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1-50 of 155
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jason Watkins was born on 28 October 1966 in Albrighton, Shropshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Crown (2016), Des (2020) and The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies (2014). He has been married to Clara Francis since January 2014. They have three children. He was previously married to Caroline Harding.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Blackthorne's first film role was as Captain Andrew Russell in the Oscar-nominated Bollywood film Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001). He spent six months learning Hindi for the role. He also starred in Mindcrime (2003) and the festival-winning indie feature length film Four Corners of Suburbia (2005), winner of both the Crossroads Film Festival in Best Narrative Feature (2006) and in the category of Best Composer at the Avignon Film Festival, Avignon, France (2006). Additional indie film credits include This Is Not an Exit: The Fictional World of Bret Easton Ellis (1999), and a starring role in the British film The Truth Game (2001). Blackthorne appeared as Jonas Exiler in Special (2006), with Michael Rapaport. Blackthorne's directorial debut This American Journey (2013) was released in 2013. The road trip documentary film follows Blackthorne and Australian photographer Mister Basquali as they travel across America interviewing everyday Americans about how they feel about their country and their hopes for its future. The film was featured at the Hollywood, Carmel, Ojai and Big Bear Film Festivals. It was released through Cinema Libre Studios.- Laurie Kynaston was born on 24 February 1994 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Cradle to Grave (2015), Fool Me Once (2024) and Intrigo: Dear Agnes (2019).
- Actor
- Soundtrack
A true character actor in the best sense of the word, offbeat British thespian Peter Vaughan's hefty frame could appear intimidating or benevolent; his mere presence menacing or avuncular. Adept at playing both sides of the law, his characters usually possessed a strange, somewhat wary countenance that seemed to keep his audience slightly off balance. This veteran actor has been a stalwart presence for nearly fifty years. Born Peter Ohm in 1923, he began on the stage and didn't enter films until 1959, well into his thirties.
Married in 1952 to rising actress Billie Whitelaw, Peter was primarily in the background at first, offering a cheapjack gallery of thugs, unsmiling cops, and foreign agents in movies. An easily unsympathetic bloke, he played unbilled policemen in his first two films, then slowly gravitated up the credits list. He appeared as the chief of police in the spy drama The Devil's Agent (1962), which also featured his wife, and then gained a bit more attention in a prime part as an offbeat insurance investigator in the B movie Smokescreen (1964), a role that propelled him into the higher ranks. Noticeably shady roles came with playing Tallulah Bankhead's seedy handyman who meets a fatal end in the Gothic horror Die! Die! My Darling! (1965) [aka Die! Die! My Darling!]; his villainous roles in the spy thrillers The Naked Runner (1967) opposite Frank Sinatra and The Man Outside (1967); a German thug in A Twist of Sand (1968); and Sgt. Walker in The Bofors Gun (1968).
Divorced from Whitelaw in 1966, he later married actress Lillias Walker, who had roles in a couple of his pictures: Malachi's Cove (1973) and Intimate Reflections (1975). TV became a large source of income for Vaughan in the 1970s, particularly in his role of Grouty in Porridge (1974) on both the large and small screen, and his quirky demeanor fitted like a glove for bizarre director Terry Gilliam, who cast him as the Ogre in Time Bandits (1981) and then as Mr. Helpman in Brazil (1985). For the past few decades he has maintained a healthy balance between film (including standout roles in Zulu Dawn (1979), The Remains of the Day (1993) and The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004)) and TV mini-movies, both contemporary and period. He was still performing into his 90s: his final role was Maester Aemon Targaryen in HBO's Game of Thrones (2011).
He died at age 93 on December 6, 2016, in Sussex, England.- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Jesse Armstrong was born on 13 December 1970 in Oswestry, Shropshire, England, UK. He is a writer and producer, known for In the Loop (2009), Four Lions (2010) and Fresh Meat (2011).- Billy Postlethwaite was born in 1989 in Shropshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), Tomb Raider (2018) and 1917 (2019).
- Actress
- Soundtrack
A brash character actress who specialized in cinema, television, and theater, Hermione Youlanda Ruby Clinton-Baddeley was born on November 13, 1906 in Broseley, Shropshire. She was the youngest of four sisters - including Angela Baddeley, also an actress - and her half-brother, Very Rev William Baddeley, was a Church of England Minister.
Not much is known about Baddeley's early life. She made her stage debut in 1918, and became popular in London stage comedies and revues prior to World War II, known for her dancing talent and natural comic ability. She memorably performed several times with Hermione Gingold. Baddeley made her film debut in 1927, with a role in the extremely obscure silent comedy A Daughter in Revolt (1927), but didn't come to attention until twenty years later, when she portrayed the affable but blowzy Ida in the film noir Brighton Rock (1948).
Known for her memorable character roles, Baddeley dabbled in such movies as Passport to Pimlico (1949), A Christmas Carol (1951), Tom Brown's Schooldays (1951), The Pickwick Papers (1952), The Belles of St. Trinian's (1954), Mary Poppins (1964), and The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964). She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her acid-tongued performance in Room at the Top (1958). At two minutes and thirty-two seconds, it is the shortest performance to ever be nominated for the award.
Baddeley became a household favorite for her role as irritable cockney housekeeper Mrs. Naugatuck on the '70s comedy series Maude (1972). She landed guest spots on multiple other shows, including but not limited to Hancock's Half Hour (1956), The Patty Duke Show (1963), Bewitched (1964), Night Gallery (1969), The Bionic Woman (1976), The Love Boat (1977), Charlie's Angels (1976), Wonder Woman (1975), Fantasy Island (1977), and Magnum, P.I. (1980).
Baddeley's two marriages failed, and she had a daughter, Pauline Tennant, from her first. She was in a long-term relationship with actor Laurence Harvey until he left her for Margaret Leighton, and died on August 19, 1986 at the age of 79 following a series of strokes.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
MJ Bassett is an English screenwriter, director and producer of feature film and television.
As a teenager in the UK, MJ's ambition was to become a wildlife vet. She was a veterinary assistant throughout her teenage years and was the youngest person in the UK to be granted a license to run a wildlife rehabilitation centre. On leaving school she became a wildlife photographer and documentary maker before being asked to appear on TV to talk about science and nature. She was the host of various nature and science programs before moving into writing and directing drama.
A lover of genre story telling, her first feature film was the World War One horror, DEATHWATCH, Starring Jamie Bell, Matthew Rhys and Andy Serkis.
Following the success of Deathwatch, MJ directed the survival-horror feature WILDERNESS with Toby Kebbell and Sean Pertwee, and then adapted and directed the heroic fantasy-adventure SOLOMON KANE, starring James Purefoy, Max Von Sydow and Pete Postlethwaite based on the classic fantasy novellas by 'Conan' creator Robert E. Howard. MJ followed that with the video game adaptation SILENT HILL:REVELATION, shot in 3D and starring Sean Bean, Adelaide Clemens and Kit Harrington.
After that MJ began directing in television. Initially guest directing episodes of the Cinemax/HBO/Sky military action show STRIKE BACK. She was invited to become lead director and ultimately executive producer of the show which ran for multiple seasons. MJ pushed the action, scale and intensity beyond any other show of its kind on TV. During this time she also directed the first season finale of Starz' show, DaVINCI'S DEMONS, created by David Goyer.
Additional television credits include such shows as POWER for Starz, IRON FIST for Marvel/Netflix, NIGHTFLYERS, based on the George R.R. Martin novel for Syfy with Doug Liman's 'Hypnotic' productions, ASH VS EVIL DEAD for Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert at Starz where MJ was also a writer and co-ep, taking over the director reigns from Sam Raimi following his pilot. Other credits also include THE PLAYER, starring Phil Winchester and Wesley Snipes for NBC and TAKEN, again for NBC with Europacorp, the first season finale of REACHER for Amazon/Skydance, ALTERED CARBON for Netflix/Skydance and the TERMINAL LIST for Amazon/MRC amongst numerous other television credits.
Her recent feature credits include ROGUE, an Africa set action thriller starring Megan Fox and ENDANGERED SPECIES starring Rebecca Romjin and Philip Winchester. Both movies have strong environmental and conservation themes. In 2023 she is in post production on Millenium Films' RED SONJA set for release in 2024.
MJ came out as transgender in 2018. She spends a great deal of time shooting on locations around the world and divides her time between the UK and home in the hills of Topanga Canyon just outside Los Angeles.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Emily Bevan was born on 11 August 1982 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for In the Flesh (2013), The Casual Vacancy (2015) and Doc Martin (2004).- Amir Wilson was born on 6 February 2004 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Secret Garden (2020) and The Kid Who Would Be King (2019).
- Actress
- Producer
Natalie Lisinska burst onto the Canadian acting scene soon after graduating from Toronto Metropolitan University Theatre School, when she was cast as the lead in "At the Hotel", a series directed by Ken Finkleman for the CBC. Other leading roles soon followed. Adept at both comedy and drama, Natalie was the series lead of "Insecurity" (CBC) for two seasons and won a Canadian Screen Award for her recurring role in the acclaimed dramatic series "Orphan Black" (BBC America). Natalie has worked extensively in Canadian film and television including leading roles on "The Lake" (Prime Video), "Northern Rescue" (Netflix/CBC), "The Expanse" (SyFy), "Mary Kills People" (Global) and "Young People F*cking" (Maple Pictures). A bright light wherever she goes, Natalie is energized and grounded by the live wires at home, her always hilarious son and actor/writer husband, Matthew MacFadzean.- Holly Davidson was born on 26 April 1980 in Shropshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj (2006), The Broker's Man (1997) and Casualty (1986).
- Actress
- Soundtrack
English character actress with a penchant for genteel aristocrats and kindly mothers. The daughter of teachers, she "spent some time selling shoes in Reading" before entering the acting profession. Aged eighteen, she studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made her debut in repertory theatre at Amersham in 1955. Rosemary Leach enjoyed a prolific and varied career in both supporting and leading roles on the screen (though, by her own account, preferred radio and the stage). She became a familiar presence, most notably in television period dramas and sitcoms. Her roles have included Queen Victoria in Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic (1978) (she also played Queen Elizabeth II on at least four occasions on both stage and screen),scatterbrained Aunt Fenny in The Jewel in the Crown (1984) (which fostered her fascination with India and resulted in several subsequent visits) , the swindled widow Joan Plumleigh-Bruce -- victim of 1930's social climbing con man Ralph Ernest Gorse -- in The Charmer (1987), one of three nannies working for wealthy families in Edwardian London's exclusive Berkeley Square (1998),the verger's wife, Mrs. Tope, in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1993) and Zoë Wanamaker's habitually Martini-imbibing mother Grace in My Family (2000). She was twice nominated for BAFTA awards, latterly as Best Supporting Actress for her role as the kindly Mrs. Honeychurch in A Room with a View (1985). Her own personal favourite roles have included Miss Adelaide in a 1973 Birmingham Repertory Theatre production of "Guys and Dolls" and that of eccentric real life author Helene Hanff in "84 Charing Cross Road" (1981, Ambassador Theatre, London) for which she received an Olivier Award as Best Actress.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Christian Brassington was born on 6 June 1983 in Wellington, Shropshire, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Redemption (2013), Easy Virtue (2008) and Jolt (2021). He has been married to Jennie Fava since 21 September 2013.- Norman Jones was born on 16 June 1932 in Donnington, Telford, Shropshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for You Only Live Twice (1967), The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) and Curtain of Fear (1964). He died on 23 April 2013 in Newport, Shropshire, England, UK.
- Jonathan Holmes was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, UK. He is known for InuYasha the Movie 3: Swords of an Honorable Ruler (2003), Stargate SG-1 (1997) and Hulk Vs. (2009).
- Actor
- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
Actor, playwright and game show panellist, the son of an antiques dealer. Jones was educated at Ellesmere College where he first performed in school plays. At age sixteen he made an unsuccessful stab at acting on the professional stage at the Wolverhampton Grand but was fired after just one performance. Putting in the hard yards to improve on his acting skills he subsequently worked for BBC radio and then in regional repertory theatre, prior to making his debut at London's West End Haymarket Theatre in a 1942 production of George Bernard Shaws 'The Doctor's Dilemma'. During the 1950's and 60's, Jones also contributed scripts for BBC radio, as well as writing and directing plays, though none of the latter met with more than moderate success. There were also a handful of film appearances, invariably in small parts. A tendency for understating his performances possibly limited his chances for a more substantial career in this medium. Just prior to playing a barman in Dead of Night (1945), Jones suffered a bout of pneumonia and was told by a doctor at Brompton hospital, that he'd have to give up acting altogether. Luckily, he ignored that advice...
His breakthrough finally arrived in the shape of a highbrow radio comedy -- "In All Directions" -- which he co-wrote and acted in alongside Peter Ustinov. This witty, much improvised program (1952-55) foreshadowed the future Jones screen personae and, over the years, acquired a cult status akin to 'The Goon Show'. His penchant for unhesitating delivery and cultivated banter also made him a popular long-running contestant on the BBC game show "Just a Minute". His fame on radio effectively flowed on to television, where, from the 1960's, he appeared in a variety of droll, frustrated or mildly befuddled roles.
Jones's characters were often avuncular or affable. This applied even to his would-be criminal mastermind Eddie of BBC 1's sitcom Mr. Big (1974), in which he co-starred with Prunella Scales. One of his most memorable parts was that of clothing manufacturer Harold Fenner, perpetually pinned on the defensive by his combative shop steward Miriam Karlin in The Rag Trade (1961). He appeared to good effect in several other comedy series, which have fared rather less well in re-runs, but are little gems, nonetheless: as junior executive Gerald Garvey, earning rather less (much to his chagrin) than working class neighbour Harry Butt (Reg Varney) in a comedy of class distinction and jealousy, Beggar My Neighbour (1966); as pompous Gatling-Fenn in a very British comedy of manners, doing One-Upmanship (1974) with Richard Briers; and as Kevin Pork, the fruity ultra-left British Prime Minister of Whoops Apocalypse (1982) who thinks he is Superman. Back on the 'cult' side of things, Peter Jones was the smooth, matter-of-fact voice of 'The Book' in both radio and TV versions of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1981). The resulting popularity of the show led to further voice-over and radio work, notably a series of comic monologues 'by an ex-theatrical thespian', detailed in 'J. Kingston Platt's Showbiz Handbook'.
During the 1990's, Jones made only sporadic TV appearances, often in non-comedic parts. His last recurring character was that of Inspector Bradley in a little-seen, idiosyncratic crime series called The Mixer (1992), set in 1930's London. A truly genuine original in British TV comedy, Peter Jones died in Westminster, London, in April 2000 at the age of 79.- Producer
- Writer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Anna Richardson was born on 27 September 1970 in Shropshire, England, UK. She is a producer and writer, known for Three Fat Brides, One Thin Dress (2007), Scream Team (2002) and You Are What You Eat (2004).- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
- Producer
Stewart Lee was born on 5 April 1968 in Wellington, Shropshire, England, UK. He is a writer and producer, known for Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle (2009), This Morning with Richard Not Judy (1998) and Kombat Opera Presents (2007). He has been married to Bridget Christie since 2006. They have two children.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Producer
Lol Crawley was born on 2 November 1974 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, UK. Lol is a cinematographer and producer, known for Four Lions (2010), White Noise (2022) and The Devil All the Time (2020).- Christopher Goh was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Secret Invasion (2023), The Romanoffs (2018) and Hunter Killer (2018).
- Rosie Dwyer was born on 22 July 1996 in Wrekin, Shropshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Death on the Nile (2022), Sex Education (2019) and The A List (2018).
- Actor
- Writer
Gary Watson was born on 13 June 1930 in Shifnal, Shropshire, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for The Devil in the Fog (1968), The River Flows East (1962) and Doctor Who (1963).- Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
Jonathan Barlow was born on 3 January 1956 in Telford, Shropshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Springhill (1996), Making Out (1989) and The Practice (1985). He was married to Lynne ?. He died on 10 January 2014 in London, England, UK.- Director
- Production Manager
- Producer
Born in England on Christmas Day, 1905, Lewis Allen first came on the show-biz scene when he was appointed executive in charge of West End and Broadway stage productions for famed impresario Gilbert Miller. Allen also co-directed some of the productions (including the celebrated "Victoria Regina" with Helen Hayes and Vincent Price) before he was lured to Hollywood by Paramount studio head Buddy G. DeSylva. The Uninvited (1944), based on Dorothy Macardle's best-selling novel, made for an auspicious directing debut; its success prompted an immediate follow-up, the suspense thriller The Unseen (1945) (with a script by Raymond Chandler). Otherwise, his filmography leans heavily toward "tough guy" movies of the Alan Ladd-George Raft-Edward G. Robinson school. Allen also directed much TV (Perry Mason (1957), The Big Valley (1965), Mission: Impossible (1966), Little House on the Prairie (1974), many more).