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1-42 of 42
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
British actor/singer/Producer Matthew Marsden began his acting career in the UK and rose to stardom from his role on the long-running ITV series Coronation Street (1960), as Chris Collins. He left the show to pursue a music and acting career in the US and hasn't looked back since.
Since moving to the US, Marsden has been working successfully on feature film, television and music. He starred in Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down (2001) and he was the lead in USA's epic movie Helen of Troy (2003)
Marsden's career started in the UK with the series Emmerdale Farm (1972). He soon landed a series regular role on the television series Island (1996) which led to Coronation Street (1960) for which he was voted Top Newcomer at the National Television Awards. He went on to star in the independent drama Shiner (2000), opposite Michael Caine and the film The Sun Sisters (1997). In addition, Marsden signed with Columbia Records and recorded the hit single She's Gone, with Destiny's Child, as well as a solo album called Say Who.
Marsden studied performing arts at Middlesex University. He was also a member of the acclaimed National Youth Theatre.- The original ash-blonde "iceberg maiden", Madeleine Carroll was a knowing beauty with a confident air, the epitome of poise and "breeding". Not only did she have looks and allure in abundance, but she had intellectual heft to go with them, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from Birmingham University at the age of 20. The daughter of a French mother and an Irish father, she briefly held a position teaching French at a girls seminary near Brighton, but was by this time thoroughly determined to seek her career in the theatre--much to her dad's chagrin. Madeleine's chance arrived, after several failed auditions (and in between modeling hats), in the shape of a small part as a French maid in a 1927 West End production of "The Lash". Her film debut followed within a year and stardom was almost instantaneous. By the time she appeared in The W Plan (1930), Madeleine had become Britain's top female screen star. That is not to say, however, that she was a gifted actress from the outset. In fact, she learned her trade on the job, finding help along the way from established thespians such as Seymour Hicks and Miles Mander. Most of her early films tended to focus on that exquisite face, and bringing out her regal, well-bred--if rather icy--personality. Her beautiful speaking voice enabled her to make the transition to sound pictures effortlessly.
Following a year-long absence from acting (and marriage to Capt. Philip Astley of the King's Guards) she returned to the screen, having been tempted with a lucrative contract by Gaumont-British. The resulting films, Sleeping Car (1933) and I Was a Spy (1933), were both popular and critical successes and prompted renewed offers from Hollywood. However, on loan to Fox, the tedious melodrama The World Moves On (1934) did absolutely nothing for her career and she quickly returned to Britain--a fortuitous move, as it turned out. Alfred Hitchcock had been on the lookout for one of the unattainable, aloof blondes he was so partial to, whose smoldering sexuality lay hidden beneath a layer of ladylike demeanor (other Hitch favorites of that type included Grace Kelly and Kim Novak). Madeleine fitted the bill perfectly. The 39 Steps (1935), based on a novel by John Buchan, made her an international star. The process was not entirely painless, however, as Hitchcock "introduced" Madeleine to co-star Robert Donat by handcuffing them together (accounts vary as to how long, exactly, but it was likely for several hours) for "added realism". In due course the enforced companionship got the stars nicely acquainted and helped make their humorous banter in the film all the more convincing.
Hitchcock liked Madeleine and attempted to repeat the success of "The 39 Steps" with Secret Agent (1936), but with somewhat diminished results (primarily because Donat had to pull out of the project due to illness and Madeleine's chemistry with John Gielgud was not on the same level as it was with Donat). Nonetheless, her reputation was made. After Alexander Korda sold her contract, she ended up back in Hollywood with Paramount. Initially she was signed for one year (1935-36), but this was extended in 1938 with a stipulation that she make two pictures per year until the end of 1941. The studio publicity machine touted Madeleine as "the most beautiful woman in the world". This was commensurate with her being given A-grade material, beginning with The General Died at Dawn (1936), opposite Gary Cooper. For once, Madeleine portrayed something other than a regal or "squeaky clean" character, and she did so with more warmth and élan than she had displayed in her previous films. She then showed a humorous side in Irving Berlin's On the Avenue (1937); had Tyrone Power and George Sanders fight it out for her affections in Lloyd's of London (1936) (on loan to Fox); and turned up as a particularly decorative--though in regard to acting, underemployed--princess, in The Prisoner of Zenda (1937). Thereafter she had hit the peak of her profession in terms of salary, reportedly making $250,000 in 1938 alone. For the remainder of her Hollywood tenure, Madeleine co-starred three times with Fred MacMurray (the most enjoyable encounter was Honeymoon in Bali (1939)), and opposite Bob Hope in one of his most fondly remembered comedies, My Favorite Blonde (1942). Then it all started to come to an end.
Having lost her sister Guigette during a German air attack on London in October 1940, Madeleine devoted more and more of her time to the war effort, becoming entertainment director for the United Seamens Service and joining the Red Cross as a nurse under the name Madeleine Hamilton. She was unable to rekindle her popularity after the war, her last film of note being The Fan (1949), a dramatization of Oscar Wilde's play. She made a solitary, albeit very successful, attempt at Broadway, with a starring role in the comedy "Goodbye, My Fancy" (1948), directed by and co-starring a young Sam Wanamaker. There were a few more TV and radio appearances but, for all intents and purposes, her career had run its course. Britain's most glamorous export to Hollywood became increasingly self-deprecating, rejecting further overtures from producers. Instead, she became more committed to charitable works on behalf of children, orphaned or injured as the result of the Second World War.
Madeleine spent the last 21 years of her life in retirement, first in Paris, then in the south of Spain. Two of her four ex-husbands included the actor Sterling Hayden and the French director/producer Henri Lavorel. Last of the quartet was Andrew Heiskell, publisher of 'Life' magazine. She died in Marbella in October 1987. In her private life, the trimmings of stardom seemed to have mattered little to Madeleine. As to her status as a sex symbol, she was once said to have quipped to a group of collegians who had voted her the girl they'd most like to be marooned with on a desert island, that she would not object, provided at least one of them was a good obstetrician! - Music Artist
- Composer
- Actor
Prior to Hobbstweedle (a pickup blues band formed to honour a gig at West Midlands College Of Education) Robert was the frontman for The Band of Joy - featuring Percy, John Bonham, Paul Lockey (bass), Chris Brown (keyboards) and Kevyn Gammond (guitar). The BOJ were on verge of making a record deal when they split a little acrinmoniously. This led to Rob eventually joining Led Zeppelin after a few blind alleys. The rest is history.- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Sian Reeves was born on 9 May 1966 in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England, UK. She is an actress and director, known for The Time of Their Lives (2017), Mount Pleasant (2011) and Cutting It (2002).- Writer
- Actor
- Music Department
Frank Skinner was born on 28 January 1957 in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, UK. He is a writer and actor, known for Killing Clovis Dardentor, The Frank Skinner Show (1995) and Blue Heaven (1992).- Valerie Gaunt was an English actress who had a brief acting career in the 1950s. She is primarily remembered for portraying an unnamed Vampire Woman in an horror film produced by Hammer Film Productions. Her role was the studio's first vampire character with visible fangs.
Little is known about Gaunt's background. She was trained as an actress in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), a drama school located in London. She graduated in 1951, and worked primarily in repertory theatre. In 1956, she had a guest-star role in the police procedural television series "Dixon of Dock Green" (1955 -1976). The series focused on an old-fashioned "bobby" (policeman) who investigated petty crime cases in the East End of London.
The film director Terence Fisher (1904 - 1980) noticed Gaunt while watching television, and offered her a role in an upcoming horror film. Gaunt made her film debut in Fisher's "The Curse of Frankenstein" (1957), the first horror film in color produced by Hammer Film productions. The film was a loose adaptation of the novel "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus" (1818) by Mary Shelley, re-imagined as a "morally ambiguous chamber piece".
Gaunt portrayed Justine, a maid who works for Baron Victor Frankenstein (played by Peter Cushing) and secretly serves as his mistress. When a pregnant Justine attempts to blackmail Victor into marrying her, Victor orchestrates her murder. He is later executed for her murder, with his former mentor refusing to testify on his behalf. Unlike other versions of the Frankenstein story, Victor does not abandon his monster. He is instead trying to use it as a weapon against his enemies.
The film was a box office hit, earning about 8 million dollars at the worldwide box office. Hammer Film decided to produce more gothic horror films, and Gaunt was asked to appear on the next one. She was cast as the Vampire Woman in "Dracula" (1958), a loose adaptation of the novel by Bram Stoker. Her character was loosely based on the three Brides of Dracula from the original novel. Gaunt portrayed the first female vampire depicted by Hammer Film, which later specialized in vampire films. This film was also a box office hit.
Gaunt decided to end her film career just as it was starting. In 1958, she married the stock broker Gerald Alfred Reddington and permanently retired from acting. She was only 26-years-old at the time. Gaunt lived the rest of her life away from the spotlight. In 2016, she died in the Isle of Wight at the age of 84. Despite her brief career, she remains familiar to fans of classic British horror films. Both of her film appearances enjoy enduring popularity, ensuring a measure of fame for Gaunt. - Music Department
- Actor
- Composer
Phil Lynott was born on 20 August 1949 in West Bromwich, Birmingham, England, UK. He was an actor and composer, known for A Knight's Tale (2001), The Expendables (2010) and Rush (2013). He was married to Caroline Crowther. He died on 4 January 1986 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, UK.- Noel Johnson was born on 28 December 1916 in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Frenzy (1972), Withnail & I (1987) and For Your Eyes Only (1981). He was married to Leonora Johnson. He died on 2 October 1999 in Glamorgan, Wales, UK.
- Reginald Barratt was born on 25 January 1920 in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Department S (1969), Open All Hours (1976) and The Three Musketeers (1954). He died on 10 June 1977 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.
- Margaret Withers was born on 6 July 1893 in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Sin of Esther Waters (1948), Don't Take It to Heart! (1944) and If This Be Sin (1949). She died on 26 October 1977 in Fulham, London, England, UK.
- Ella Hall was born on 2 May 1903 in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, UK. She was married to Charles Richard Hall and Robert Donat. She died on 13 July 1994 in Horsham, West Sussex, England, UK.
- Denise Lewis was born on 27 August 1972 in West Bromwich, Birmingham, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Run Fatboy Run (2007), Proverbs 31 (2021) and Camp Orange Wrong Town (2011). She has been married to Steve Finan since October 2006. They have three children.
- Rupi Lal was born on 20 September 1982 in West Bromwich, Birmingham, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Archers (2007), Red Rose (2022) and Doctors (2000).
- Desmond Adams was born in 1942 in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Pride and Prejudice (1980), The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978) and The Day of the Triffids (1981).
- Barbara Burke was born in West Bromwich, Birmingham, England, UK. She is known for Jack the Ripper (1959), Blood of the Vampire (1958) and Operation Conspiracy (1956).
- Actress
- Writer
- Music Department
Dorothy Reynolds was born on 26 January 1913 in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, UK. She was an actress and writer, known for Hereward the Wake (1965), Six Days of Justice (1972) and BBC Play of the Month (1965). She was married to Angus Mackay. She died on 7 April 1977 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK.- Brian Walden was born on 8 July 1932 in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The New Statesman (1987), Titmuss Regained (1991) and The London Programme (1975). He was married to Hazel Downes, Sybil Blackstone and Jane McKerron. He died on 9 May 2019 in St Peter Port, Guernsey, UK.
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Alan Coleman was born on 28 December 1936 in Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK. He was a producer and director, known for The Young Doctors (1976), Neighbours (1985) and Class of '74 (1974). He was married to Barbara. He died on 10 December 2013 in Wyong, New South Wales, Australia.- Esmond Webb was born on 2 May 1927 in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Doctor Who (1963), Poldark (1975) and Theatre 625 (1964). He died in 1981 in Camden, London, England, UK.
- Alan Bowerman was born on 29 March 1930 in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983), Blake's 7 (1978) and Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973). He was married to Kija Raphael. He died on 15 September 1987 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.
- Additional Crew
- Actor
Ian Paul Freeth is an English actor. Ian got a degree in Broadcast Journalism and went on to work for E! Entertainment Television as a Production Assistant on E! News Daily, and Mysteries & Scandals. In 2013, Ian had his breakout film performance as the character Brego in the film 95ers: Echoes (Time Runners in the UK). He now works in the UK as a murder mystery actor.- Producer
- Director
- Actor
Robert Cooper was born in 1950 in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England, UK. He is a producer and director, known for Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley (2008), Room at the Top (2012) and Truly Madly Deeply (1990).- Peggy Ashby was born on 1 November 1920 in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Red Letter Day (1976), As Good Cooks Go (1969) and Crossroads (1964). She died in 2005 in Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK.
- Writer
- Animation Department
- Director
Nicholas Spargo was born on 16 March 1921 in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, UK. He was a writer and director, known for Super Natural Gas (1975), Wales (1948) and Willo the Wisp (1981). He was married to Mary Spargo. He died on 12 March 1997 in Oxfordshire, England, UK.- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Roberta Morrell performed as a mezzo-soprano with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company from 1972 until 1982. Her featured roles with the company were: Hebe in "HMS Pinafore" Kate in "The Pirates of Penzance" Sacharissa in "Princess Ida" Giulia in "The Gondoliers". Roberta also understudied many roles with the company including that of Mrs Partlet in "The Sorcerer". Since 1982, Roberta has appeared regularly appeared with The Magic of D'Oyly Carte (later The Magic of Gilbert and Sullivan) concert group, for whom she has also directed. Stage directing has taken her all over the world, working for both professional and amateur companies. Professional directorial duties include: "The Sorcerer", "H.M.S. Pinafore" and "Ruddigore" for The Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company, and "Iolanthe", "The Gondoliers" and "Princess Ida" for Gawsworth Hall. More recently, Roberta has combined singing and directing with writing. Her first book, "Merely Corroborative Detail", was the biography of fellow performer Kenneth Sandford. Her debut novel, "Vengeance Dire", was published in 2002.