Category: Biography
-
Movie Review – Belfast
Sometimes things things just fall into place in a nicely convenient way. I was part way through writing one of my short biography pieces, this time about Judi Dench. I’d seen quite a few of her films and a number of interviews with her on TV, usually thanks to Graham Norton! However, I hadn’t seen…
-
Best Of British Biographies – Leslie Phillips
—
in BiographyYet again I have my rigorously scheduled writing plans thrown to the wind by another death. Believe it or believe it not, I do plan these things! This time it is not such a surprise though. Leslie Phillips CBE was ninety eight years old and had been ill for some time. Perhaps he isn’t as…
-
Best Of British Biographies – Emma Thompson
—
in BiographyWho knows who she could have been. God, an FBI trainee, a bunny boiler, and, arguably, the world’s most famous flasher. Instead she’s been the Prime Minister, the First Lady, a professor, and a number of queens. “What is the daft old fool rabbiting on about now?” you’re probably wondering. Quite simply, those are some…
-
Best Of British Biographies – Robbie Coltrane
—
in BiographyIn 2006 the Loch Ness monster, Robert Burns, Sean Connery, Robert the Bruce, and William Wallace were placed as the top five in a poll of UK adults looking for the most famous Scot. The person who was placed sixth was Robbie Coltrane. I have only just finished a biographical piece following the death of…
-
Best Of British Biographies – Angela Lansbury
—
in BiographyLast night I heard the sad news of the passing of Angela Lansbury. As is my habit, I posted something along the lines of “Aww…Angela Lansbury has died” to my FaceBook page. Usually that just means a few people add a “Sad” react emoji and that’s about it. This time, though, there were comments along…
-
Best Of British Biographies – Bill Nighy
—
Ah, Bill Nighy. I’ve used phrases like chameleonic before but Bill Nighy is not quite that sort of actor. That doesn’t mean he isn’t versatile though. He has played a wide range of characters: a formerly addicted pop star, the minister for magic, a Regency gent, the embodiment of the oceanic abyss, a Victorian detective,…
-
Best of British Biographies – Ewan McGregor
—
in BiographyA long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… Well, a bit over fifty years ago on the banks of the River Tay in Scotland, Ewan Gordon McGregor OBE was born. His parents were both teachers so we are very lucky that he didn’t decide to follow in their footsteps. If he had, we…
-
Best Of British Biographies – Danny Boyle
—
I’m sure that I’ve said somewhere else that, way back in the nineties, I bought a house based mainly on the proximity to the Davenport Theatre. It was couple of hundred metres away and I could walk around, get a pint or two, and watch a film. As the name suggests, it was originally a…
-
Best Of British Biographies – David Warner
—
in BiographyIt was quite sad to hear, today, of the death at the age of eighty of David Warner. To be honest, though, most people with only a passing interest in cinema might say “David who?” But it would only take a quick look at a photo of him in one of his many film roles…
-
Best of British Biographies – Tom Hiddleston
There’s an astronomical term known as the standard candle. This is an astronomical object that has a known absolute magnitude. By knowing this you can use it to compare with other objects and, therefore, work out how big and bright they are. For me, Tom Hiddleston is something of a standard candle in that we’re…
