Hollywood
Richard Attenborough, director of ‘Gandhi,’ dies at 90
MUMBAI: Oscar-winning British filmmaker Richard Attenborough, renowned for his critically-acclaimed biopic on Mahatma Gandhi, died on 24 August 2014 after his long illness. The death of the 90 year old was confirmed by his son, according to BBC.
Paying his tribute, British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: “His acting in Brighton Rock was brilliant, his directing of Gandhi was stunning – Richard Attenborough was one of the greats of cinema.”
In London, he was the original detective in Agatha Christie’s play The Mousetrap. On the British screen, he made an early mark as the sociopath Pinkie Brown in an adaptation of Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock (1947). His acting CV consisted movies like The Great Escape (1963), In Which We Serve (1942), Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) etc. To a later generation, he was well known as the scientist-entrepreneur who clones dinosaur DNA in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park (1993).
He won back-to-back Golden Globe Awards for best supporting actor, in The Sand Pebbles (1966), also starring McQueen, set during China’s civil war in the 1920s, and Doctor Dolittle (1967), playing Albert Blossom, a circus owner, alongside Rex Harrison as the veterinarian who talks to animals.
But for most of Attenborough’s later career, his acting was sporadic while he devoted much of his time to directing. Gandhi (1982), an epic but intimate biographical film, was his greatest triumph. Gandhi was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won eight, including best picture, best director, best cinematography, best original screenplay and best actor. The film had 430 speaking parts and used over 300,000 extras for Gandhi’s funeral. No one expected it to recoup its $22 million cost, but it wound up earning 20 times that amount.
Richard Samuel Attenborough was born in Cambridge on 29 August 1923, the eldest son of Frederick Attenborough, an Anglo-Saxon scholar who became the principal of University College, Leicester, and his wife, Mary, a writer who crusaded for women’s rights and took in Basque and German refugees.
Leaving school at 16, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and eventually married a fellow student, Sheila Sim, who became a well-known actress herself before abandoning the theater to look after their three children and become a magistrate.
Attenborough leaves behind his wife, son Michael and daughter Charlotte. His eldest daughter Jane was killed alongside her mother-in-law Jane and her daughter Lucy in the 2004 tsunami.
Hollywood
Who won what at the Oscars 2026? Full winners list from the 98th Academy Awards
A night of history, high drama, and gingery wit at the 98th Academy Awards
LOS ANGELES: If the 98th Academy Awards taught us anything, it is that Hollywood still loves a tortured genius and a well-timed ginger joke. While the night was technically a coronation for Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling war drama One Battle After Another, the real battle was fought in the stalls of the Dolby Theatre as host Conan O’Brien unleashed a monologue that was part roast, part group therapy session.
The evening belonged to the cinematic heavyweights. One Battle After Another lived up to its title, clinching Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Anderson, the perennial bridesmaid of the Oscars, finally took home the big prizes, cementing his status as the industry’s favourite auteur.
In the acting categories, Michael B. Jordan made history. Winning Best Actor for his visceral performance in the supernatural thriller Sinners, he became only the fourth Black man to win the trophy. His speech was a masterclass in humility, though he spared a moment to thank his trainer for “making me look like I could actually fight a demon.”
The history books were rewritten several times over. Autumn Durald Arkapaw shattered a long-standing glass ceiling by becoming the first woman to win Best Cinematography for Sinners. Meanwhile, the newly minted Best Achievement in Casting category saw its inaugural trophy go to the ensemble of One Battle After Another.
Returning to the stage with his signature quiff and self-deprecating bite, Conan O’Brien did not hold back. He began by acknowledging the elephant in the room: his own presence.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he quipped. “Why is the ghost of a Victorian chimney sweep hosting the Oscars? It’s because AI is too expensive and I work for sandwiches.”
The controversy kicked off when he turned his sights on the Best Visual Effects nominees. Pointing at the Avatar: Fire and Ash table, he remarked:
“James Cameron has spent so much money on blue people that the actual ocean is now jealous of his budget. Jim, at some point, you have to admit this is just a very expensive aquarium hobby.”
He also took a cheeky swipe at the trend of method acting, specifically targeting Sean Penn.
“Sean stayed in character for so long that his own family had to serve him a subpoena just to get him to come to Sunday roast,” O’Brien joked, to a mix of nervous titters and Penn’s trademark stony glare.
The night was not without its “did he really say that?” moments. During a bit about the length of the telecast, O’Brien noted that the show was running so long that:
“By the time we get to Best Picture, the winner will have already been rebooted as a gritty limited series on Max.”
He also touched on the industry’s obsession with youth, pointing at a young starlet and saying:
“You’re so young that your first memory is actually a TikTok of this monologue.”
While most took it in stride, some critics on social media called the joke “typical boomer energy,” though O’Brien seemed entirely unfazed.
The full winners’ circle:
Best Picture: One Battle After Another
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan (Sinners)
Best Actress: Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)
Best Supporting Actor: Sean Penn (One Battle After Another)
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan (Weapons)
Best Animated Feature: K-Pop: Demon Hunters
Best Original Song: “Golden” from K-Pop: Demon Hunters
As the curtains closed and the A-list headed for the after-parties, the mood was one of relief. Hollywood had managed to celebrate its past while poking fun at its increasingly digital future. Whether the night belonged to the war heroes of PTA or the witty barbs of a tall redhead remains a matter of debate.
