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1-15 of 15
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
White-haired London-born character actor, a familiar face in Hollywood for more than five decades. He was born George William Crisp, the youngest of ten siblings, to working class parents James Crisp and his wife Elizabeth (nee Christy). Despite his humble beginnings, Donald was educated at Oxford University. He saw action with the 10th Hussars of the British Army at Kimberley and Ladysmith during the Boer War and subsequently moved to the United States to begin a new life as an actor.
Arriving in New York in 1906 he began as a singer in Grand Opera with the company of impresario John C. Fisher. By 1910, he had climbed his way up the ladder to become stage manager for George M. Cohan. He was a member of D.W. Griffith's original stock company in the early days of the film industry, beginning with Biograph in New Jersey and featured in The Birth of a Nation (1915) (as General Ulysses S. Grant), Intolerance (1916) and Broken Blossoms (1919). He later joined Famous Players Lasky (subsequently Paramount) and turned with some success to directing in the 1920s, on occasion also appearing in his films (as for example in Don Q Son of Zorro (1925), as Don Sebastian). By the early 30s, Crisp concentrated exclusively on acting and became one of the more prolific Hollywood character players on the scene. Though he was actually a cockney, he -- for unknown reasons -- invented a Scottish ancestry for himself early on, claiming that he was born in Aberfeldy and affected a Scottish accent throughout his career. Crisp's particular stock-in-trade types were crusty or benevolent patriarchs, stern military officers, doctors and judges. He had lengthy stints under contract at Warner Brothers (1935-42) and MGM (1943-51) with an impressive list of A-grade output to his credit: Burkitt in Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), Colonel Campbell in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), Maitre Labori in The Life of Emile Zola (1937), Phipps in The Dawn Patrol (1938), General Bazaine in Juarez (1939), Francis Bacon in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) and Sir John Burleson in The Sea Hawk (1940). He is perhaps most fondly remembered as the famous canine's original owner in Lassie Come Home (1943), Elizabeth Taylor's dad Mr. Brown in National Velvet (1944), and, above all, as the head of a Welsh mining family in How Green Was My Valley (1941) (the role which won him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor). In a less sympathetic vein, Crisp gave a sterling performance as a ruthless tobacco planter in the underrated Gary Cooper drama Bright Leaf (1950).
Donald Crisp died in May 1974 in Van Nuys, California, at the age of 91. He is commemorated by a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Vine Street.- This robust, somber-looking actor carved out a niche on screen as tough or menacing characters. Lee Montague was born of Jewish ancestry as Leonard Goldberg in Bow, East London. He trained for acting at the Old Vic Theatre School and began on stage there in 1950 before headlining on Broadway just two years later as the troubled youth Gregory Hawke in Moss Hart 's play The Climate of Eden. Montague has been especially prolific on the classical stage as ensemble member of the Old Vic London (1950-52, 1962-63), the Bristol Old Vic (1952-53), the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon (1954-55), the Royal Shakespeare Company (1955-57) and the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1976-79).
On screen from 1952, Montague was no less prolific as a supporting player, frequently cast in meaty or pivotal roles as 'exotic' foreign types: Japanese officers (The Camp on Blood Island (1958), Yesterday's Enemy (1958), The Baron (1966)), Frenchmen (Moulin Rouge (1952), Secret Agent (1964), The Legacy (1978)), Chinese (Danger Man (1960), Espionage (1963)) and Russians (The Spy Killer (1969),Pope John Paul II (1984), Sakharov (1984)]). Add to that an assortment of Mexicans, Hungarians, Greeks, Arabs, and even an Inuit (The Savage Innocents (1960)). He has also played his fair share of historical personae on TV, as well as on the big screen, including the prophet Habbakuk (or Habbukuk) in Jesus of Nazareth (1977), Pietro di Bernardone (wealthy cloth merchant and father to Francis of Assissi in Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972)), Chinese statesman Sun Yat Sen, Bernhard Mahler (father of Gustav), Lucky Luciano (in Brass Target (1978)), Karl Marx, Lenin, Charles Darwin and British cabinet minister Leslie Hore-Belisha.
On account of his dark, baleful looks, Montague has excelled in villainous roles, often in classic 60s and 70s British crime dramas like Department S (1969) (as a drug lord) or The Sweeney (1975) (as a bank robber). He portrayed the psychic antagonist Dorzak in an episode of Space: 1999 (1975) and was at his most chillingly effective as Roche, the erudite, relentless assassin forever on the trail of hapless civil servant Henry Jay (Richard Griffiths) in the superb TV miniseries Bird of Prey 2 (1984). All in all, an impressive resume for an actor --not usually noted for comedy-- who once named Walter Matthau as his movie idol, saying, "I loved his brand of humour". - Actor
- Stunts
Derek Martin has been in demand as one of the most authentic working class voices in British acting since the 1970s, despite never taking the traditional route of training formally as an actor and performing on stage.
He did National Service in the Royal Air Force and was employed in a host of jobs, including digging roads, working in factories, motor racing, professional gambling and working at Smithfield Meat Market. He got into television as an extra on Z Cars (1962) in 1962 and went on to become a stuntman, performing in many Doctor Who (1963) serials, especially during the action-packed Jon Pertwee era of the early 1970s.
After an injury on Elizabeth R (1971), Martin decided to retire from stunts and pursue his dream of becoming an actor. He returned to Doctor Who (1963), this time as an actor, in a small part in Image of the Fendahl: Part One (1977), starring Tom Baker as the Doctor, but his breakthrough was as a corrupt policeman in the controversial Law & Order (1978). His greatest fame with the British public came with his long-running role as Charlie Slater in EastEnders (1985).- Michael French was born on 17 September 1962 in Bow, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Born and Bred (2002), Crime Traveller (1997) and Casualty (1986).
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Louise English is the daughter of actress Liz English. Her mother had introduced her to Benny Hill, who became one of her closest friends. He gave her a starting role on his show as one of his Hill's Angels, but her talent proved that she was meant for so much more. Joining him as an actress in his sketches, she also excelled as a singer who did beautiful French songs. She went on to other jobs and small roles in other series, but The Benny Hill Show (1969) is the series for which she is best known.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Dylan Kwabena Mills MBE (born 18 September 1984), better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a British MC and rapper. A pioneer of grime music, his work has also incorporated elements of UK garage, bass line, British hip hop, and R&B.
Dizzee Rascal released his debut album Boy in DA Corner in 2003. It earned him the 2003 Mercury Prize, and has since been considered a grime classic. Follow-up albums Showtime, Maths + English, and Tongue n' Cheek were critically praised and certified platinum, with Tongue n' Cheek going platinum for sales exceeding 300,000 units in the United Kingdom. He has achieved the number-one singles "Dance with Me", "Bonkers", "Holiday", "Dirtee Disco" and "Shout".- Eddie Phillips was born on 9 November 1909 in Bow, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Champagne Charlie (1944), My Learned Friend (1943) and The Score (2005). He died on 2 March 1995 in London, England, UK.
- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Wiley was born on 19 January 1979 in Bow, London, England, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for T2 Trainspotting (2017), Fish Tank (2009) and We Are Your Friends (2015).- Executive
David Ostrer was born on 10 September 1886 in Bow, London, England, UK. David was an executive. David died on 19 October 1967 in Westminster, London, England, UK.- George Carey was born on 13 November 1935 in Bow, London, England, UK. He has been married to Eileen Harmsworth Hood since 1960. They have four children.
- Additional Crew
- Writer
- Production Manager
H. Ostrer was born on 15 March 1890 in Bow, London, England, UK. H. was a writer and production manager, known for Idol of Paris (1948), Caravan (1946) and The Wicked Lady (1945). H. died on 3 September 1972 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.- Mrs. Hubert Willis was born on 2 April 1860 in Bow, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Lonely Lady of Grosvenor Square (1922), The Beloved Vagabond (1923) and Gwyneth of the Welsh Hills (1921). She was married to Hubert Willis. She died on 13 August 1950 in New Malden, Surrey, England, UK.
- Roy Bailey was born on 20 October 1935 in Bow, East End London, England, UK. He was married to Val Turbard. He died on 20 November 2018 in the UK.
- He is an Irish former professional boxer who competed from 2006 to 2017. He held the WBO middleweight title from 2014 to 2015, and in doing so became the first member of the travelling community to win a major world title. He is the second cousin of lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and also his coach. During his professional career, Lee was trained by the late Emmanuel Steward.
- Leopold Glasspoole was born on 27 October 1869 in Bow, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Let the People Sing (1942). He died in 1943 in Hendon, Middlesex, England, UK.