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1-50 of 202
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Charles Dance is an English actor, screenwriter, and film director. Dance typically plays assertive bureaucrats or villains. Some of his most high-profile roles are Tywin Lannister in HBO's Game of Thrones (2011), Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown (1984), Sardo Numspa in The Golden Child (1986), Dr. Jonathan Clemens in Alien 3 (1992), Benedict in Last Action Hero (1993), the Master Vampire in Dracula Untold (2014), Lord Havelock Vetinari in Terry Pratchett's Going Postal (2010), Alastair Denniston in The Imitation Game (2014) and William Randolph Hearst in Mank (2020).
He played the role of Tywin Lannister in HBO's Game of Thrones (2011), based on the Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R. R. Martin.
In 1989, he played Bond creator Ian Fleming in Anglia Television's drama biography.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Harry Edward Styles was born on February 1, 1994 in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England, the son of Anne Twist (née Selley) and Desmond "Des" Styles, who worked in finance. Harry made his acting debut in "Dunkirk." The critically acclaimed film topped the US box office in its first weekend and was one of the top-grossing films of the summer.
Styles also made his solo music debut with his self-titled debut album, released in May 2017. The 10-track album featured the lead single "Sign of the Times," which topped the iTunes charts in over 84 countries upon release day. The album made history with the biggest debut sales week for a UK male artist's first full-length album since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991, and it topped official charts at #1 in more than 55 countries. In support of the new music, he made acclaimed appearances on "Saturday Night Live," including performing in multiple comedy sketches; "The Graham Norton Show"; and a week-long residency on "The Late Late Show with James Corden." Styles embarked on a sold-out world tour in Fall 2017. Harry Styles Live on Tour began with intimate venues and continued to arenas in 2018. But due to COVID he had to postpone his shows and began Love on Tour September 4, 2021 in Las Vegas.
Styles' second album, Fine Line (2019), debuted atop the US Billboard 200 with the biggest first-week sales by an English male artist in history, and was listed among Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2020. Its fourth single, "Watermelon Sugar", topped the US Billboard Hot 100.
Throughout his career, Styles has earned several accolades, including a Brit Award, an American Music Award, two ARIA Music Awards, and a Billboard Music Award. Aside from music, he is also known for his flamboyant fashion, and is the first man to appear solo on the cover of Vogue magazine.
Styles found fame as the star of the global phenomenon One Direction, a group that was assembled by Simon Cowell in the boot camp stage of The X Factor UK 2010 and made it all the way to the final before finishing 3rd. In five years together, they impressively sold more than 70 million records worldwide, achieved a total of 137 number ones, and won five Billboard Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, five American Music Awards and six BRIT Awards. One Direction was the first band in history to have its first four albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200 charts, with the fifth album topping UK charts selling 3.5 million copies worldwide. On December 13, 2015 the band performed "Infinity" and "History" on The X Factor UK Finale before embarking on a hiatus in 2016.- Actor
- Writer
- Visual Effects
Mark Williams was born on 22 August 1959 in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), 101 Dalmatians (1996) and Shakespeare in Love (1998).- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Nell Hudson was born on 19 November 1990 in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022), Victoria (2016) and Outlander (2014).- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Trudie Styler was born on 6 January 1954 in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for Filth (2013), Moon (2009) and The Next Three Days (2010). She has been married to Sting since 20 August 1992. They have four children.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Brian Aherne was an Oscar-nominated Anglo-American stage and screen actor who was one of the top cinema character actors in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Born on May 2, 1902, in Kings Norton, Worcestershire, England, Aherne performed as an actor as a child. At age 18, he made his debut as an adult with the company that would evolve into the world-famous Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Three years later, he made his debut in London's West End, the English equivalent of Broadway. After his experience in Birmingham, Aherne studied architecture, but a life as an actor was too strong to resist, so he returned to the theater in 1923. For the next eight years, he toured the provinces and appeared in the West End in various productions. In 1931, he made his Broadway debut playing Robert Browning in "The Barretts of Wimpole Street." He alternated between the New York and London stage in the early 1930s. Aherne made his movie debut in 1924, and in the mid-1930s, he moved to Hollywood. In 1940, he was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for Juarez (1939) for playing the Emperor Maximilian. Brian Aherne published his autobiography in 1969, and 10 years later, he published a biography of his friend George Sanders, entitled "A Dreadful Man." He died at age 83 of heart failure on February 10, 1986, in Venice, Florida.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Susan Jameson was born on 13 August 1941 in Barnt Green, Worcestershire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for To Serve Them All My Days (1980), UFO (1970) and The Secret World of Polly Flint (1987). She is married to James Bolam. They have one child.- Tall, reedy, thin-browed, light-haired British award-winning theatre actress Margaret Leighton was born in Worchestershire, England, on February 26, 1922, the daughter of a businessman. Expressing an early desire to act, she quit school at age 15 and auditioned and joined Sir Barry Jackson's Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Becoming one of his star students, he hired her as a stage manager and offered her the small role of Dorothy in the stage play Laugh with Me (1938). The play marked her professional stage debut. The play was immediately taken to the BBC-TV (Laugh with Me (1938). During these productive repertory years, she involved herself in the classical plays Chekov, Shakespeare, and Shaw, among others..
In 1944, Margaret made her London debut at the Old Vic, playing the daughter of the troll king in 'Peer Gynt. Joining the company under the auspices of Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson, she earned distinction as a classical stage actress. In 1946, she made her Broadway debut in repertory with productions of Henry IV, Parts I and II (as Lady Percy), Uncle Vanya (as Yelena), and others.
The opulent actress with strikingly odd, yet fascinating facial features stole more than a few plays and films away from the stars with her stunning portrayals of neurotic, brittle matrons. Her unique brand of sophisticated eccentricity went on to captivate both Broadway and London audiences with her many theatre offerings, particularly her portrayals of Celia Coplestone in The Cocktail Party (1950) and Orinthia in a revival of The Apple Cart (1953). Her New York performance as Mrs. Shankland in Terence Rattigan's drama Separate Tables (1956) earned her a Tony Award. She returned to Broadway in 1959, to play Beatrice in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, before returning in 1962 as Hannah in The Night of the Iguana, and earning her second Best Actress Tony. She'd continue to return to Broadway throughout the 1960's with such plays as, The Chinese Prime Minister, Slapstick Tragedy, and the 1967 heralded production of The Little Foxes,first playing Birdie before taking over the role of Regina.
During the 1950's and 1960's, Margaret would alternate between working on British and U.S. films. She made her British debut as Catherine Winslow in Rattigan's The Winslow Boy (1948) starring Robert Donat, then co-starred opposite David Niven in the period biopic Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948). Hitchcock used her next in one of his lesser known romantic crime films Under Capricorn (1949) before entangling herself in a romantic triangle with Celia Johnson and Noël Coward in The Astonished Heart (1950), which was both written and directed by Coward. In the crimer Calling Bulldog Drummond (1951), Margaret plays a Scotland Yard sergeant who pulls the master sleuth (Walter Pidgeon) out of retirement to infiltrate a vicious gang together, while in the mystery crime drama, Murder on Monday (1952), the touching drama The Holly and the Ivy (1952) and the saucy comedy A Novel Affair (1957), she reunited with her Old Vic theatre mentor, Ralph Richardson.
Margaret married (1947) and divorced (1955) noted publisher Max Reinhardt (of Reinhardt & Evans), known for his collection of letters and photographs from playwright and novelist George Bernard Shaw. Her second husband would be actor Laurence Harvey who starred in the British crime thriller The Good Die Young (1954) in which Margaret made a co-starring appearance as his abused wife. They would marry later in 1957.
Margaret earned her first top cinematic billing as Helen Teckman in The Teckman Mystery (1954) and reunited with David Niven in the military film Court Martial (1954). Playing a Southern aristocrat in the U.S. filming of William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury (1959) starring Yul Brynner, she followed that in the 1960's with a co-star part opposite Peter Sellers in the comedy Waltz of the Toreadors (1962) and an all-star American cast headed by Henry Fonda in the potent political drama The Best Man (1964). The black comedy The Loved One (1965) and the dramatic 7 Women (1965), playing one of several ladies in peril at a Chinese mission, followed.
Appearing in TV-movie versions of literary classics including Arms and the Man,As You LIke It. Margaret began to make guest appearances on TV programs, including; Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955),Playhouse 90 (1956), in addition to a recurring role on Dr. Kildare (1961)
Divorced from Harvey in 1961, Margaret's third and final marriage to actor Michael Wilding in 1964 was an enduring match-up. The couple went on to co-star in the period piece Lady Caroline Lamb (1972). Other notable screen credits include Marriage a la Mode (1955), Waltz of the Toreadors (1962), The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969) and the made-for-TV, Great Expectations (1974) as Miss Havisham. Margaret would receive her only Oscar nomination for her support role in The Go-Between (1971), as Julie Christie's manipulative, class-conscious mother.
In 1971, Margaret was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but didn't let it slow her down for quite some time. She continued to perform in such films as X, Y & Zee (1972), The Nelson Affair (1973) and the TV horror offering Frankenstein: The True Story (1973). By 1975, when she was no longer capable of walking, she continued to act giving an over-the-top comic performance in A Dirty Knight's Work (1976). Margaret passed away on 13 January, 1976. Margaret had no children by any of her marriages. - Actor
- Director
- Producer
Sir Cedric Hardwicke, one of the great character actors in the first decades of the talking picture, was born in Lye, England on February 19, 1893. Hardwicke attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made his stage debut in 1912. His career was interrupted by military service in World War I, but he returned to the stage in 1922 with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, distinguishing himself as Caesar in George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra, which was his ticket to the London stage. For his distinguished work on the stage and in films, he was knighted by King George V in 1934, a time when very few actors received such an honor.
Hardwicke first performed on the American stage in 1936 and emigrated to the United States permanently after spending the 1948 season with the Old Vic. Hardwicke's success on stage and in films and television was abetted by his resonant voice and aristocratic bearing. Among the major films he appeared in were Les Misérables (1935), Stanley and Livingstone (1939), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), Suspicion (1941), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949), and The Ten Commandments (1956).
His last film was The Pumpkin Eater (1964) in 1964. Cedric Hardwicke died on August 6, 1964 in New York City, New York.- Actress
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Producer
She left school at 16 and went to a college of education to do O level drama but left after 3 months and spent 2 years with a schools touring company then had a small part in the television series of Auf Weidersen Pet which led to a part of one of the under age prostitutes in the film Mona Lisa then a major role in Hope and Glory. Despite having no formal training she's worked steadily since she was 17.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
John Forgeham was born on 14 May 1941 in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Mean Machine (2001), The Italian Job (1969) and Kiss of the Dragon (2001). He was married to Arlene Garciano, Fiesta Mei Ling and Georgina Hale. He died on 10 March 2017 in Worthing, West Sussex, England, UK.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Daniel Flynn was born in 1961 in Evesham, Worcestershire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Cyber City Oedo 808 (1990), Bloodborne (2015) and Angel Cop (1989). He has been married to Serena Evans since 1990. They have two children.- Director
- Additional Crew
- Art Director
James Whale was an English film director, theatre director and actor. He is best remembered for his four classic horror films: Frankenstein (1931), The Old Dark House (1932), The Invisible Man (1933) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). He also directed films in other genres, including what is considered the definitive film version of the musical Show Boat (1936).
In 1931 Universal Pictures signed him to a five-year contract and his first project was Waterloo Bridge (1931). Based on the Broadway play by Robert E. Sherwood, the film starred Mae Clarke. That same year Universal chief Carl Laemmle Jr. offered Whale his choice of any property the studio owned. Whale chose Frankenstein (1931), mostly because none of Universal's other properties particularly interested him and he wanted to make something other than a war picture.
In 1933 Whale directed The Invisible Man (1933), based on the book by H.G. Wells. Shot from a script approved by Wells, the film blended horror with humor and confounding visual effects. It was critically acclaimed, with "The New York Times" listing it as one of the ten best films of the year, and it broke box-office records in cities across America. So highly regarded was the film that France, which restricted the number of theaters in which undubbed American films could play, granted it a special waiver because of its "extraordinary artistic merit". Also in 1933 Whale directed the romantic comedy By Candlelight (1933). He directed Bride of Frankenstein (1935), a sequel of sorts to "Frankenstein", which Whale was somewhat apprehensive about making because he feared being pigeonholed as a horror director. "Bride" hearkened back to an episode from Mary Shelley's original novel in which the Monster promises to leave Frankenstein and humanity alone if Frankenstein makes him a mate. He does, but the mate is repelled by the monster who then, setting Frankenstein and his wife free to live, chooses to destroy himself and his "bride." The film was a critical and box office success. However, his next major project, The Road Back (1937), was a critical and financial disaster, and contributed to his retiring from the film industry in 1941.
Beset by personal, health and professional problems, James Whale committed suicide by drowning himself in the swimming pool of his Pacific Palisades (CA) home on 29 May 1957 at the age of 67. He left a suicide note, which his longtime companion David Lewis withheld until shortly before his own death decades later. Because the note was suppressed, the death was initially ruled accidental.- An immaculate gent of sober appearance and cultivated presence, Bate was seemingly destined to play spymasters and senior civil servants. Lean, pale-eyed and of deceptively mild intonation, he was capable of unnervingly icy composure, never more effectively displayed than as the chameleon-like Soviet mole Kim Philby in ITV's telemovie Philby, Burgess and Maclean (1977). In similar vein, Bate played the enigmatic, debonair American-born spook, Bret Renssalaer, in Len Deighton's Game, Set, and Match (1988). Most famously, he added an authentic touch to the affable, officious Home Office security undersecretary, Sir Oliver Lacon -- "Whitehall's Head Prefect" - in John le Carré's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979), and its sequel, Smiley's People (1982).
Anthony Bate began working life behind the bar of a hotel owned by his family on the Isle of Wight. After completing his national service with the Royal Navy Volunteers in 1947, he started dabbling in amateur dramatics and then took the next step to formal training at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, graduating a gold medal winner. After the obligatory sojourn in repertory theatre, he made his West End debut in a 1960 dramatisation of the famous 1925 Scopes Trial, "Inherit the Wind", at St. Martin's Theatre. Over the next three decades, he drew many excellent notices for such classical roles as Don Pedro in "Much Ado About Nothing", for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
In occasional films from 1957, Bate popped up as straight man in minor comedies, like Dentist in the Chair (1960). However, in due course, he found his niche to be on the small screen, where he was increasingly sought-after by producers for a wide variety of characters of, either, furtive, stern, starchy, supercilious or sinister disposition. Besides crime and espionage, Bate was a ubiquitous protagonist in screen adaptations from the classics: the obsessive Inspector Javert on the trail of Frank Finlay's Jean Valjeon, in a 1967 version of Victor Hugo's oft-filmed masterpiece; as the intrepid Dr. Livesey of Treasure Island (1977); and as the Knight's Templar, Sir Brian de Bois Guilbert, chief nemesis of Ivanhoe (1970). Another of his outright villains was treacherous London gangster Eddie Edwards, taking advantage of his boss's (Ray McAnally) incarceration to usurp his criminal empire. In Intimate Strangers (1974), Bate was given a rare starring role, as a middle-aged family man, re-evaluating his life after a heart attack. This introspective and nuanced performance was, arguably, one of his best. The cool, unflappable Mr. Bate also portrayed such historical personae as Joseph Stalin, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt and Eduard Shevardnadze -- all with equal vigour and conviction. One of the unsung heroes of British television, Anthony Bate passed away in June 2012 at the age of 84. - Actor
- Director
- Producer
George was born in August, 1994 in Redditch, West Midlands. After discovering his passion for acting as a teenager he went on to study Acting at Stratford-Upon-Avon College.
He spent 2 years in Shakespeare's home town of Stratford-upon-Avon studying Classical and contemporary acting. During his time there he was fortunate enough to work closely with the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company).- Trevor Byfield was born on 20 October 1943 in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for GoldenEye (1995), Inspector Morse (1987) and The Final Option (1982). He was married to Janet Offor. He died on 11 October 2017 in the UK.
- Actor
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Drewe Henley was born in 1940 in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, UK. He was an actor and director, known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Wuthering Heights (1967) and Space: 1999 (1975). He was married to Linda Lee Henley, Felicity Kendal and Jacqueline Pearce. He died on 14 February 2016 in Exeter, Devon, England, UK.- Actor
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
Vincenzo Nicoli was born in Worcester, Worcestershire, on July 27, 1958, to immigrants from Apulia, Italy. He took acting classes for a three year period at the Royal Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, for which he had graduated with an acting degree. He is married to actress Heather Bleasdale, and has a daughter named Ella Nicoli-Horne, whom he had from a previous marriage.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Alistair McGowan, the master of mimicry, was born Alistair Charles McGowan in Evesham, Worcestershire, Great Britain. He is an actor, writer and producer. He attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama at the Barbican in London. There he studied alongside Ewan McGregor and Daniel Craig, among others. He graduated in 1989, after a three-year course under the tutelage of Colin McCormack, the actor from the Royal Shakespeare Company.
McGowan boasts a repertoire of over one hundred impersonations, including such celebrities as Tony Blair, Prince Charles, and many others. He is best known for his work with Jan Ravens and Ronni Ancona on the Big Impression (1999), formerly known as 'Alistair McGowan's Big Impression'. The show has been popular for impressions of such celebrities as David Beckham, Angus Deayton, Ross Geller (from Friends), Gary Lineker, and other well-known public figures and characters. The show won 5 awards and 10 nominations. He also appeared in the BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens's novel 'Bleak House' and in the detective series 'Mayo' (2006).
In 2004 he launched 'the BIG recycle' national campaign urging public to reduce rubbish by recycling it. He continued a successful career of celebrity impersonator on the BBC Radio and also did re-voicing of video footages of 'The Sports Review of the Year' and 'Match of the Day' which has turned him into a sideline sporting celebrity. Two releases of 'Alistair McGowan's Football Backchat' were best sellers in both comedy and sports video charts.- Mark Burns was born on 30 March 1936 in Worcestershire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Stardust (2007), House of the Living Dead (1974) and Count Dracula (1977). He was married to Jane How and Paulene Stone. He died on 8 May 2007 in London, England, UK.
- Edward Bennett was born in 1979 in Honeybourne, Worcestershire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for War Horse (2011), Napoleon (2023) and Royal Shakespeare Company: Love's Labour's Lost (2015).
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Norman Pace was born on 17 February 1953 in Dudley, Worcestershire, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for A Pinch of Snuff (1994), The Young Ones (1982) and Three of a Kind (1981). He has been married to Beverley since 27 December 1976. They have three children.- Director
- Writer
- Editor
Robert James Hamer was born in 1911 along with his twin sister Barbara, the son of Owen Dyke Hamer, a bank clerk, and his wife, Annie Grace Brickell. He was educated at Cambridge University where he wrote some poetry and was published in a collection 'Contemporaries and Their Maker', along with the spy Donald Maclean.
Hamer's cinematic career began as a clapper boy at London Films in 1934, and by 1938 he was on the editing staff. He worked as an editor on Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn (1939) and worked briefly for the GPO Film Unit. He joined Ealing in 1941 as an editor, becoming an associate producer in 1943. He first made a name for himself as a director with the "The Haunted Mirror" segment in the 1945 omnibus film Dead of Night (1945).
At Ealing he directed one of the classic British comedies, Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), in which Alec Guinness played eight roles. Hamer was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 1949 Venice Film Festival for his work on the film, as he was in 1954 for directing Guinness in The Detective (1954), which was based on G.K. Chesterton's short stories (Hamer also also directed Guinness in the 1955 romantic comedy To Paris with Love (1955) at Rank and the thriller The Scapegoat (1959), which was based on the Daphne Du Maurier novel, for Du Maurier-Guinness/MGM).
Hamer's last directorial effort was 1960's School for Scoundrels (1960) with Terry-Thomas and Alastair Sim. He died in London on December 4, 1963, and was buried at Llandegley.- Producer
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Ruth England resided in London for two decades before marrying Mykel Hawke. They moved to New Orleans and Austin and now reside in tropical South Florida.
She has traveled to over 100 countries in her TV career. She is best known in the UK for Wish You Were Here...? (1974) and in the US for Man, Woman, Wild (2010) and Lost Survivors (2013).- Jeremy Akerman was born in 1942 in Alvechurch, Worcestershire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Hobo with a Shotgun (2011), Forgive Me (2013) and K-19: The Widowmaker (2002).
- Actor
- Producer
Since graduating RADA in 2008 he has appeared in several shows in the West End (A View From The Bridge, Matilda, Enron, Groundhog Day), as well as appearing on television in Italian, American and British productions.
Most notable was his outing as the real-life mobster Paul Kelly (a well-spoken "gentlemen mob boss," and founder of the notorious Five Points Gang) in the TNT/Netflix adaptation of Caleb Carr's novel "The Alienist".
He is currently seen in the ITVX Drama Litvinenko and begins production on an HBO project this spring.- Richard Wordsworth was born on 19 January 1915 in Halesowen, Worcestershire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Nicholas Nickleby (1957), Song of Norway (1970) and R3 (1964). He died on 21 November 1993 in Kendal, Cumbria, England, UK.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Shend was born on 17 November 1957 in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Torchwood (2006), Revolver (2005) and Pusher (2012).- Music Department
- Actor
- Composer
John Bonham is still regularly voted in polls as the greatest and most influential rock drummer of all time, an opinion which has also been expressed by the likes of Roger Taylor of Queen, Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
He started playing drums at the age of five using a makeshift kit and later progressed to real drums. His influences included great American jazz drummers such as Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. He played in a series of bands and formed an association with Robert Plant through Band of Joy, who combined blues, psychedelics and extended musical workouts. According to Plant: "Bonzo was totally and absolutely devoted to getting it right. Everything that he listened to he could go beyond, not only could he recreate it but he could take it somewhere new. He knew that he was a powerhouse among drummers... we seemed to have a great affinity for each other."
Although Bonham and Plant went their separate ways after Band of Joy, they reunited in The Yardbirds, which already featured Jimmy Page. John Paul Jones joined and this led to the formation of Led Zeppelin, who released their first album in 1969. They went on to become the biggest rock band of the 1970s, achieving extraordinary success in the United States in particular.
Bonham died aged 32 in 1980. He had a reputation as a heavy drinker and had consumed too much vodka in the 24 hours before his death, which caused vomiting and asphyxiation. The coroner returned a verdict of accidental death. Led Zeppelin announced they were finished as a band. According to Page, the band could not have continued without him, he was so integral to their sound. They didn't play again as Led Zeppelin until Live Aid (1985), which included Plant's solo drummer Phil Collins and The Power Station's Tony Thompson replacing him in a performance which has been disowned by the band. Bonham's son, Jason Bonham, has become a successful drummer himself and a member of Led Zeppelin for subsequent reunion performances.- Royle started show business as an acrobat, performing as a member of the group "The Adonis Three". After studying at the Royal Academy of Art, he performed in London's West End and on television as the acrobatic Dr. Hogg in the 1970s series "Hogg's Back".
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Joe Street was born on 19 April 1988 in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for The House of Violent Desire (2018), Escape from Cannibal Farm (2017) and Kingdom of Evan (2016).- Nigel Mansell was born on 8 August 1953 in Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire, England, United Kingdom. He is an actor, known for Formula 1 (1950), 1 (2013) and International Pro-Celebrity Golf (1975). He has been married to Roseanne since 1975. They have three children.
- Casting Department
- Casting Director
- Additional Crew
Laura Windows was born on 16 February 1980 in Worcestershire, England, UK. She is a casting director, known for Green Zone (2010), Jupiter Ascending (2015) and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016).- Rob Edwards was born on 24 May 1949 in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Hamlet (1996), The Fourth Arm (1983) and An Englishman's Castle (1978).
- Music Artist
- Composer
- Actress
Becky Hill was born on 14 February 1994 in Bewdley, Worcestershire, England, UK. She is a music artist and composer, known for Rudimental Feat. Becky Hill: Powerless (2014), David Guetta & Becky Hill & Ella Henderson: Crazy What Love Can Do (Acoustic Version) (2022) and David Guetta & Becky Hill & Ella Henderson: Crazy What Love Can Do (2022).- Actress
- Producer
British actress and model Iskra Lawrence was born in Worcestershire, England to a Northern Irish mother and an English father. She was educated at Bromsgrove School and was accepted into The National Youth Theatre at age 15. She also successfully auditioned and was accepted to train at the ITV/BBC Television Workshop in Birmingham. She is a Brand Ambassador for NEDA (National Eating Disorder Association) USA and is the Managing Editor of Runway Riot a Dan Abrams premier fashion site for curvy females.- Actress
- Writer
Zoë Lister was born in 1982 in Redditch, Worcestershire, England, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for Hollyoaks (1995), Hollyoaks Later (2008) and Midsomer Murders (1997).- Dow, a 38 year old Arian, was born in Birmingham and now lives in North London with his wife and three sons. His first taste of acting came when he when he joined the National Youth Theatre at 14. After completing his 'A' Levels, Jo took a year off before attending and graduating from the Guildhall Drama School. Jo credits his role as Under Secretary, Tim, in the BBC's No Job for a Lady (1990) with Penelope Keith as his first big television break. His previous television appearances include roles as P.C. Stringer in _"Bill, The" (1983)_, James Mortimer in Cardiac Arrest (1994) with Helen Baxendale and Flt. Lieutenant Jim Radcliffe in BBC's Invasion Earth (1998). His three sons are called Evan, Rory and Lorca.
- Penelope McGhie was born in 1960 in Worcestershire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007).
- Casting Director
- Casting Department
Emma Style was born on 15 May 1962 in Broadway, Worcestershire, England, UK. She was a casting director, known for Exam (2009), Creep (2004) and Retreat (2011). She died on 17 December 2012 in Cookham, Berkshire, England, UK.- Additional Crew
- Producer
- Actress
Sophie Neville is an award-winning writer with a number of books to her name. She became well known for playing Titty in the 1974 movie of 'Swallows and Amazons' but opted to work in television production, writing much of her own material. Sophie made her first documentary for Channel 4 whilst driving from London to Johannesburg and by the age of 27 was directing drama-documentaries for BBC Television. After spending 13 weeks on the Ealing film stages as director of FX and animation on a 10-part drama, she began directing comedies featuring small children and produced an 'Inset' series. Emigrating to southern Africa in 1992, she worked freelance for the BBC setting up wildlife documentaries in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. She married in 2004 and settled on the south coast of England to concentrate on adapting true stories for the screen. Sophie is a founder of The Waterberg Trust that uplifts young people in a corner of rural Africa. She has a BA Honours in Anthropology, is a fellow of the Endangered Wildlife Society and Director of Witness Films Ltd.- Jill Damas was born in Worcestershire, England, UK. She is known for The Bunny Caper (1974), Can You Keep It Up for a Week? (1974) and Zodiac (1974).
- Adrian Chiles was born on 21 March 1967 in Hagley, Worcestershire, England, UK. He is a writer and actor, known for Sex Lives of the Potato Men (2004), That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006) and Rev. (2010). He was previously married to Jane Garvey.
- David Markham was born on 3 April 1913 in Wick, Worcestershire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Tales from the Crypt (1972), Day for Night (1973) and Tess (1979). He was married to Olive Dehn. He died on 15 December 1983 in Coleman's Hatch, East Sussex, England, UK.
- Patrick Aherne was born on 6 January 1901 in King's Norton, Worcestershire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Huntingtower (1927), The Court Jester (1955) and The Game Chicken (1926). He was married to Anne Kocsis and Renee Houston. He died on 30 September 1970 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Parry grew up in Hollywood in Birmingham. He studied drama at Stratford Upon Avon college before going on to the University of West London. He had his television debut in Hollyoaks Later where he played the character of Harry Thompson, before joining the show as a regular. He recently ended his 4 year stint on Hollyoaks when his character was killed of in late 2019.
- Michael Holden was born on 15 June 1946 in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Strange Report (1969), Please Sir! (1968) and The Owl Service (1969). He died on 23 September 1977 in Westminster, London, England, UK.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Director
Nancy Price was born on 3 February 1880 in Kinver, Worcestershire, England, UK. She was an actress and director, known for The Speckled Band (1931), The Stars Look Down (1940) and Down Our Street (1932). She was married to Charles Maude. She died on 31 March 1970 in Worthing, Sussex, England, UK.- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Edward Elgar was born on June 2, 1857, in Broadheath, near Worcester, where his father named William Elgar, was a music shop owner and a piano technician. Elgar was the fourth of six children. He was self-taught in all musical instruments, that were at his disposal in his father's shop, and he studied all the sheet music available in the shop.
Unrestricted by rules of "teaching", he remained highly original in developing his unique musical personality, that allowed him to surpass the other leading composers of his time. But having no teachers who would connect him into the entrenched musical establishment, it took all his genius, persistence and determination to advance through the rigid class structure of Victorian society. In 1889 Elgar married his student, Alice Roberts, daughter of the late General Sir Henry Roberts. She married beneath herself in opposition to her relatives. Alice played a vital role in Elgar's career by keeping a dogged faith in his genius.
Elgar was 42 when his "Enigma Variations" (1899) was premiered in London and brought him the first big success outside of his native Worcester. The performance of "The Dream of Gerontius" (1900) at the Rhine Festival in Dusseldorf earned him highest praise from Richard Strauss, who considered Elgar as the first English progressive musician.
The Coronation Ode "Land of Hope and Glory" came from his first "Pomp and Circumstance March" in D major (1901). Elgar prophesied: "I've got a tune that will knock'em-knock'em flat!... a tune like that comes once in a lifetime..." This piece became extremely popular and was later used in more than 30 films. In 1904 an all-Elgar festival was held at Covent Garden. In July of 1904, Elgar was knighted by King Edward VII.
Spending the winter of 1907-08 in Italy, Elgar composed the "Symphony No 1" in A flat. In just one year it had 100 performances all over Europe and in America, Australia and Russia, and was compared to the symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven. The "Symphony No 2" in E flat was written during 1909-1911. It was dedicated to the memory of King Edward VII and was considered by many the greatest of Elgar's symphonic works.
Elgar's incidental music for a children's play "The Starlight Express" (1915) and his patriotic "The Spirit of England" (1917) on the war poems by Laurence Binyon preceded his last great masterpiece, the elegiac "Cello Concerto" in E minor (1919). It was used as a main theme in Hilary and Jackie (1998).
The death of Alice Elgar in 1920 took away much of Elgar's inspiration and will to write music. He made a series of studio recordings of his works for HMV. In 1928 he was created Knight Commander of the Victorian Order (K.C.V.O.). In 1933 he recorded his "Violin Concerto" in B minor with then young Yehudi Menuhin and a few weeks later both flew to Paris for performances of this concerto. Elgar died on February 23, 1934 and was laid to rest beside his wife.- Nicola was born and raised in Worcestershire, England. Her father raced Motorcycle's professionally and her mother was a Microbiologist. She moved to London at the age of 18 and was approached in the street by Coca Cola UK to star in a TV commercial to introduce a new drink called Sprite. Nicola went on to star in TV commercials for Ford Cars, Rimmel, L'Oreal, Schwartzkopt, Pantene, Oil Of Olay, Sunkisk, Elizabeth Shaw Chocolates etc. She moved to Australia with her Australian boyfriend and landed a regular role on the TV series Neighbours (1985) playing the notorious Sarah Beaumont. She remained with the show for 15 years. Her next role was playing Belinda in the Australian movie Muggers (2000).