frank Lloyd Wright
Diana Wynne-Jones
Elihu Yale
Not found on imdb:
King Arthur
Billy Boston (rugby league player)
Edward Bowen (radar scientist)
Buddug/Boudica (ancient British female warrior)
Betsi Cadwaladr (19th century nurse, traveller)
Caradog/Caractacus (ancient British chieftain)
John Charles (footballer)
Dafydd ap Gwilym (medieval poet)
Saint David/ Dewi Sant
David Davies (businessman)
Donald Davies (computer scientist, inventor of packet switching)
W.H.Davies (writer)
Lyn Evans (CERN director, Hydron Collider project leader)
George Everest (geographer, the mountain named after him)
Barry Flanagan (sculptor)
John Frost (Chartist political activist)
John Gibson (19th century sculptor)
Giraldus Cambrensis/ Gerald of Wales (medieval writer)
Owain Glyndwr (medieval freedom fighter)
Clive Granger (Nobel winning economist)
William Grove (scientist, 1st fuel cell)
Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd (medieval female warrior)
Henry V
Henry VII
George Herbert (17th century poet)
John Houghton (environmental scientist)
Michael Howard (politician)
David Hughes (scientist, inventor- radio transmissions, microphone, teleprinter..)
Elizabeth Phillips Hughes (educationalist)
Hywel Dda (medieval law maker)
J.D. Innes (painter)
Barry John (rugby player)
Goscombe John (sculptor)
Gwen John (painter)
Ernest Jones (psychiatrist)
Michael Jones (founder of Welsh colony in Patagonia)
Steve Jones (athlete, Marathon world record)
Thomas Jones (painter)
William Jones (mathematician, astronomer)
Owain Lawgoch (medieval soldier)
Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (medieval ruler)
Myrddin/ Merlin
Henry Morgan (pirate)
William Morgan (bishop, bible translator)
Beau Nash (leader of 18th century fashion)
Robert Owen (Co-operative socialist)
Saint Patrick
Richard Price (18th century political writer, philosopher, mathematician)
William Price (free thinking 19th century doctor)
Pryce Pryce-Jones (19th century mail order shopping)
Paulo Radmilovic (swimmer, 4 Olympic golds)
Robert Recorde (mathematician, invented = sign)
Rhodri Mawr (medieval ruler)
Bart Roberts (pirate)
Evan Roberts (religious leader)
Kate Roberts (writer)
Sarah Siddons (18th century actress)
Taliesin (early medieval poet)
R.S. Thomas (poet)
Alfred Russel Wallace (co-originator of the theory of evolution by natural selection, biologist, naturalist, traveller, socio-political writer)
Evan Walters (painter)
Evan Williams (scientist, discoverer of Meson particle)
Kyffin Williams (painter)
R Williams Parry (poet)
Richard Wilson (painter)
Walter Wingfield (inventor of lawn tennis)
~
Welsh Parentage:
John Adams
John Quincy Adams
Lily Allen
Richard Ameryk
Patricia Arquette
Rosanna Arquette
Brenda Blethyn
Humphrey Bogart
Daniel Boone
David Bowie
Frank Brangwyn
Edward Byrne Jones
Dean Cain
William Cecil
Charlie Chaplin
Julie Christie
Petula Clarke
Hilary Clinton
Sacha Baron Cohen
Michelle Collins
Calvin Coolidge
Kevin Costner
Sue Cook
Courtenay Cox
Daniel Craig
Oliver Cromwell
Russell Crowe
Tom Cruise
Jack Daniel
Elizabeth David
Bette Davis
Jefferson Davis
James Dean
Johnny Depp
Ken Dodd
John Donne
Robert Duvall
The Edge
Tracy Edwards
George Eliot (née Mary Anne Evans)
Elizabeth I
Alice Catherine Evans
Bill Evans
Lee Evans
Martin Evans
Oliver Evans
William Fargo
Glenn Ford
James Garfield
Garibaldi
Al Gore
D W Griffith
Nell Gwynn
Teri Hatcher
Henry VIII
Bob Hope
Gerard Manley Hopkins
Billy Hughes
Howard Hughes
Murray Humphrys
Anjelica Huston
John Huston
Jesse James
David Jason
Thomas Jefferson
Joseph Jenkins
Allan Jones
Allen Jones
Bobby Jones
Inigo Jones
Robert E Lee
John Llewelyn Lewis
Leona Lewis
Meriwether Lewis
Sinclair Lewis
Abraham Lincoln
Cariad Lloyd
Jack London
Myrna Loy
Chelsea/Bradley Manning
Dannii Minogue
Kylie Minogue
James Monroe
JP Morgan
John Nash
Olivia Newton-John
Jack Nicholson
Leslie Nielsen
Richard Nixon
Donnie Osmond
Wilfred Owen
William Penn
Michael Phelps
Fiona Phillips
Brad Pitt
Rhian Ramos
Alan Rickman
Julia Roberts
Gena Rowlands
Susan Sarandon
Delia Smith
Kevin Spacey
Margaret Thatcher
Edward Thomas
David Thompson
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Gore Vidal
Carol Vorderman
William Wallace
Naomi Watts
Esther Williams
Kenneth Williams
Robin Williams
Bruce Willis
Reese Witherspoon
Frank Lloyd Wright
Diana Wynne-Jones
Elihu Yale
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- 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.
- Costume Designer
Laura Ashley was born on 7 September 1925 in Dolwais, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, UK. She was a costume designer, known for The Choice (1976) and Home on Sunday (1979). She was married to Bernard Ashley. She died on 17 September 1985 in Gloucestershire, England, UK.- Actor
- Producer
Stanley Baker was unusual star material to emerge during the Fifties - when impossibly handsome and engagingly romantic leading men were almost de rigueur. Baker was forged from a rougher mould. His was good-looking, but his features were angular, taut, austere and unwelcoming. His screen persona was taciturn, even surly, and the young actor displayed a predilection for introspection and blunt speaking, and was almost wilfully unromantic. For the times a potential leading actor cast heavily against the grain. Baker immediately proved a unique screen presence - tough, gritty, combustible - and possessing an aura of dark, even menacing power.
Stanley Baker came from rugged Welsh mining stock - and as a lad was unruly, quick to flare, and first to fight. But like his compatriot and friend Richard Burton, the young Baker was rescued from a gruelling life of coal mining by a local teacher, Glyn Morse, who recognized in the proud and self-willed lad a potent combination of a fine speaking voice, a smouldering intensity, and a strong spirit. And like Burton, Stanley Baker was specially and specifically tutored for theatrical success. In fact, early on, Burton and Baker appeared together on stage as juveniles in The Druid's Rest, in Cardiff, in Wales. But later, by way of Birmingham Repertory Theatre and then the London stage, Stanley Baker charted his inevitable course toward the Cinema.
Film welcomed the adult Baker as the embodiment of evil. Memorable early roles cast the actor in feisty unsympathetic parts - from the testy bosun in Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951) to his modern-day counterpart in The Cruel Sea (1953), to the arch villains in Hell Below Zero (1954) and Campbell's Kingdom (1957) to the dastardly Mordred in Knights of the Round Table (1953) and the wily Achilles in Helen of Troy (1956). For a time there was a distillation of Baker's screen persona in a series of roles as stern and uncompromising policemen - in Violent Playground (1958), Chance Meeting (1959), and Hell Is a City (1960). But despite never having been cast as a romantic leading man, and being almost wholly associated with villainous roles, Stanley Baker nevertheless became a star by dint of his potent personality.
Although now enthroned by enthusiastic audiences Stanley Baker was obviously aware he need not desert unsympathetic parts - and his relish in playing the scheming Astaroth in Sodom and Gomorrah (1962) and the unscrupulous mobster Johnny Bannion in The Concrete Jungle (1960) was readily evident. But soon there were more principled, if still surly characters, in The Guns of Navarone (1961), The Games (1970), Eva (1962), and Accident (1967), the latter two films reuniting Baker with the American expatriot director of The Criminal, Joseph Losey. Stanley Baker also established a fruitful working relationship with the American director Cy Endfield, following their early collaboration on Hell Drivers (1957). When Baker inaugurated his own film production company - it was Endfield he commissioned to write and direct both Zulu (1964) and Sands of the Kalahari (1965), with Baker allotting himself the downbeat roles of the martinet officer John Chard in Zulu and the reluctant hero Mike Bain in The Sands Of The Kalahari.
Baker must have felt more assured in disenchanted roles - as further films from Baker's own stable still promoted the actor in either criminal or villainous mode - as gangster Paul Clifton in Robbery (1967) and the corrupt thief-taker Jonathan Wild in Where's Jack? (1969). The success of Baker's own productions was timely and did much to enhance the prestige of what was then considered an ailing British film industry. Stanley Baker also took the opportunity to move into the realm of television, appearing in, among other productions, the dramas The Changeling (1974) and Robinson Crusoe (1974), and also in the series How Green Was My Valley (1975).
Knighted in 1976 it was evident that Stanley Baker may well have continued to greater heights, both as an actor and a producer, but he succumbed to lung cancer and died at the early age of forty-eight. But his legacy is unquestioned. He was a unique force on screen, championing characterizations that were not clichéd or compromised. He established his own niche as an actor content to be admired for peerlessly portraying the disreputable and the unsympathetic. In that he was a dark mirror, more accurately reflecting human frailty and the vagaries of life than many of his more romantically or heroically inclined contemporaries. There have forever been legions of seemingly interchangeable charming and virile leading men populating the movies - but Stanley Baker stood almost alone in his determination to be characterized and judged by portraying the bleaker aspects of the human condition. Consequently, more than twenty-five years after his death, his sombre, potent personality still illuminates the screen in a way few others have achieved.- Actor
- Producer
- Editorial Department
Christian Charles Philip Bale was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK on January 30, 1974, to English parents Jennifer "Jenny" (James) and David Bale. His mother was a circus performer and his father, who was born in South Africa, was a commercial pilot. The family lived in different countries throughout Bale's childhood, including England, Portugal, and the United States. Bale acknowledges the constant change was one of the influences on his career choice.
His first acting job was a cereal commercial in 1983; amazingly, the next year, he debuted on the West End stage in "The Nerd". A role in the 1986 NBC mini-series Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986) caught Steven Spielberg's eye, leading to Bale's well-documented role in Empire of the Sun (1987). For the range of emotions he displayed as the star of the war epic, he earned a special award by the National Board of Review for Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor.
Adjusting to fame and his difficulties with attention (he thought about quitting acting early on), Bale appeared in Kenneth Branagh's 1989 adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry V (1989) and starred as Jim Hawkins in a TV movie version of Treasure Island (1990). Bale worked consistently through the 1990s, acting and singing in Newsies (1992), Swing Kids (1993), Little Women (1994), The Portrait of a Lady (1996), The Secret Agent (1996), Metroland (1997), Velvet Goldmine (1998), All the Little Animals (1998), and A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999). Toward the end of the decade, with the rise of the Internet, Bale found himself becoming one of the most popular online celebrities around, though he, with a couple notable exceptions, maintained a private, tabloid-free mystique.
Bale roared into the next decade with a lead role in American Psycho (2000), director Mary Harron's adaptation of the controversial Bret Easton Ellis novel. In the film, Bale played a murderous Wall Street executive obsessed with his own physicality - a trait for which Bale would become a specialist. Subsequently, the 10th Anniversary issue for "Entertainment Weekly" crowned Bale one of the "Top 8 Most Powerful Cult Figures" of the past decade, citing his cult status on the Internet. EW also called Bale one of the "Most Creative People in Entertainment", and "Premiere" lauded him as one of the "Hottest Leading Men Under 30".
Bale was truly on the Hollywood radar at this time, and he turned in a range of performances in the remake Shaft (2000), Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001), the balmy Laurel Canyon (2002), and Reign of Fire (2002), a dragons-and-magic commercial misfire that has its share of defenders.
Two more cult films followed: Equilibrium (2002) and The Machinist (2004), the latter of which gained attention mainly due to Bale's physical transformation - he dropped a reported 60+ pounds for the role of a lathe operator with a secret that causes him to suffer from insomnia for over a year.
Bale's abilities to transform his body and to disappear into a character influenced the decision to cast him in Batman Begins (2005), the first chapter in Christopher Nolan's definitive trilogy that proved a dark-themed narrative could resonate with audiences worldwide. The film also resurrected a character that had been shelved by Warner Bros. after a series of demising returns, capped off by the commercial and critical failure of Batman & Robin (1997). A quiet, personal victory for Bale: he accepted the role after the passing of his father in late 2003, an event that caused him to question whether he would continue performing.
Bale segued into two indie features in the wake of Batman's phenomenal success: The New World (2005) and Harsh Times (2005). He continued working with respected independent directors in 2006's Rescue Dawn (2006), Werner Herzog's feature version of his earlier, Emmy-nominated documentary, Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1997). Leading up to the second Batman film, Bale starred in The Prestige (2006), the remake of 3:10 to Yuma (2007), and a reunion with director Todd Haynes in the experimental Bob Dylan biography, I'm Not There (2007).
Anticipation for The Dark Knight (2008) was spun into unexpected heights with the tragic passing of Heath Ledger, whose performance as The Joker became the highlight of the sequel. Bale's graceful statements to the press reminded us of the days of the refined Hollywood star as the second installment exceeded the box-office performance of its predecessor.
Bale's next role was the eyebrow-raising decision to take over the role of John Connor in the Schwarzenegger-less Terminator Salvation (2009), followed by a turn as federal agent Melvin Purvis in Michael Mann's Public Enemies (2009). Both films were hits but not the blockbusters they were expected to be.
For all his acclaim and box-office triumphs, Bale would earn his first Oscar in 2011 in the wake of The Fighter (2010)'s critical and commercial success. Bale earned the Best Supporting Actor award for his portrayal of Dicky Eklund, brother to and trainer of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward, played by Mark Wahlberg. Bale again showed his ability to reshape his body with another gaunt, skeletal transformation.
Bale then turned to another auteur, Yimou Zhang, for the epic The Flowers of War (2011), in which Bale portrayed a priest trapped in the midst of the Rape of Nanking. Bale earned headlines for his attempt to visit with Chinese civil-rights activist Chen Guangcheng, which was blocked by the Chinese government.
Bale capped his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Dark Knight Rises (2012); in the wake of the Aurora, Colorado tragedy, Bale made a quiet pilgrimage to the state to visit with survivors of the attack that left theatergoers dead and injured. He also starred in the thriller Out of the Furnace (2013) with Crazy Heart (2009) writer/director Scott Cooper, and the drama-comedy American Hustle (2013), reuniting with David O. Russell.
Bale will re-team with The New World (2005) director Terrence Malick for two upcoming projects: Knight of Cups (2015) and an as-yet-untitled drama.
In his personal life, he devotes time to charities including Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Foundation. He lives with his wife, Sibi Blazic, and their two children.- Gareth Frank Bale (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a winger for Spanish club Real Madrid and the Wales national team. Renowned for his ball striking from distance, swerving free kicks, and his ability to get past defenders with pace, Bale has received plaudits from his peers, who have described him as a footballer with "tremendous speed, great crossing ability, a great left foot and exceptional physical qualities".
He began his professional career at Southampton, playing at left-back and earning acclaim as a free kick specialist. Bale moved to Tottenham Hotspur in 2007, for an eventual £7 million fee. During his time at Tottenham, managerial and tactical shifts saw him transform into a more attacking player. From the 2009-10 season, under the guidance of Harry Redknapp, Bale became an integral part of the team, rising to international attention during the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League. In 2011 and 2013 he was named PFA Players' Player of the Year, and was named in the UEFA Team of the Year. In 2013, he was also named PFA Young Player of the Year, the FWA Footballer of the Year and the Premier League Player of the Season. He was nominated to the PFA Team of the Year three times in a row between 2011 and 2013.
On 1 September 2013, Bale was transferred to Real Madrid for an undisclosed fee. Press at the time reported the transfer value at figures between EUR91 million and EUR100 million. In January 2016, documents pertaining to the transfer were leaked which confirmed a then-world record transfer fee of EUR100.8 million, eclipsing the previous record fee of £80 million (EUR94 million) the club paid for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009. Bale played an integral role in his first season at Real Madrid, helping the club to win the 2013-14 Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League, scoring in both finals. The following season, he won the UEFA Super Cup and scored in a third major final to help the club win the FIFA Club World Cup. Two years later, he was a key player in another Champions League run, winning the 2015-16 title and being elected to the UEFA Squad of the Season. He was also a finalist in the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. In 2016, ESPN ranked Bale twelfth on its list of the world's most famous athletes.
Bale made his senior international debut for Wales in May 2006, becoming the youngest player at that point to represent the nation. He has since earned over 70 caps and scored 31 international goals, making him Wales' highest scorer of all time. He was the top goalscorer for Wales in their successful qualifying campaign for UEFA Euro 2016, scoring seven goals; he subsequently represented his nation in the final tournament as they reached the semi-finals, scoring three goals. He has been named Welsh Footballer of the Year a record six times. - Director
- Editor
- Cinematographer
Scott Barley is an artist-filmmaker based between Scotland and Wales, UK. His work has been screened in Europe, Asia, and The Americas, including The Institute of Contemporary Arts London, BFI Southbank, Sheffield Doc Fest, Centre of Contemporary Culture Barcelona, Doclisboa, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Venice Biennale, Dokufest, Festival du nouveau cinéma, EYE Filmmuseum, Singapore Art Museum, Telluride Film Festival, Museum of Modern Art Rio, Museum of Contemporary Art Buenos Aires, Australian Centre for the Moving Image, and Fronteira International Documentary & Experimental Film Festival.
His work is primarily concerned with the anthropocene, nature, darkness, cosmology, phenomenology, and mysticism, and has been associated with the Remodernist and Slow Cinema movements. His filmmaking and imagery has been compared with the sensibilities of filmmakers, Béla Tarr & Ágnes Hranitzky, David Lynch, Maya Deren, Aleksandr Sokurov, Stan Brakhage, Peter Hutton, Jean Epstein, and Philippe Grandrieux, as well as the artists, J. M. W. Turner, Caspar David Friedrich, Anselm Kiefer, Arkhip Kuindzhi, Michael Biberstein, and John Martin.
Since early 2015, Barley has exclusively shot his films on iPhone. His short film, Hinterlands was voted one of the best films of 2016 in Sight & Sound's yearly film poll. His first feature-length work, Sleep Has Her House was released in early 2017, garnering universal acclaim, and winning the Jury Award for Best Film at Fronteira International Documentary & Experimental Film Festival, in Goiânia, Brazil. It later received nominations in Sight & Sound's 2017 and 2018 film polls, as well as in Sight & Sound's 'The best video essays of 2018'. The film also received nominations in Senses of Cinema's 2017 poll, and The Village Voice 2017 film poll for Best Film, Best First Feature, and Best Director.
In 2018, Barley co-founded Obscuritads - "an international collective focused on rendering the invisible visible" - with filmmaker, Mikel Guillen (Toronto) and curator and programmer, Miquel Escudero Diéguez (Paris, Barcelona).
In early 2020, film historian and theoretician, Nicole Brenez cited Sleep Has Her House as one of the ten best films of the decade, after previously writing that "[Barley's works] renew our conception of visuality", and describing him as, "one of the most gifted visual poets of his generation." In the same year, academic and film critic, Borja Castillejo Calvo cited Sleep Has Her House as the second best film of the 2010's, and Womb (2017) as the best short film of the decade.
As of 2022, Barley's second feature-length film, The Sea Behind Her Head is in production. The film is produced by Luke Moody and is funded by the British Film Institute (BFI) and DocSociety.
Danish film critic, and former director of the European Documentary Network, Tue Steen Müller has described him as the "Anselm Kiefer of cinema".- Music Department
- Actress
- Composer
Shirley Bassey was born in Tiger Bay, Cardiff, Wales, and raised in the nearby working class neighborhood of Splott. Her mother was originally from Yorkshire, and her father was a Nigerian seaman who left the family when she was less than two. She later helped to support her family by working in an Enamelware factory. She made her professional debut at 16 appearing in a touring revue "Memories of Al Jolson". Her first major hit was "The Banana Boat Song," and she later sang "Goldfinger" in the James Bond movie Goldfinger (1964). Her younger daughter died of drowning in 1985. She currently lives in Monte Carlo.- Additional Crew
Aneurin Bevan was born on 15 November 1897 in Tredegar, South Wales, UK. He is known for This Week (1956), Panorama (1953) and Small World (1958). He was married to Jennie Lee. He died on 6 July 1960 in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Probably best-remembered for his turbulent personal life with Elizabeth Taylor (whom he married twice), Richard Burton was nonetheless also regarded as an often brilliant British actor of the post-WWII period.
Burton was born Richard Walter Jenkins in 1925 into a Welsh (Cymraeg)-speaking family in Pontrhydyfen to Edith Maude (Thomas) and Richard Walter Jenkins, a coal miner. The twelfth of thirteen children, his mother died while he was a toddler and his father later abandoned the family, leaving him to be raised by an elder sister, Cecilia. An avid fan of Shakespeare, poetry and reading, he once said "home is where the books are". He received a scholarship to Oxford University to study acting and made his first stage appearance in 1944.
His first film appearances were in routine British movies such as Woman of Dolwyn (1949), Waterfront Women (1950) and Green Grow the Rushes (1951). Then he started to appear in Hollywood movies such as My Cousin Rachel (1952), The Robe (1953) and Alexander the Great (1956), added to this he was also spending considerable time in stage productions, both in the UK and USA, often to splendid reviews. The late 1950s was an exciting and inventive time in UK cinema, often referred to as the "British New Wave", and Burton was right in the thick of things, and showcased a sensational performance in Look Back in Anger (1959). He also appeared with a cavalcade of international stars in the World War II magnum opus The Longest Day (1962), and then onto arguably his most "notorious" role as that of Marc Antony opposite Elizabeth Taylor in the hugely expensive Cleopatra (1963). This was, of course, the film that kick-started their fiery and passionate romance (plus two marriages), and the two of them appeared in several productions over the next few years including The V.I.P.s (1963), The Sandpiper (1965), the dynamic Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) and The Taming of The Shrew (1967), as well as box office flops like The Comedians (1967). Burton did better when he was off on his own giving higher caliber performances, such as those in Becket (1964), the film adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play The Night of the Iguana (1964), the brilliant espionage thriller The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965) and alongside Clint Eastwood in the World War II action adventure film Where Eagles Dare (1968).
His audience appeal began to decline somewhat by the end of the 1960s as fans turned to younger, more virile male stars, however Burton was superb in Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) as King Henry VIII, he put on a reasonable show in the boring Raid on Rommel (1971), was over the top in the awful Villain (1971), gave sleepwalking performances in Hammersmith Is Out (1972) and Bluebeard (1972), and was wildly miscast in the ludicrous The Assassination of Trotsky (1972).
By the early 1970s, quality male lead roles were definitely going to other stars, and Burton found himself appearing in some movies of dubious quality, just to pay the bills and support family, including Divorce His - Divorce Hers (1973) (his last on-screen appearance with Taylor), The Klansman (1974), Brief Encounter (1974), Jackpot (1974) (which was never completed) and Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977). However, he won another Oscar nomination for his excellent performance as a concerned psychiatrist in Equus (1977). He appeared with fellow acting icons Richard Harris and Roger Moore in The Wild Geese (1978) about mercenaries in South Africa. While the film had a modest initial run, over the past thirty-five years it has picked up quite a cult following. His final performances were as the wily inquisitor "O'Brien" in the most recent film version of George Orwell's dystopian 1984 (1984), in which he won good reviews, and in the TV mini series Ellis Island (1984). He passed away on August 5, 1984 in Celigny, Switzerland from a cerebral hemorrhage.- Composer
- Actor
- Music Department
Classically trained (viola and piano) and well-educated, Welsh-born John Cale became interested in both the experimental side of classical music (including artists like John Cage), and American rock-n-roll. When offered a chance to study music in New York in the early 1960s, Cale accepted, and along with school became an apprentice of Cage's, including performing a relay piano piece with him ("Vexations") onstage.
Needing some quick cash away from his studies during 1964, Cale next became the bass guitarist for a band called the Primitives, put together around a song (called "The Ostrich") by Lou Reed, who was then a staff writer for a small record label. The record bombed, but Cale and Reed became musical partners and co-writers.
Forming The Velvet Underground the next year with Reed's old college classmate Sterling Morrison, a cornerstone of the band was the camaraderie of Reed and Cale, and the way they worked together. Cale's classical touches gave the streetwise rock group's sound a unique, refined edge, and an added intellectual appeal.
Making slow progress as a rock band, though, and Cale's missing the British Isles, had nearly persuaded the Velvets to pack up and try their luck in England, before their fateful meeting with artist and filmmaker Andy Warhol at the end of 1965. Acting as their manager and producer, Warhol put the band to work the next year, performing live at his shows, providing soundtracks for his films, and even appearing in the films occasionally. He also teamed up actress and "chanteuse" Nico with the Velvets, and secured them the recording contract (for MGM's Verve label) they'd wanted. Besides their working relationship, Cale and Reed each formed close personal ties with Warhol.
A falling-out between Cale and Reed during 1968 led to his exit from the Velvet Underground (not long after Nico's, and the band's firing of Warhol). With all the experience he'd gained, Cale became a writer and producer in his own right, making solo albums ("Vintage Violence", "The Academy In Peril", "Music For A New Society") and producing records for other artists (including Nico's "The Marble Index"). He and Lou Reed mended their friendship during the 1970s, but never worked together again until 1988, after Andy Warhol's death. The tributes each had been working on separately turned into the joint album "Songs For Drella" (a nickname for Warhol), which became a surprise hit in 1989.
Cale continued his solo writing and producing, but reunited with the Velvet Underground in 1992 for a tour, and a live album. With admirers in both the rock and classical worlds, Cale has secured a place for himself in popular music.- 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.
- Music Department
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Charlotte Maria Church was born on February 21, 1986 in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom to Steven Reed and his wife Maria. The couple separated shortly after the child's birth, and she was left in her mother's care. She started singing publicly when she was only three and a half years old, singing the Ghostbusters (1984) theme with her cousin at a seaside holiday camp in Caernarfon, Wales. She came to public notice after an appearance on the UK daytime magazine program, This Morning (1988) (aka "This Morning with Richard and Judy") and then made an impromptu appearance on The Big Big Talent Show (1996). She came on to say a few words about her aunt Caroline Cooper, who was also making an appearance on the show, and the show's host, Jonathan Ross, asked her to sing. She stole the show and immediately became an overnight sensation in her native Wales. More television and concert appearances followed, such as the ones at Cardiff Arms Park in Wales, the London Palladium, and the Royal Albert Hall, and opening for Shirley Bassey in Antwerp, Belgium. She was signed to Sony Music (UK) and has released three best selling albums of popular classics.- Nicole Cooke was born on 13 April 1983 in Swansea, Wales, UK. She is a writer, known for The Breakaway, A Question of Sport (1970) and British Olympic Dreams (2010).
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
After leaving the army Tommy Cooper took up show business in 1947 and so started his long career of comedy derived around visual humour, magic tricks that didn't work and his trademark red fez, a prop that started from his days in the army. The BBC described him as an "Unattractive young man with an extremely unfortunate appearance" in an audition for new talent.
While making a series of 28 shows for ITV over a period of eight years, he suffered his first heart attack which forced him to give up his love for cigars. Tommy collapsed on the stage of Her Majesty's Theatre in April 1984, live on air. Ten minutes later he had died. He was later cremated and ashes scattered at Mortlake Crematorium, London.- Writer
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Dahl was born in Wales in 1916. He served as a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II. He made a forced landing in the Libyan Desert and was severely injured. As a result, he spent five months in a Royal Navy hospital in Alexandria. Dahl is noted for how he relates suspenseful and sometimes horrific events in a simple tone.- Actor
- Soundtrack
At a consistently lean 6' 2", green-eyed Timothy Dalton may very well be one of the last of the dying breed of swashbuckling, classically trained Shakespearean actors who have forged simultaneous successful careers in theater, television and film. He has been comparison-shopped roundly for stepping into roles played by other actors, first following Sir Laurence Olivier in Wuthering Heights (1970), in Scarlett (1994).
Undaunted and good-natured, he has always stated that he likes the risk of challenges. He was born in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, the oldest of five children of Dorothy (Scholes) and Peter Dalton-Leggett. His father was stationed in Colwyn Bay during World War II, and moved the family to Manchester in the late 1940s, where he worked in advertising and raised the growing Dalton family, in an upper-class neighbourhood outside of Belper, Derbyshire. Timothy was enrolled in a school for bright children, where he excelled in sports and was interested in the sciences. He was fascinated with acting from a young age, perhaps due to the fact that both his grandfathers were vaudevillians, but it was when he saw a performance of "Macbeth" at age 16 that his destiny was clinched.
After leaving Herbert Strutt Grammar School at age 16, he toured as a leading member of Michael Croft's National Youth Theater. Between 1964-66, he studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). Just before completing his two years, he quit and joined the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, playing the lead in many productions under the direction of Peter Dews while at the same time then as James Bond in The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989), and even more brutally, recently, as Rhett Butler turning professional. Dalton later said of RADA in an interview with "Seventeen" magazine (December 1970), "It took a year to undo the psychological damage that was caused by the oppressive teachers.".
His talent and classic good looks immediately landed him professional work in television, guest-starring on an episode of the short-lived series, Judge Dee (1969), and as a regular on the 14-episode series Sat'day While Sunday (1967) with the young Malcolm McDowell. In late 1967, Peter O'Toole recommended him for the role of the young King Philip of France in The Lion in Winter (1968) (coincidentally, this was also Anthony Hopkins' big break). The following year, he starred in the Italian film Giuochi particolari (1970) with Marcello Mastroianni and Virna Lisi, although his voice was dubbed into Italian by another actor. Dalton also mixed in a healthy dose of BBC work during this time, including The Three Princes (1968), Five Finger Exercise (1970) and Candida (1973). Also during this time, he was approached and tested for the role of James Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) which he turned down, feeling he was too young for the role. His next film was another costume drama, Cromwell (1970), working with director Ken Hughes, with whom he later made his first American film, Sextette (1977). He followed Cromwell (1970) with Wuthering Heights (1970) and Mary, Queen of Scots (1971).
He was already developing a pattern in his films that would follow him throughout his career: costume dramas where he played royalty, which he had done in three of his first four films (and ridden horses in three, and raised a sword in two). In 1972, he was contracted to play a role in Lady Caroline Lamb (1972). However, he was replaced at the last moment. Dalton sued the company and won, but the film went on without him. From the early to mid-1970s, he decided to further hone his skills by going back into the theater full time. He signed on with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and the Prospect Theatre Company (PTC), and toured the world with both, playing the leads in "Romeo and Juliet", "King Lear", "Henry V", "Love's Labours Lost" and "Henry IV" - parts 1 and 2.
In 1975, he returned to movies in the British/Austrian production of The Executioner (1975). It was followed in 1976 by the Spanish religious historical film about the inquisition, El hombre que supo amar (1976), which was never widely released. After this, he took another break from film, mixing in a healthy dose of theater, returning for his first American film, Sextette (1977), and the lengthy miniseries Centennial (1978), his first American television appearance, in which Lynn Redgrave played his wife. Because of his broad exposure to American audiences in this series, he began to get more frequent film and television work in the United States, including the Charlie's Angels (1976) episode "Fallen Angel" -- which, ironically, had several references to his character being like James Bond -- and the TV movie The Flame Is Love (1979). Although he did a few features, including playing Vanessa Redgrave's husband in Agatha (1979), most of his work until 1985 consisted of TV movies and miniseries. He played Prince Barin in the science fiction classic Flash Gordon (1980). He followed this with a small film, Chanel Solitaire (1981) and also filmed a staged production of Antony and Cleopatra (1984) opposite Lynn Redgrave, with Anthony Geary, as well as Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig of the original Star Trek (1966) series.
The years 1983-1987 have so far been the most prolific of his career. In 1983, he starred as Rochester in what he considers one of his best works, the popular BBC miniseries Jane Eyre (1983). Also, during this time, Roger Moore was considering leaving Bond, and Dalton was again approached, but due to his full schedule, he had to decline. In 1984, he did one of his many narrations in the Faerie Tale Theatre (1982) production of The Emperor's New Clothes (1987). That same year also saw him in the Hallmark Hall of Fame piece The Master of Ballantrae (1984) opposite Michael York and Richard Thomas, and another miniseries, Mistral's Daughter (1984), opposite Stefanie Powers and Stacy Keach. The next year was also a very busy one. He starred in another miniseries, Sins (1986), playing the brother of Joan Collins, and also starred in and narrated the four-hour miniseries Florence Nightingale (1985), opposite Jaclyn Smith. He also starred in The Doctor and the Devils (1985) as Dr. Thomas Rock, with Stephen Rea, Jonathan Pryce and Patrick Stewart.
In the mid-to-late 1980s, Dalton narrated many nature documentaries, most notably several episodes of the UK series Wildlife Chronicles (1987). In the spring of 1986, he teamed with Vanessa Redgrave for another revival of a Shakespeare production, The Taming of the Shrew (1988) and his interpretation of Petrucchio received uniformly high praise. Simultaneously, the world was playing a guessing game as to who would succeed Roger Moore as James Bond. Dalton was approached but was committed to the theater, and so Pierce Brosnan was offered the role. When Brosnan was unable to get out of his Remington Steele (1982) contract at the last minute, Dalton was again approached. Able now to work it into his tight schedule, he agreed. Although his first outing as Bond, The Living Daylights (1987), did reasonably well at the box-office, Licence to Kill (1989) suffered from a lack of marketing that appeared to harm its chances of big box-office success. However, Dalton's interpretation of "Bond" in this film received critical acclaim in some quarters as being the closest to author Ian Fleming's literary "Bond". Back in the theater, he teamed again with Vanessa Redgrave for a revival of Eugene O'Neill's seldom performed play, "A Touch of the Poet", which is considered by some to be his and Redgrave's finest professional collaboration. Although there were talks of bringing the play to Broadway, this never materialized.
Following Licence to Kill (1989), he immediately returned to one of his strengths, costume drama, in The King's Whore (1990). It was followed by his excellent performance in the Disney action adventure The Rocketeer (1991), where he played an Errol Flynn type Nazi agent. In August 1991, he teamed with Whoopi Goldberg for the first biracial interpretation of "Love Letters" for the final sold-out performances of the play in Los Angeles. When he had signed on to do Bond, it was for three pictures, but the rights to the Bond films became entangled in lengthy litigation, delaying production of the third. During this wait, he was set to star in the title role of another historical epic, Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992). However, the film was doomed from the start due to the competition with the Gérard Depardieu "Columbus" picture, which was racked with its own problems. When the director was replaced, Dalton backed out and was followed by his co-star, Isabella Rossellini.
In 1992, he starred in the A&E production Framed (1992), which won a bronze medal in the 1993 New York Film Festival. The next year, he journeyed to northern Alaska and Minnesota to make a documentary on one of his favorite subjects, wolves. In the Company of Whales (1991) went on to win a silver medal in the 1994 New York Film Festival. He kept busy in television through 1993 and 1994. He made Red Eagle (1994), Scarlett (1994) and managed to squeeze in a guest appearance on Tales from the Crypt (1989) in the episode "Werewolf Concerto". In 1994, he took on the role of Rhett Butler in the eight-hour miniseries Scarlett (1994), produced by Robert Halmi Sr. for the Hallmark Hall of Fame. In April of that year, believing he needed to move on to fresh challenges, he officially resigned the role of James Bond, a move which was much regretted by the producers, though they understood his reasons. After two months of negotiations, the role went to Pierce Brosnan.
In September 1994, Dalton was called upon for two readings of "Peter and the Wolf" at the Hollywood Bowl. He played to full-capacity crowds. In November, Scarlett (1994) premiered and, though given only a lukewarm response by critics, it was a ratings success not only in the United States but all over the world, breaking records in many European countries. As always after a major work, Dalton again withdrew quietly and without fanfare to search for his next project, a small, personal film. In the summer of 1995, he journeyed to Canada to shoot Salt Water Moose (1996). The film was made by Canada's Norstar Entertainment and was sold to Halmi to be the first video release in his new line of Hallmark family films. It premiered on Showtime in June 1996.
During the spring of 1996, he made the IRA drama The Informant (1997) in Ireland and, in May, he traveled to Prague to shoot Passion's Way (1999), opposite Sela Ward. On February 7, 1997, the comedy The Beautician and the Beast (1997) co-starring Fran Drescher opened in the United States. He also gleefully parodied his swashbuckling/James Bond image in Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) as a spy playing an actor playing a spy.
In 1995, Dalton began a relationship with Oksana Grigorieva which produced a child in 1997, Dalton's son Alexander. Over the following years, Dalton has been a caring and loving father of his son. Very much a private man, Dalton's pastimes include fishing, reading, jazz, opera, antique fairs and auctions and, of course, movies.- Lynn Davies was born on 20 May 1942 in Nantymoel, Bridgend, Wales, UK.
- Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Marina Diamandis is a Welsh singer-songwriter was born on October 10, 1985, in Brynmawr, Monmouthshire, Wales, known by her stage name 'Marina and the Diamonds', in which, 'Diamonds' refers to her fans, as she clarified. An "indie artist with pop goals", she is often compared to Kate Bush, even though she was not influenced by her during her early years. Rather, she grew up listening to albums by Dolly Parton, Enya and George Michael from her mother's collection. Interestingly, her father was more of a conservative who despised the pop culture and listened to Greek classical songs and to Haris Alexiou. Revealing that Madonna inspired her to be a pop star, she also admitted that she admires pop icons such as Spice Girls, Britney Spears and S Club 7. A 'pop enigma' as she 'never felt like she belonged to the masses', she has still managed to gain a massive cult following among her fans. She is also recognized for her unconventional retro fashion sense, and turned a few heads for subverting "the norm" in her 'How to be a Heartbreaker' music video by wearing more clothes than male models.
While attending Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls, she often skipped singing in the choir, but her music teacher convinced her that she had musical talent. She moved to Greece at the age of 16 to complete her final two years of schooling, and earned an International Baccalaureate from St. Catherine's British Embassy School in Athens two years later. Since she was 9 years old, she wanted to be a performer, and after completing school, she moved to Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, with her mother because it offered the best paid jobs. She worked at a petrol station for two months, taking as many shifts as she could, and moved to London with her saved money to pursue a singing career. In London, she attended a dance school for two months, took a one-year singing course at Tech Music Schools in 2005, and studied music and culture at the University of East London. She then transferred to Middlesex University, where she started taking a musical composition course, but left after three months as she wanted to learn everything first hand.
Marina Diamandis started writing songs at the age 18, even though she was terrified to sing in public. She later started applying for auditions listed in 'The Stage' newspaper, which had a hand in forming the Spice Girls, but stopped auditioning eventually to compose her own music, following the example of Daniel Johnston. In 2007, she independently released her first EP, 'Mermaid vs. Sailor', which she herself produced and composed with the help of GarageBand software. The following year, she was spotted by Derek Davies from Neon Gold Records, which booked her to open for the Australian singer Gotye. She signed a recording deal with 679 Recordings, a subdivision of Warner Music Group, in October 2008. However, her debut single, 'Obsessions', was released from Neon Gold Records on February 14, 2009, followed by her debut EP 'The Crown Jewels', which released on June 1st. Her popularity in the UK skyrocketed after she ranked second on the BBC 'Sound of 2010' poll and was nominated for the 'BRIT Awards' that year, even though both honors went to singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding. She released her next single, 'Mowgli's Road', on November 13, 2009, and in February next year released the track 'Hollywood', which peaked at No.12 on the 'UK Singles Chart'. On February 15, 2010, she released her debut studio album, 'The Family Jewels', which charted at No.5 in the UK. The success of the album helped her sign a deal with Chop Shop Records which released her third EP, 'The American Jewels', in the US on March 23. She release three more singles, 'I Am Not a Robot', 'Oh No!' and 'Shampain', for her debut album in the next few months. To support the album, she toured Europe, North America and Australia during 2010-11, but failed to attract the American audience. In 2011, she opened for American pop icon Katy Perry during her 'California Dreams Tour', along with Swedish artist Robyn. For her next studio album, 'Electra Heart', she depicted stereotypical female archetypes through the eponymous protagonist. The concept album, released on April 27, 2012, portrayed four distinct female personas: 'Teen Idle', 'Primadonna', 'Homewrecker', and 'Housewife'. It became her first chart-topping album in the UK, and peaked at 31 on the US 'Billboard 200' chart. "Froot", the lead single from her eponymous third studio album, released on October 10, 2014. The album, which released on March 13, 2015, became her highest charting album in the US, debuting at No.8 on 'Billboard 200'. She performed the song 'Disconnect' with electronic group Clean Bandit at the 2015 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. It was later revealed that the song would be included in the next studio album she is working on.- Sir Gareth Owen Edwards CBE (born 12 July 1947) is a Welsh former rugby union player who played scrum-half and has been described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey".
In 2003, in a poll of international rugby players conducted by Rugby World magazine, Edwards was declared the greatest player of all time. In 2007, former England captain Will Carling published his list of the '50 Greatest Rugby players' in The Telegraph, and ranked Edwards the greatest player ever, stating; "He was a supreme athlete with supreme skills, the complete package. He played in the 1970s, but, if he played now, he would still be the best. He was outstanding at running, passing, kicking and reading the game. He sits astride the whole of rugby as the ultimate athlete on the pitch". - Huw Edwards was born on 18 August 1961 in Bridgend, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for Skyfall (2012), The Story of Welsh (2003) and Doctor Who (2005). He is married to Vicky Flind. They have five children.
- Producer
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- Director
Welsh born writer/director, in 2003 directed a short film "Samurai Monogatari" telling the tale of a Samurai waiting to be executed. The short was in Japanese language and starred students from Tokyo who were studying at Cardiff University at the time.
In 2003 he also graduated with an MA in Scriptwriting for Film and Television at the University of Glamorgan but it was not until 2006 that he would see his first major production with the self-penned feature "Footsteps". In 2006 the film premiered at the Swansea Bay Film Festival where it was awarded the prize for "Best Film", it has since gone on to receive critical acclaim and is due to be released in the US through extreme cinema label, Unearthed Films in summer 2007.
Currently he is directing a documentary for Christine Hakim Films in Indonesia entitled "The Mystic Arts of Indonesia: Pencak Silat". The documentary is one of a five episode series covering the cultural heritage of Indonesia and is expected to broadcast once the series is complete in 2008.
Following this he is expected to begin work on a second feature in summer 2007.- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Actor
Follett's parents belonged to the Plymouth Brethren, a Protestant sect similar to the Baptists. He was forbidden to watch television, radio or cinema. He showed a strong penchant for literature in his early youth, when he read the works of H.G. at the age of seven. Wells and Ian Flamming discovered for themselves. When he was ten years old, in 1959, his family moved to London, where he finished school. He then studied philosophy at the University of London. This subject was due to his critical curiosity about world religions, in which he hoped to find an explanation that he could understand. Meanwhile, his girlfriend Mary became pregnant, and the couple married at the end of his first semester in 1968.
In 1970 he completed his studies in London with a bachelor's degree (B.A.). He then began his professional life as a reporter and columnist for rock music for the "South Wales Echo"; and his interest in authorship was piqued. At the same time, he completed a three-month journalism course. From 1973 to 1974 he worked as a journalist for the London Evening News. His daughter Marie-Claire was born in the same year. At this time he also began his career as an author with his first short stories and novels. In 1974 he became editor-in-chief and deputy director of the publishing house "Everest Books" in London. At the same time he began to publish his first works, such as "The Big Needle" (1947) and the crime novel "The Modigliani Scandal" (1976). He used pseudonyms such as Simon Myles or Zachary Stone.
In 1978, his spy novel "The Needle" was published, which became a bestseller and brought him international popularity. The book sold around twelve million copies and was awarded the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award and made into a film starring Donald Sutherland. The proceeds enabled Follett to work exclusively as a writer from then on. Follett then moved into a villa in the south of France, where his next successful novel, "Triple" (Triple, 1980), was written. In 1983 Follett moved to Surrey with his family. There he stood out as a supporter of the Labor Party. Here he met Barbara Broer, a member of the British House of Commons, whom he married after his divorce in 1985. The couple settled in Hertfordshire and in Chelsea, London.
In addition to writing, he played bass guitar in the band Damn Right I've Got the Blues. There were more thrillers and in the following years Follett also took on social tasks in various clubs and associations. In 1990 his novel "The Pillars of the Earth" was published, which describes the construction of a cathedral in medieval England and which was made into a four-part television series by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan in 2010. Follett had discovered the genre of historical novels. Through intensive research, he tried to write them as historically correct and detailed as possible. This created detailed past worlds that illuminated all facets of an era and thus opened up well-founded historical impressions. The author himself became one of the most widely read writers of our time.
With the epoch-making trilogy of his "Saga of the Century," he underlined his reputation for research and historical observation. The historical novel "Fall of the Titans", published in 2010, marked the beginning of this. It's about the fate of three families in the 20th century. The aim was to capture the world historical whole and to draw a kind of global literature. "Winter of the World" followed in 2012 and the "Saga of the Century" entitled "Children of Freedom" was completed in 2014.- 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.
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- Producer
Dawn was educated at a weekly boarding school in Plymouth and spent the weekends with her grandparents who lived nearby She never felt at home at the school as it was too posh. She met Jennifer Saunders while training to be a teacher at the Central School of Speech and Drama and became flat mates and started writing together. When the Comedy Store opened they started attending and it was there that she met Lenny Henry who she later married.- Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh football coach and former player. He was most recently the manager of the Wales national team. He is also a co-owner of Salford City. Giggs played his entire professional career for Manchester United and briefly served as the club's interim manager after the sacking of David Moyes in April 2014. Giggs is regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation.
The son of rugby union and Wales international rugby league footballer Danny Wilson, Giggs was born in Cardiff but moved to Manchester at the age of six when his father joined Swinton RLFC. Predominantly a left midfielder, he began his career with Manchester City, but joined Manchester United on his 14th birthday in 1987. He made his professional debut for the club in 1991 and spent the next 23 years in the Manchester United first team. At the end of the 2013-14 season, he was named as Manchester United's interim player-manager following the sacking of David Moyes. He was named as assistant manager under Moyes' permanent replacement, Louis van Gaal, on 19 May 2014; he retired from playing the same day holding the club record for competitive appearances - 963. At international level, Giggs played for the Wales national team 64 times between 1991 and 2007 and was named as the captain of the Great Britain team that competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He is one of only 28 players to have made over 1,000 career appearances.
Giggs is one of the most decorated footballers of all time. During his time at United, he won 13 Premier League winner's medals- more than any other player in history, four FA Cup winner's medals, three League Cup winner's medals, two UEFA Champions League winner's medals, a FIFA Club World Cup winners medal, an Intercontinental Cup winner's medal, a UEFA Super Cup winner's medal and nine FA Community Shield winner's medals. Manchester United and Liverpool are the only clubs in English football history to have won more league championships than Giggs. Giggs captained United on numerous occasions, particularly in the 2007-08 season when regular captain Gary Neville was ruled out with various injuries.
Giggs also has many personal achievements. He was the first player in history to win two consecutive PFA Young Player of the Year awards (1992 and 1993), though he did not win the PFA Player of the Year award until 2009. He was the only player to play in each of the first 22 seasons of the Premier League, as well as the only player to score in each of the first 21 seasons. He was elected into the PFA Team of the Century in 2007, the Premier League Team of the Decade in 2003, as well as the FA Cup Team of the Century. Giggs holds the record for the most assists in Premier League history, with 162. He was named as BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2009. In addition to the many honors Giggs has received within football, he was appointed an OBE in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours List for his services to football. - Julia Gillard was born on 29 September 1961 in Barry, Wales, UK.
- Director
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- Editor
Peter Greenaway trained as a painter and began working as a film editor for the Central Office of Information in 1965. Shortly afterwards he started to make his own films. He has produced a wealth of short and feature-length films, but also paintings, novels and other books. He has held several one-man shows and curated exhibitions at museums world-wide.- Tanni Grey-Thompson was born on 26 July 1969 in Cardiff, Wales, UK. She is an actress, known for Twenty Twelve (2011), Absolutely Fabulous (1992) and Game On: The Unstoppable Rise of Women's Sport (2023). She has been married to Ian Thompson since 1999. They have one child.
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Sound Department
- Additional Crew
Philip Jones Griffiths was born in Wales in 1936. He launched his career as a free-lance writer for Britain's Observer newspaper in 1961. He covering the Algerian war in 1962 before traveling across central Africa.
In a career that took Philip to more than 120 countries, he covered everything from Buddhism in Cambodia, drought in India, poverty in Texas or the legacy of the Gulf war in Kuwait.
From 1966 to 1971, he reported on the Vietnam war, publishing a photojournalism book focused on the suffering of civilians, "Vietnam Inc", which helped turn US public opinion against the conflict.
For a 2003 book, "Agent Orange", he turned his camera upon the impact of the defoliant used by the US military on post-war generations in Vietnam.
Philip Jones Griffiths' work was the subject of a US exhibition in 2005 and 2006 titled "50 years on the Frontline". He died at his home in England, where he had been suffering from cancer.- Michael Heseltine was born on 21 March 1933 in Swansea, Wales, UK. He has been married to Anne Williams since 1962. They have three children.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Mary Hopkin was born in Pontardawe, Wales on 3 May 1950. In her teens she made some modest success as a Welsh folk singer until one day, on 4 May, 1968, one day after her 18th birthday, she appeared on the television talent show Opportunity Knocks (1956), a show which featured talented (and sometimes not-so-talented) up-and-coming show business personalities who competed with one another for audience votes. On her first appearance she was an instant success, singing the folk song 'Turn turn turn'. What followed was one of the most meteoric rises in the history of show business.
While on the show she was spotted by Twiggy (the 60s supermodel and actress), who called Paul McCartney and urged him to audition her, something he did without even hearing her sing, and was invited by him to sign on for the Beatles newly formed Apple label. He arranged and produced her first single, Those Were the Days' (released 31 Aug, 1968) which became an international number one hit and shot her to stardom. In less than a year, her first LP album, 'Postcard', appeared. Over the next four years or so she was unmistakeably one of the great international singing stars. However, in the early seventies her stardom began to wane because of her reluctance to participate in the rock-and-roll craze of that era.- Actor
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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.- Geoffrey Howe was born on 20 December 1926 in Port Talbot, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He was married to Elspeth Howe. He died on 9 October 2015 in Warwickshire, England, UK.
- Mark Hughes was born on 1 November 1963 in Wrexham, Wales, UK.
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John Humphrys was born on 17 August 1943 in Cardiff, Wales, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Ali G Indahouse (2002), Oliver's Travels (1995) and Bodyguard (2018).- Colin Jackson was born on 18 February 1967 in Cardiff, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for Fast Girls (2012), Rachel Stevens: Some Girls (2004) and Cyberzone (1993).
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Karl Jenkins was born on 17 February 1944 in Penclawdd, Wales, UK. He is a music artist and composer, known for River Queen (2005), Hitler's English Accent and The Devil's Men (1976).- Actress
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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.- Roy Jenkins was born on 11 November 1920 in Abersychan, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for On Trial (1960), Reputations (1979) and ATV Today (1964). He was married to Jennifer Morris. He died on 5 January 2003 in East Hendred, Oxfordshire, England, UK.
- Augustus John was born on 4 January 1878 in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. He was married to Nettleship, Ida. He died on 31 October 1961.
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Aled Jones was born in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales, by caesarean section on December 29th 1970. His mother, Nest, was a primary school teacher, his father, Derek, an engineer. He is an only child, and was raised in the tiny village of Llandegfan on the island of Anglesey. Until the age of almost five, he spoke no English whatsoever, speaking Welsh at home with his parents and only learning English as a second language when he started school. Even so, for the first few years, he was educated only in Welsh (even in English lessons), and almost entirely in Welsh for the rest of his school time.
Always a musical child, he showed his remarkable musicality at an early age, singing in various competitions and Eisteddfodau (a common Welsh cultural competition where children and adults compete in various types of performance, including accompanied and unaccompanied singing, recital of poems and dancing) and winning many prizes. At the age of nine, while auditioning for piano lessons with the Master of the Choristers at Bangor Cathedral Choir, Andrew Goodwin, it was suggested that he had a good enough singing voice to make the choir if he wished to do so. Upon consultation with his parents, he decided to join the Bangor Cathedral Choir, and very soon was promoted to lead soloist, singing the majority of solo work within the choir.
In 1983, a lady from the congregation of the Cathedral, after hearing him sing the solo treble in the cantata 'Hear my Prayer', wrote a letter to the local Welsh language record company, suggesting that it would be a tragedy for his voice to break with no record of it, and would they be interested in making a recording of him? The record company, Sain, approached Aled with the offer of a record deal, and his first album, 'Diolch a Chan' was released that same year. Following a good reception, many further albums were made, including 'Ave Maria', 'Voices from the Holy Land' (music from a series of television programs he made for the BBC), 'All Through the Night', 'Christmas Album', 'Pie Jesu', and various compilation albums.
His real breakthrough to international fame came during 1985, when he released a cover version of Raymond Briggs' 'Walking in the Air', which subsequently became a hit and a perennial Christmas favourite, even allowing him a performance on Top of the Pops. Renowned not just as one of the most superb boy sopranos of all time, but a natural musician and a modest, charming boy, Aled's unique and amazing voice brought him attention from all corners of the world, multiple television appearances and contact with a myriad of famous faces, including Princess Diana, Bob Geldorf and Richard Branson, to name just a few.
After his voice broke at the age of sixteen, Aled went on to study voice at the Royal Academy of Music, followed by drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He played several theatre roles, including Joseph in 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat' before, in 2000, he was approached by the BBC, who invited him to become a presenter on the popular religious show 'Songs of Praise'. He accepted, and is still presenting the show today.
Songs of Praise also marked the beginning of a new era for Aled, with the launching of his new adult voice for the first time in public. Due to the demand of the public, he found himself singing more and more songs on the series, and this eventually lead to him releasing 'Aled', his first real album with his new, mature baritone voice. Since then, he has released more albums, among them 'Higher' and 'The Christmas Album', and has received much acclaim as one of the most gifted and naturally musical singers in the world. He continues to be known, not just for his magnificent voice, but for his natural warmth, humour, modesty and charm, which have all earned him a host of loyal fans and respectful colleagues.- Alex Jones was born on 18 March 1977 in Ammanford, Carmarthen, Wales, UK. She is an actress, known for Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016), Ten Percent (2022) and The Life of Rock with Brian Pern (2014). She has been married to Charlie Thomson since 31 December 2015. They have one child.
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Gwyneth Jones was born on 7 November 1936 in Pontnewynydd, Wales, UK. She is an actress, known for Quartet (2012), Der Ring des Nibelungen (1980) and Fidelio (1970).- Jade Jones was born on 21 March 1993 in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, Wales, UK.
- 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).
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Terry Jones was born in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, the son of Dilys Louisa (Newnes), a homemaker, and Alick George Parry Jones, a bank clerk. His older brother is production designer Nigel Jones. His grandparents were involved in the entertainment business, having managed the local Amateur Operatic Society and staged Gilbert and Sullivan concerts. Jones studied at St. Edmund Hall College, Oxford University, read English but graduated with a degree in History. He was variously captain of boxing, captain of the Rugby Team and School Captain. At about this time, he befriended Michael Palin. Both performed comedy together as part of the Oxford Revue. In 1965, he again partnered Palin in The Late Show (1966) and worked in the dual capacity of writer/actor on Do Not Adjust Your Set (1967) with Palin, Eric Idle and David Jason. Another noteworthy television credit was Complete and Utter History of Britain (1969) (again with Palin) in which fun was poked at famous historical personae, Jones essaying Oliver Cromwell, Sir Walter Raleigh and Henry VIII (among others).
Needless to say that Jones found his greatest success as a founding member of the anarchic and irreverent Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969), along with Palin, Idle, Graham Chapman, John Cleese and Terry Gilliam. Jones not only provided much of the written comic input, but also portrayed many of the classic characters: the implausibly obese Mr. Creosote in The Meaning of Life (1983) (who explodes after one more little wafer), the inept Detective Superintendent Harry "Snapper" Organs in the Piranha Brothers sketch (a take on the Kray Twins), the tobacconist in the Dirty Hungarian Phrasebook sketch and numerous assorted shrill-voiced, slovenly 'rat-bag women' (Mrs. Equator comes to mind).
The Pythons were unconventional, controversial, certainly groundbreaking and invariably inspired, at their best in their unrelenting satirical attacks on established British institutions, ruling hierarchies and the class structure. Jones later said "The thing is we never thought Python was a success when it was actually happening, it was only with the benefit of hindsight". In addition to writing and acting, Jones also co-directed Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) (with Terry Gilliam) and took solo directing credit for Life of Brian (1979) and The Meaning of Life. Post-Python, he rejoined Palin as co-writer for some of the very best episodes of Ripping Yarns (1976), including Whinfrey's Last Case, Tompkinson's Schooldays, Murder at Moorstone Manor, The Curse of the Claw and The Testing of Eric Oldthwaite. Jones later scripted Labyrinth (1986) from a story by Jim Henson and Dennis Lee and wrote, as well as directed, Erik the Viking (1989) and Absolutely Anything (2015), a science fiction comedy with Simon Pegg and Kate Beckinsale.
On a more serious note, Jones sidelined as a newspaper columnist and was an outspoken social and political commentator (a staunch critic of the Iraq War). His lifelong fascination with medieval and ancient history (and Geoffrey Chaucer in particular) led to presenting a series of television documentaries (Medieval Lives (2004) and Barbarians (2006))) as well as publishing several well researched, if sometimes controversial, books including Chaucer's Knight: The Portrait of a Medieval Mercenary and Who Murdered Chaucer?: A Medieval Mystery.
Jones died at the age of 77 on 21 January 2020 from complications of dementia, at his home in Highgate, North London.- Music Artist
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Tom Jones was born Thomas Jones Woodward in Pontypridd, South Wales, to a traditional coal-mining family, the son of Freda (Jones) and Thomas Woodward. His father was of English descent and his mother was of Welsh and English ancestry. He began singing at an early age in church and in the school choir. Left school at 16 and was married, having a son a year later. He brought in money for his family from an assortment of jobs, singing in pubs at night. By 1963, he was playing regularly with his own group in the demanding atmosphere of working mens clubs. Gordon Mills, a performer who had branched out into songwriting and management went to see him. He became his manager and landed him a record contract in 1964. They made a great team and had huge international success with their second single, a song penned by Mr Mills -- "It's Not Unusual." An avalanche of gold singles and albums followed. Mr Jones, a vocal powerhouse, has sustained his popularity for over three decades, and his recordings have spanned the spectrum of musical styles.- Neil Kinnock was born on 28 March 1942 in Tredegar, Gwent [now Blaenau, Gwent], Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for Drop the Dead Donkey (1990), Tracey Ullman: My Guy (1984) and That's Television Entertainment (1986). He was previously married to Glenys Kinnock.
- T.E. Lawrence was born on 16 August 1888 in Tremadoc, Caernarvonshire, Wales, UK. He was a writer, known for Sabaton: Seven Pillars of Wisdom (2019), With Lawrence in Arabia (1927) and T. E. Lawrence 1888-1935 (1962). He died on 19 May 1935 in Clouds Hill, Dorset, England, UK.
- Saunders Lewis was a Welsh nationalist, author, critic and playwright. On 20 January, 1937, Lewis and two others were sentenced to nine months imprisonment for arson. Lewis, then president of the Welsh Nationalist Party (Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru) and lecturer at Swansea University, along with Rev. Lewis Edward Valentine, pastor of the Llandudno Welsh Baptist Church and David John Williams, senior schoolmaster at Fishguard County School had in protest set fire to a structure on a RAF base at Pwllheli, Caernarfonshire, Wales. They felt the recently built RAF base "was an immoral violation of the sure and natural rights of the Welsh people". After setting the blaze, the trio informed the police what they had done and turned themselves in. Lewis, who during the First World War served as an officer with the South Wales Borderers, remained neutral throughout the Second World War. Though considered one of the leading Welsh political figures of the Twentieth Century, Lewis will probably be best remembered for his literary legacy. His first play, "Blodeuwedd" ("The woman of flowers") opened in 1923. His play "Buchedd Garmon" ("The life of Germanus") was broadcast on the BBC in 1937. Later plays like "Siwan" (1956), "Brad" ("Treachery") (1958) and "Esther "(1960) would establish his reputation as a poet and a philosopher. Lewis wrote two novels, "Monica" in 1930 and "Merch Gwern Hywel" ("The daughter of Gwern Hywel") in 1964. These works along with many others garnished him a nomination for the 1970 Nobel Prize for Literature.
- David Lloyd George was born on 17 January 1863 in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, England, UK. He was a writer, known for The First World War (2003), Hearst-Selig News Pictorial, No. 26 (1915) and Pathé News, No. 24 (1915). He was married to Frances Stevenson and Mrs. Lloyd George. He died on 26 March 1945 in Ty Newydd, Llanystumdwy, Gwynedd, Wales, UK.
- Megan Lloyd George was born on 22 April 1902 in Criccieth, Carmarthenshire, Wales, UK. She died on 14 May 1966 in Criccieth, Carmarthenshire, Wales, UK.
- Additional Crew
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Dedicated and professional with a fantastic sense of humor, Gabby is one of the UK's leading broadcasters. A former international gymnast, Gabby began her broadcasting career in radio in 1992 and joined Sky Sports in 1996 where she quickly established herself as one of their key presenters. In 2004 Gabby hosted Sport Relief for the BBC before joining the corporation in 2007. While at the BBC Gabby has presented 'The Final Score', 'Inside Sport', 'Invictus Games', 'MOTD Six Nations', 'The Olympic Journey', 'The One Show', 'Inspire: The Premiere League Show', 'The World Swimming Championships', and 'Women's Football', making her one of the network's most integral faces. She was also a key member of the BBC's presenting team for the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, 2014 Brazil World Cup, 2018 Russia World Cup, and the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. She also hosted a live daily show, 'Live With Gabby', on Channel 5. In 2013 Gabby presented 'I Love My Country', a primetime patriotic quiz show for BBC1, along with the celebrity diving show 'Splash!' on ITV with Vernon Kay and Tom Daley. That year also saw her presenting 'Sport Relief' from the Olympic Park as well as hosting the BBC's first ever 'Sports Prom'. A prolific writer, she's been a columnist for The Times and has previously written for The Independent, The Guardian, Glamour, and Stylist Magazine. Currently a patron of the Disabilities Trust, Prince's Trust and Great Ormond Street, Sparks Gabby, and the President of MDUK.- Arthur Machen was born on 3 March 1863 in Caerleon, Wales, UK. He was a writer, known for Hill of Dreams. He was married to Dorothie Purefoy Hudleston and Amelia Hogg. He died on 30 March 1947 in England, UK.
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Manic Street Preachers is known for Sweet Sixteen (2002), Dirty Weekend (1993) and Anatomy 2 (2003).- Actress
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Cerys Matthews was born on 11 April 1969 in Cardiff, Wales, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for Very Annie Mary (2001), Looking for Alibrandi (2000) and L.A. Without a Map (1998). She was previously married to Seth Riddle.- Additional Crew
Richard Meade was born on 4 December 1938 in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He is known for International Velvet (1978), It's a Knockout (1966) and A Question of Sport (1970). He was married to Angela Dorothy Farquhar. He died on 8 January 2015 in West Littleton, Gloucestershire, England, UK.- To anyone even remotely interested in football, the name of Billy Meredith is legendary; he was truly one of the greatest players of his era. His career was spent between both Manchester clubs for whom he played thirty-five years of League football, between 1894 and 1924. He also played forty-eight games for his national team Wales over a thirty-five year period, winning his first cap in 1895. Meredith firmly believed in players' rights and throughout his career he held the view that they should be allowed to move from club to club. He also helped to form the players' union, and was responsible for a strike as the union went into dispute with the F.A.
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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.- Producer
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Cliff Morgan was born on 7 April 1930 in Trebanog, Wales, UK. He was a producer and editor, known for Sportsview (1954), This Week (1956) and All Your Own (1952). He died on 29 August 2013 in Isle of Wight, England, UK.- Rhodri Morgan was born on 29 September 1939 in Cardiff, Wales, UK. He was married to Julie Morgan. He died on 17 May 2017 in Wales, UK.
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While his special gifts seemed to lie in music and composing, the dapper, multi-talented Welsh actor Ivor Novello (ne David Ivor Davies), with his leading-man good looks, had a strong affinity for the camera.
Born in Cardiff, Wales, in 1893, he was the son of a tax-collector father and a well-known singing teacher mother. His prodigious musical skills were evident fairly early. Trained at the Magdalen College Choir School on a soprano scholarship, he soon began writing songs under the name Ivor Novello. In his overall career, Novello would write over 250 songs, a large percentage of them uplifting, touchingly sentimental and war-inspired morale boosters. He moved with his family to London in 1914, and became an overnight celebrity after composing the patriotic World War I standard "Keep the Home Fires Burning," which was introduced much later in the film The Lost Squadron (1932).
Novello then switched to pursue acting and debuted with a role in The Call of the Blood (1921) [The Call of the Blood], a French romantic melodrama which earned him promising notices. Other roles that ensured his status as a screen idol followed, including The Man Without Desire (1923), which he produced. He wrote and appeared in the successful 1924 play "The Rat," which transferred quite well to film the following year (The Rat (1925)). This also inspired two sequels -- The Triumph of the Rat (1926) and The Return of the Rat (1929).
The actor's film peak occurred headlining two of Alfred Hitchcock's early suspense thrillers, serving as the put-upon protagonist in both the silent classic The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927) and the lesser-received Downhill (1927). Novello had a fine, well-modulated speaking voice that transferred easily to talkies. Into the 1930s, he wrote and starred in Symphony in Two Flats (1930) and went on to remake The Phantom Fiend (1932) successfully. During this time he also wrote the dialogue for Tarzan the Ape Man (1932), the first of the jungle series to star Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan. Novello's last film was Autumn Crocus (1934), after which he decided to devote himself full time to music and theater.
He went on to earn rave reviews for his opulent, romantically melodramatic stagings of "Glamorous Night" (1935), "The Dancing Years" (1939) and "Perchance to Dream" (1945). He wrote eight musicals in all and appeared in six of them, all of them non-singing parts.
His longtime companion of 35 years, actor Robert Andrews, was with Novello when Novello died suddenly on March 6, 1951 of a coronary thrombosis only hours after performing in his own play "The King's Rhapsody." Hugely popular in his time (though virtually unknown in America), Novello's lasting influence on film, theater and especially music cannot be denied.- Actress
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Welsh-born stage veteran Dame Siân Phillips is forever identified on television as the tarantula mother/empress Livia in the classic BBC miniseries I, Claudius (1976) (for which she won a BAFTA-TV award), and as the Reverend Mother in the science fiction epic film Dune (1984). Her broad range of roles went from endearing to downright deadly.
She was born Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips on May 14, 1933, in Wales, to Sally (Thomas), a teacher, and David Phillips, a steelworker and policeman. Brought brought up bilingual in both English and Welsh, she performed on the Welsh radio station at age 11. She toured extensively for the Arts Council in Wales in original Welsh plays and in translations from the English classics before becoming an award-winning television actress in her late teens.
Siân attended the University of Wales and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), making her London debut in the title role of "Hedda Gabler" (1957). After a brief marriage, she met and married actor Peter O'Toole in 1959 and appeared frequently with him on stage, including "Ride a Cock Horse" (1965) and "Man and Superman" (1965), and in the movies Becket (1964), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) (which earned her a National Society of Film Critics award and a Golden Globe Award nomination for "Best Supporting Actress"), Murphy's War (1971) and Under Milk Wood (1971). They had two daughters, actresses Kate O'Toole and Pat O'Toole.
While her husky resonant voice served her well as an announcer, newsreader and narrator at different stages of her career, her severely chiseled looks and arch, regal bearing entitled her to perform some of the more notable classics, with critically-acclaimed turns in "Saint Joan", "The Taming of the Shrew" and "The Duchess of Malfi", being just a few. Siân's occasional patricians have also graced such well-mounted films as Young Cassidy (1965), Nijinsky (1980) and The Age of Innocence (1993).
After 20 years of marriage, Siân divorced O'Toole, known for his carousing and hard-living ways. She quickly remarried a much younger actor, Britisher Robin Sachs, but they too would divorce in 1991. Despite her personal turmoil, she continued to delve into her stage work, beginning a new phase of her career in musicals. Her participation in such productions as "Pal Joey" (her musical debut), "Gigi" and "A Little Night Music" ultimately led to her acclaimed one-woman cabaret show "Marlene", a tribute to legendary Marlene Dietrich, which opened to rave reviews in London in 1997. Two years later, she won a Tony Award nomination for this role on Broadway.
Over the years, Siân has distinguished herself regularly in such quality miniseries as Oresteia (1979), Crime and Punishment (1979), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979), Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981) (as Clementine Churchill), Smiley's People (1982) (as Lady Smiley), The Two Mrs. Grenvilles (1987) (as the Duchess of Windsor), A Killing on the Exchange (1987), The Snow Spider (1988), The Chestnut Soldier (1991), The Borrowers (1992) and its sequel The Return of the Borrowers (1993) (as Mrs. Driver) and Aristocrats (1999).
She has continued to work into the millennium with elderly roles on stage with "My Old Lady", "Calendar Girls", "Crossing Borders" (a cabaret show), "Les Liaisons Dangereuses", "The Importance of Being Earnest", "Playing for Time" and "Les Blancs", while in movies she appeared in The Gigolos (2006), Love Song (2012), Miss Dalí (2018), Be Happy! (2019), Dream Horse (2020) and was the narrator and grandmother in a rather radical retelling, animated version of A Christmas Carol (2020). Siân was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire at the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours for her services to drama. She was also awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire at the 2016 Queen's New Years Honours for her services to drama.- John Prescott was born on 31 May 1938 in Prestatyn, Denbighshire, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for Gavin & Stacey (2007), The Cars That Made Britain Great (2016) and One Rogue Reporter (2014). He has been married to Pauline Prescott since 11 November 1961. They have two children.
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Jonathan Pryce was born on 1 June 1947 in Holywell, Flintshire, Wales, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for The Two Popes (2019), The Wife (2017) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). He has been married to Kate Fahy since April 2015. They have three children.- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mary Quant was born on 11 February 1930 in Blackheath, London, England, UK. She is known for The Haunting (1963), Two for the Road (1967) and Georgy Girl (1966). She was married to Alexander Plunket Greene. She died on 13 April 2023 in Farley Green, Surrey, England, UK.- Ray Reardon was born on 8 October 1932 in Tredegar, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK.
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Gruff Rhys was born on 18 July 1970 in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. He is a composer and director, known for Set Fire to the Stars (2014), American Interior (2014) and The Social Network (2010).- Actress
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Beautiful, swift and tough-tongued British character actress Rachel Roberts gained notice for her roles on the English stage, before she hit it largely in films. Born in Wales and married to actor Rex Harrison in 1962, Roberts made her film debut in a key role in J. Lee Thompson's Young and Willing (1954) a drama film about the life of women in prison. Around the early sixties, it wasn't uncommon to see a British actress in feature films, usually such an actress would remain on the British screen for such time, but Roberts continued going strong, she's hard to forget as the cankerous housewife in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960).
After her divorce from Rex Harrison in 1971, Roberts continued such supporting roles usually as tough authority women characters or villainous beauties in films including Doctors' Wives (1971), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), Foul Play (1978), When a Stranger Calls (1979) and Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981). Although never far from the screen, she was occasionally seen on television, such as Mrs. Bonnie McClellan in the 1976 series The Tony Randall Show (1976). She probably achieved her greatest success as Richard Harris's love interest in the film This Sporting Life (1963) which earned her an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress. Rachel Roberts committed suicide in November of 1980 of a "barbiturate overdose" at her home in Studio City, California. Roberts was only 53 years old.- Ian Rush was born on 20 October 1961 in Flint, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for Offside (2006), Hustle (2004) and Renford Rejects (1998). He has been married to Tracy Evans since 3 July 1987. They have two children.
- Bertrand Russell was born on 18 May 1872 in Ravenscroft, Trelleck, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was a writer, known for Reductio: Adventures in Ideas (2019), Filosofix (2018) and Aman (1967). He was married to Edith Finch, Patricia Spence, Dora Russell and Alys Pearsall. He died on 2 February 1970 in Penrhyndeudraeth, Merioneth, Wales, UK.
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Harry Secombe was one of Britain's best loved comic entertainers. Born in Swansea, South Wales he began singing as a child in local church choirs. His first job was as a clerk although he had considered a career in opera. During World War Two he served in the Army in North Africa and Italy. He met the comedian Spike Milligan while on duty in the Western desert and their common bond was a unique brand of humour. Secombe appeared in many troop concerts where he was known for his trademark high pitched laugh and blowing raspberries. After the war he appeared as a comic at London's famous Windmill Theatre and in 1945 became one of the stalwarts of the hugely successful radio series Educating Archie. His greatest popularity began in 1951 with the birth of radio's Crazy People, later to be renamed The Goon Show. One of the most famous radio comedy programmes of all time it helped launch the careers of Secombe, Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and Michael Bentine.
Whilst the Goon Show was in its prime the comedy team made several films associated with the series including Down Among the Z Men (1952) and in 1955 Secombe had his own TV show, The Harry Secombe Show. His other popular TV shows, often written by Marty Feldman and Barry Cryer, included Secombe and Friends (1966) and Have a Harry Christmas (1977). On stage he had a long running success with Leslie Bricusse's Pickwick (1963) and he revived the show in the 1980s.
His most notable film work began with Davy (1957) in which he played a music hall performer who auditions for an opera at Convent Garden. It was meant as a star vehicle for him but was not a box office success. International audiences became familiar with him when he played Mr Bumble, the beadle in Oliver! (1968) and films such as The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins (1971) and Starstruck (1972).
Knighted in 1981 and much slimmed down after a serious attack of peritonitis, he continued to appear in concerts and on television as well as writing several volumes of autobiography. He toured Australia and in 1983 became the host of Highway, a weekly TV religious programme. This was Secombe toned down, far from his rollicking past and with no jokes, but it gave him a chance to sing seriously. The show ran for nearly ten years.
Ill health continually dogged the comedian in his final years and he battled with cancer and a severe stroke. He continued to appear on television, notably narrating D Day - The Official Story (1994) and presenting Top Ten Comedy Records (2000).- Actor
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Even though he had burned up the London stage for nearly a decade--and appeared in several films--Michael Sheen was not really "discovered" by American audiences until his critically-acclaimed turn as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the 1999 Broadway revival of "Amadeus".
Sheen was born in Newport, Wales, the only son of Irene (Thomas) and Meyrick Sheen. The charming, curly-haired actor grew up a middle-class boy in the working-class town of Port Talbot, Wales. Although his parents worked in personnel, they shared with their son a deep appreciation for acting, with Meyrick Sheen enjoying some success later in life as a Jack Nicholson impersonator.
As a young man, Michael Sheen turned down the opportunity to pursue a possible professional football career, opting to follow in the footsteps of Daniel Day-Lewis and Patrick Stewart by attending the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School instead of university. In his second year, he won the coveted Laurence Olivier Bursary for consistently outstanding performances. While Sheen was still studying, he landed a pivotal role opposite stage legend Vanessa Redgrave in Martin Sherman's "When She Danced" (1991). He left school early to make his West End debut and has been dazzling audiences and critics with his intense and passionate performances ever since. Among his most memorable roles were "Romeo" in "Romeo and Juliet", the title role in Yukio Ninagawa's 1994 Royal Shakespeare Company's staging of "Peer Gynt" and "Jimmy Porter" both in a 1994 regional staging in a 1999 London revival of "Look Back in Anger". A critic from the London Times panned the multimedia production of "Peer Gynt", but praised Sheen for his ability to express "astonishing vitality despite lifeless direction". Referring to Sheen's performance in "Look Back in Anger", Susannah Clapp of The Observer hailed him for his "luminous quality" and ability to be goaded and fiery and defensive all at the same time. Sheen also managed to set critics' tongues wagging with a deft performance in the role of "Henry V", not a part traditionally given to a slight, boyish-looking actor. One writer raved: "Sheen, volatile and responsive in an excellent performance, showed us the exhilaration of power and conquest".
In 1993, Sheen joined the troupe "Cheek By Jowl" and was nominated for the Ian Charleson Award for his performance in "Don't Fool with Love". That same year, he excelled as a mentally unstable man who becomes enmeshed in a kidnapping plot in Mystery!: Gallowglass (1993), a three-part BBC serial that aired in the USA on PBS' "Mystery!" in 1995. The actor nabbed his first feature film role in 1994, playing Dr. Jekyll's footman in Mary Reilly (1996) opposite John Malkovich and Julia Roberts, but that film did not make it into theaters until 1996, a year after Sheen's second movie, Othello (1995), was filmed and released. Perhaps his most memorable big screen role at that point, however, was "Robert Ross", Oscar Wilde's erstwhile lover, in the 1997 biopic Wilde (1997). He would also be seen in the Brit road film Heartlands (2002) opposite Mark Addy.
Hot off the success of "Amadeus", Sheen began racking up even more notable big screen credits, starring opposite Heath Ledger, Wes Bentley and Kate Hudson in The Four Feathers (2002) and landing a major role opposite Kate Beckinsale in the action-horror blockbuster Underworld (2003), along with supporting turns in Bright Young Things (2003), Timeline (2003) and as British Prime Minister Tony Blair in director Stephen Frears' film The Queen (2006). Next, Sheen grabbed good notices played a divorce-embattled rock star, stealing scenes from Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore in the romantic comedy Laws of Attraction (2004).
Back on the stage, the actor earned raves for his performance as "Caligula" in London, for which he won the Evening Standard Award and Critics Circle Award for Best Actor, along with a nomination for the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award.- Neville Southall was born on 16 September 1958 in Llandudno, Carnarvonshire, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for Dream Team (1997), Kevin Moran: Codebreaker (2023) and Match of the Day (1964).
- Welsh explorer and travel writer Henry Morton Stanley was born John Rowlands (he may have been illegitimate). His father died when he was 2; his mother, a butcher's daughter, went into service in London and then married, and did not want him. Stanley's paternal grandfather, a prosperous farmer, refused to care for him. For a while his mother's brothers boarded him out, then they stopped paying for him and he was taken, at 6, to the workhouse at St. Asaph, where he remained until 1856, when he was 15. The schoolmaster there was a savage brute, afterward adjudged insane, and the boy's life was one long series of torture, in the midst of which somehow he gained an elementary education. At last he beat his tormentor, and ran away.
For a while, a cousin at Brynford employed him as a pupil teacher in a National School, and after school he studied languages and mathematics. For several years, he went from one town and one poor and unwelcoming relative after another, working odd jobs. In 1859 he went to sea as a cabin boy, without pay, on a boat going to New Orleans. A kind-hearted cotton broker, Henry Stanley, picked him up, starving, on the street, cared for him and adopted him. The boy took his benefactor's name. The next year Stanley sent him to his farm in Arkansas, to take charge of the store there. Then he died suddenly, without having made any provision for his adopted son. Young Stanley found himself stranded, and the Civil War had begun. Though his sympathies were with the Union, he enlisted as a Confederate, was taken prisoner at Shiloh, and was released from Camp Douglas, Chicago, by re-enlisting on the other side (a very discreditable, though fairly common at the time, action, which he never entirely lived down). His turncoat tactics proved unnecessary; he contracted dysentery, was discharged from the army and, sick and penniless, worked his way from Harper's Ferry, Virginia, back to Wales. Once more his relatives threw him out, and he became a sailor.
In 1864 he enlisted in the United States Navy as a ship's writer. With this experience he became a wandering news correspondent in the western United States. He made and saved money, and in 1866 was able to travel to Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) with a friend. The next year a Missouri newspaper sent him to report on General Winfield Hancock's Indian expedition. In 1868 he joined the staff of the New York Herald, which sent him to Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia) to report on the war there. The rest of Stanley's life belongs to Africa, where he felt he had a "mission". In 1869 James Gordon Bennett Jr., the publisher of the New York Herald, decided to send a reporter to Africa in search for David Livingstone, who was last heard of six years previously. On November 24, 1871, Stanley reached Ujiji (on the shores of Lake Tanganyika) and found Livingstone, weak from illness and barely alive. Despite his condition, Livingstone refused to return to England with Stanley, and died 17 months later.
For the Herald he also covered the Ashanti War in 1873. He made three more African explorations, in Equatorial Africa from 1874 to 1877, in the Congo (for King Leopold II of Belgium) from 1878 to 1884 and in the Sudan from 1885 to 1888. In 15 years, without an army, as a private civilian, he added about 2,000,000 square miles for the British Empire, and he cannot be held responsible for the horrendous atrocities later committed by the Belgians during their ownership and exploitation of the Congo Free State. The controversies arising from the Livingstone expedition gradually died down, though they (and his quick and harsh temper) retarded any bestowal of honors on him. In the 1890s he made a lecture tour in the United States and Australasia. He abandoned his American citizenship, was re-naturalized in England and from 1895-1900 was a member of Parliament. In 1897 he made his last journey, to South Africa, just before the Boer War. He was finally knighted in 1899. He suffered a stroke four years later, and died the following spring. - Music Artist
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Shakin' Stevens was born on 4 March 1948 in Cardiff, Wales, UK. He is a music artist and actor, known for Filth (2013), Ashes to Ashes (2008) and Coronation Street (1960). He was previously married to Carole Dunn.- Actor
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Steve Strange was born on 28 May 1959 in Porthcawl, South Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for Laurence Anyways (2012), Urban Cowboy (1980) and Hittimittari (1984). He died on 12 February 2015 in Sharm El Sheikh International Hospital, Sharm el-Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt.- Actor
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Born November 9, 1965 in Pant Glas, Caernarfonshire, Wales as Bryn Terfel Jones, he is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was born as a child of a farmer and displayed a talent for music from a very young age. He entered the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1984 and graduated five years later, winning a number of singing awards along the way. He debuted in 1990 at the Welsh National Opera as as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte and a year later he debuted at the English National Opera as Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro. 1992 marked his concert debut when he sung Mahler's Eighth Symphony at the Ravinia Festival. He went on to sing at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, the Santa Fe Opera, the Royal Opera House, the Vienna State Opera, La Scala, and many other stages. By the mid-1990s, he expanded his repertoire to include more serious operatic works, focusing more on Wagner and Puccini. Taking a break from the opera, in 2007 he appeared in a concert version of Sweeney Todd; he also recorded several albums of popular music. In 2014 he reprised the role of Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - In Concert with the New York Philharmonic (2014). He continues to sing opera on various stages and regularly releases albums. He was married to Lesley Jones from 1987 to 2013, they have three sons. Since 2019 he's been married to harpist Hannah Stone, they have a daughter.- Writer
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Dylan Thomas was born at the start of the First World War in the "ugly, lovely town" of Swansea, an industrial, coastal town on the South Wales Coast. He published his first volume of poetry, "Eighteen poems" in 1934 and went on to write many more volumes of poetry as well as many short stories, filmscripts, broadcast stories and talks. His work is mainly known for the darkly brooding Welsh Puritanism contrasting with the strong emotions and sensuality. Although regarded as a "Classic Welsh writer," he never spoke Welsh. He is best known for the poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" and the wonderful "Under Milk Wood." The latter was broadcast by the BBC with the subtitle "A play for voices" and, although people have since attempted films and plays, none are as successful as the simple radio version.- Geraint Thomas was born on 25 May 1986 in Cardiff, Wales, UK.
- Gwyn Thomas was born on 6 July 1913 in Cymer, Porth, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He was a writer, known for Sporting Scenes (1973), Festival (1963) and Thirty Minute Theatre (1961). He was married to Eiluned Williams. He died on 14 April 1981 in Cardiff, Wales, UK.
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Born on June 8, 1951 in Skewen, Neath, Wales. She first came to prominence in 1976 with the song, "Lost in France", which made the UK top 10. Following a throat operation, she inadvertently developed her distinct singing voice. She had a transatlantic top 5 hit with "It's a Heartache" in 1978.
She hit the big time when she became the first Welsh singer to have a transatlantic #1 hit with Jim Steinman's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (1983), for which she was Grammy nominated. The accompanying album "Faster than the Speed of Night" also entered the UK Album chart at #1.
She has found it hard to repeat the success, but recorded "Holding Out for a Hero" (US #34/UK #2) in 1985 from the Footloose (1984) soundtrack. In 2004 she recorded the Total Eclipse song in French, and it went to #1 in France!
She remains active in the music industry having toured all over the world, including with the singer Meat Loaf, and performed at Michael Douglas & Catherine Zeta-Jones' wedding. Also, she has become a successful business woman.- Writer
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Sarah Waters was born in 1966 in Neyland, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. She is a writer and actress, known for The Handmaiden (2016), The Little Stranger (2018) and Fingersmith (2005).- Simon Weston was born in 1961 in Nelson, Glamorganshire, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for Henry Maybury: You're Beautiful (2015), Zed & Stan's Random Adventures (2011) and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (1998). He is married to Lucy. They have three children.
- Jimmy Wilde was born on 15 May 1892 in Tylorstown, Glamorganshire, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for A Pit-boy's Romance (1917) and Excuse My Glove (1936). He died on 10 March 1969 in Cardiff, Wales, UK.
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Grace Williams was born on 19 February 1906 in Barry, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. She was a composer, known for Blue Scar (1949), A Story of Achievement (1951) and David (1952). She died on 10 February 1977 in Barry, Glamorgan, Wales, UK.- Gwyn Alf Williams was a writer, known for The Dragon Has Two Tongues: A History of the Welsh (1985) and Excalibur: The Search for Arthur (1995). He died on 16 November 1995 in Dyfed, Wales, UK.
- Rugby star full-back who played for the London Welsh, Bridgend and Barbarians. He captained Wales and Bridgend, winning 55 caps for Wales. He became known as JPR to distinguish him from Wales team-mate John 'JJ' Williams. He showed great promise as a teenaged tennis player, but rugby union won out. He combined this with a career in medicine, studying at St Mary's Hospital Medical School, London and qualifying as an orthopedic surgeon.
- Mark Williams was born on 21 March 1975 in Ebbw Vale, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for The Tuckers (2020), Masters Snooker (1975) and Snooker: Coral Welsh Open (2009). He is married to Joanne Dent. They have three children.
- Raymond Williams was born on 31 August 1921 in Pandy, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was a writer, known for Thirty-Minute Theatre (1965), The Wednesday Play (1964) and Looking at Drama (1969). He was married to Joy Dalling. He died on 26 January 1988 in Saffron Walden, Essex, England, UK.
- Rowan Williams was born on 14 June 1950 in Swansea, Wales, UK. He is a writer, known for The Sunday Programme (1994), The Diamond Queen (2012) and Songs of Praise (1961).
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Sian Williams was born on 28 November 1964 in Paddington, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Doctor Who (2005), Taking the Flak (2009) and M.I.High (2007). She has been married to Paul Woolwich since 2006. They have two children. She was previously married to Neale Hunt.- Leanne Wood was born on 13 December 1971 in Rhondda, Glamorgan, Wales, UK.