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- Actor
- Composer
- Producer
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.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Catherine Zeta-Jones was born September 25, 1969 in Swansea, Wales (and raised in the nearby town of Mumbles), the only daughter of Patricia (nee Fair) and David James "Dai" Jones, who formerly owned a sweet factory. She attended Dumbarton House School (Swansea). Her father (the son of Bertram (1912-1970) and Zeta Davies Jones (1917-2008)) is of Welsh descent and her mother (the daughter of William (1921-2000) and Catherine O'Callaghan Fair (1920-2001) ) is of English, Irish, and Welsh ancestry. Her brothers are David Jones (born 1967), a development executive, and Lyndon Jones (born 1972), who works at her production company. Her birth name was simply Catherine Jones, but she added her paternal grandmother's name ("Zeta") so as to stand out from the many other young women with the exact same name.
She showed an interest early on in entertainment. She starred on stage in "Annie", "Bugsy Malone" and "The Pajama Game". At age 15, she had the lead in the British revival of "42nd Street". She was originally cast as the second understudy for the lead role in the musical but when the star and first understudy became sick the night the play's producer was in the audience, she was given the lead for the rest of the musical's production. She first made a name for herself in the early 1990s when she starred in the Yorkshire Television comedy/drama series The Darling Buds of May (1991). The series was a success and made her one of the United Kingdom's most popular television actresses.
She subsequently played supporting roles in several films including Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992), the miniseries Catherine the Great (1995) and a larger role as the seductive Sala in The Phantom (1996) before landing her breakthrough role playing the fiery Elena opposite Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas in The Mask of Zorro (1998). She starred in many big-budget blockbusters like Entrapment (1999), The Haunting (1999) and Traffic (2000), for which many believed she was robbed of an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress as murderous vaudevillian Velma Kelly in the musical comedy Chicago (2002). She then appeared opposite George Clooney in Intolerable Cruelty (2003), Ocean's Twelve (2004) and reprised her starring role in the sequel The Legend of Zorro (2005).
In November 2000, she married actor Michael Douglas. She gave birth to their son Dylan Michael in August 2000 followed by daughter, Carys, in April 2003. She was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to drama.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Endearing, bushy-whiskered Welsh character actor whose screen repertoire seemed to consist for the better part of variations on a similar theme, namely stereotypical stiff-upper-lip or bumbling British gents. The son of an actress and an actor-manager and on stage from early childhood, Fox began his career in repertory theatre. During the last two years of World War II he served on a minesweeper in the Royal Navy. In 1952, he joined the ensemble of Brian Rix's Whitehall Farces as one of the 'Reluctant Heroes' and the 'Simple Spymen'. Buoyed by popular success, he probably developed his stock-in-trade character around this time. Following a stint on the London stage, Fox then landed several small roles in British films and co-starred for the BBC in the short-lived comedy series Three Live Wires (1961). The show's American producer promised him a shot at Hollywood and the actor and his wife promptly moved to Los Angeles. In 1962, Fox made his American stage debut at the Civic Playhouse in the three-act mystery play "Write Me a Murder" by Frederick Knott. The following year he appeared as a blundering waiter in The Danny Thomas Show (1953).
During the 1960's he became a familiar face on television, staking his particular claim to comedy relief fame as the cranky warlock physician Dr. Bombay in Bewitched (1964) (a character he declared was based on a naval officer with whom he served during the war) and as the buffoonish Colonel Rodney Crittenden in Hogan's Heroes (1965) (who was hopefully not based on anyone). He was also a Dr. Watson to Stewart Granger's Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1972), striding a kind of middle ground between the Watson of Nigel Bruce and that of Edward Hardwicke. His many guest roles as assorted 'visiting' English officers included, among others, 12 O'Clock High (1964), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964), Columbo (1971) and M*A*S*H (1972). More recently, he appeared as Archibald Gracie IV, survivor (albeit briefly) of the sinking of the Titanic (1997) and as the unflappable aviator Winston Havelock going off to his last 'tally-ho' in The Mummy (1999). His ongoing commitment to theatrical work led to engagements in Canada with Stage West, in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and starring on Broadway in a 1978 production of "3 Rue de L'Amour" with Louis Jourdan and Kathleen Freeman.
In private life, Fox was renowned as an expert theatre historian. He was reputedly a keen gardener, a painter of landscapes and a devotee of performing magic.- While in his teens, Owen Teale occasionally worked at Porthcawl Little Theatre. In September 1980 he was accepted by the Guildford School of Acting and by Christmas of 1983 had obtained his Equity card. His first proper work was as a dancer in the musical "Cabaret" in Plymouth, Devon. Subsequently he was approached by BBC-TV and landed a role in The Mimosa Boys (1985). Two years spent as a jobbing actor were followed by roles in the stage version of "The Fifteen Streets", "When She Danced" and "The Comedy of Errors". In 1990 he appeared in Robin Hood (1991) starring Patrick Bergin and immediately after finishing this film, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford upon Avon.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ronald Lewis was born on 11 December 1928 in Port Talbot, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for Helen of Troy (1956), Storm Over the Nile (1955) and Billy Budd (1962). He was married to Elizabeth Phillips and Norah Gorsen. He died on 11 January 1982 in Pimlico, London, England, UK.- Beth Morris was born on 19 July 1943 in Gorseinon, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. She was an actress, known for David Copperfield (1974), I, Claudius (1976) and Barlow at Large (1971). She was married to Stephen Moore. She died on 1 March 2018 in Y Garn, Penllergaer, Wales, UK.
- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Andrew Jones was a prolific independent film producer, screenwriter, director and editor.
Born on 6th October 1983 in Swansea, South Wales, Andrew was educated at Olchfa Comprehensive School and later attended the University of Glamorgan. At the age of 27, he founded UK production company North Bank Entertainment to produce independent genre films with a similar aesthetic to the work of American luminaries Roger Corman and Charles Band. Andrew went on to become one of the most prolific independent film producers in the UK with an established track record of commercially successful titles. Andrew's feature films, most of which he also wrote and directed, regularly received distribution in numerous territories around the world including the UK, North America, Canada, Germany, South America, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, the Philippines, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Distribution companies he worked with include Lionsgate, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures and 4Digital Media.
In North America, Andrew's independent titles regularly appeared on the DVD shelves of retail giants such as Walmart, generating a high level of physical sales which consistently defy the odds. In the United Kingdom, nine of Andrew's films reached the Top 30 of the national DVD chart, thirteen of his films placed in the Top 5 of best selling Direct-to-Video titles in their first week of release and four of his films reached the Number 1 position on the HMV DVD Premiere Chart.
According to the annual BFI Research and Statistics booklet North Bank Entertainment regularly maintained a Top 10 spot on the list of production companies involved in the greatest number of commercially released British feature films each year. Andrew's top selling titles include the Robert (2015) franchise which to date has generated five films, culminating with Robert Reborn (2019) all of which have been released in dozens of territories worldwide.
Andrew was married to artist and filmmaker Sharron Jones and resided in his hometown of Swansea in South Wales until his passing in 2023.- Ivor Emmanuel was born on 7 November 1927 in Margam, Port Talbot, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for Zulu (1964), Plain and Fancy (1956) and Secombe and Friends (1959). He was married to Malinee Oppenborn, Patricia Bredin and Jean Beazleigh. He died on 19 July 2007 in Malaga, Spain.
- Victoria Plucknett was born in 1953 in Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. She is an actress, known for The Duchess of Duke Street (1976), The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978) and BBC Play of the Month (1965). She has been married to William E. Jones since 1977.
- John-Paul MacLeod was born in 1986 in Port Talbot, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for The Machine (2013), Calendar Girls (2003) and Taliesin Jones (2000).
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ceri Dupree was born in 1967 in Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for Cilla (2014), EastEnders (1985) and 3-2-1 (1978).- Dewi Morris was born in Treboeth, Swansea, West Glamorgan [now Swansea County], Wales, UK. He is known for Grand Slam (1978), Off to Philadelphia in the Morning (1978) and Taff Acre (1981).
- Clive Willbond-Hill began his performing career at the West Glamorgan Youth Theatre and then went on to train at Trinity Laban, London. Besides his work as an actor, he has choreographed, staged and fight arranged for theatre. He is known for playing the PE teacher, Dai Hard Jones in six series of Grange Hill (1997-2002), Defence lawyer, Colin Francis in The Bench (2002) and Officer Bradford in Still Falls the Rain (Short 2012).
- Animation Department
- Art Department
- Director
Phil Robinson was born on 13 November 1950 in West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He was a director, known for Hubert's Brain (2001), Casper (1995) and The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat (1995). He was married to Jennifer Robinson. He died on 28 January 2015.- Alun Williams was born on 26 August 1920 in Port Talbot, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for The Goodies (1970), Pobol y Cwm (1974) and Welsh Rarebit (1957). He died on 30 March 1992.
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Mike Gibbins was born on 12 March 1949 in Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He is known for The Magic Christian (1969), Shock Theater (1979) and The Concert for Bangladesh (1972). He was married to Gaynor ? and Ellie ?. He died on 4 October 2005 in Oviedo, Florida, USA.- Chris Coleman was born on 10 June 1970 in Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Pete Ham was born on 27 April 1947 in Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He was a composer, known for Boss Level (2020), The Departed (2006) and Casino (1995). He died on 23 April 1975 in London, England, UK.- Martyn Lewis was born on 7 April 1945 in Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for The World Is Not Enough (1999), Chocky (1984) and The Vicar of Dibley (1994). He is married to Patsy Baker. He was previously married to Liz Lewis.
- Editor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Editorial Department
Russell Lloyd was born on 16 January 1916 in Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He was an editor and assistant director, known for The Man Who Would Be King (1975), Moby Dick (1956) and The Last Run (1971). He was married to Valerie Cox and Rosamund John. He died on 21 January 2008 in Cranleigh, Surrey, England, UK.- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
Raymond Bowers was born in 1936 in Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He is a writer, known for The Plane Makers (1963), Secret Agent (1964) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955).- Michael Howard was born on 7 July, 1941 in the Welsh mining village of Gorseinon, Carmarthenshire. He is the son of Hilda (Kershion) and Bernat Hecht, later Bernard Howard, who owned a number of ladies' dress shops in Swansea and Llanelli. His father was born in Ruscova, Maramures County, Romania, where he grew up in Transylvania, and came to the U.K. in 1939. Both of Michael's parents were from Jewish families. In 1959, he went to Cambridge University - initially to read Economics, but later transferring to Law. He was called to the Bar in 1964, and practiced as a barrister until 1983 - being promoted to recorder (part-time Judge).
He stood, as a Conservative, for the seat of Edge Hill in Liverpool, both in 1966 and 1970 - losing on both occasions. He was finally elected as Conservative MP for Folkstone and Hythe in 1983. Upon entering parliament, he was soon known for his right wing views - calling for Britain to withdraw from the European Union and endorsed restoration of the death penalty. He reversed his views on capital punishment, coming out against its reintroduction in 1994. He has also moderated his Euroscepticism, much to the anger of the Conservative right (e.g. Norman Tebbit).
In 1990, he entered John Major's cabinet as Employment Secretary- becoming Environment Secretary in 1992, and then Home Secretary in 1993. As Home Secretary, he became unpopular with some - due to his draconian measures in the fight against rising crime. In 1997, upon the Conservatives losing the election, he became Shadow Foreign Secretary - retiring in 1999. He had stood for election for the Party Leadership in 1997, but withdrew after criticism by fellow Tory MP Ann Widdecombe, who had previously been his junior at the Home Office.
In 2001, when Iain Duncan Smith was elected leader of the Conservative Party he returned to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Chancellor, and upon Duncan Smith's demise in 2003, he was elected unopposed as Leader of the Conservative Party and Her Majesty's Opposition. In 2005, he faced against Labour's Tony Blair in the general election, losing and later resigning his leadership, replaced eventually by David Cameron. - Script and Continuity Department
Diana Dill was born in Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. She is known for Never Let Me Go (2010), Mission: Impossible (1996) and Aliens (1986). She was previously married to John Colville.- Gwynne Howell was born on 13 June 1938 in Gorseinon, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for Tosca (2001), Les contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann) (1981) and La Bohème (1982).
- David Glyn-Jones was born on 11 October 1922 in Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for The Outer Limits (1995), The Commish (1991) and Cadence (1990). He died on 19 September 2013 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.