Great Britons
ELIZABETH DAVID, food and drink writer, 1913-1992
Elizabeth David revolutionised the art of home cooking. She had a strong mind and rebelled against her upper-class background. She studied in Paris, and on her return to London, she became an actress before sailing to Greece and Egypt. Flavours of the Mediterranean often infl uenced her recipes when this style of cooking was rarely used in Britain.
She wrote for The Sunday Times and opened a kitchen shop, which famously didn’t stock garlic presses. Her business partners found that her uncompromising approach to the business was unsustainable, and she left in 1973, but her cookery books are still in demand.
RICHARD DIMBLEBY, journalist and broadcaster, 1913-1965
One of the most respected fi gures in British broadcasting history, Dimbleby followed his father, Frederick, into journalism, working fi rst for The Richmond And Twickenham Times. In 1936 he joined the BBC, becoming the corporation’s first war correspondent, broadcasting the first reports from Belsen concentration camp.
His work for Panorama from 1955 developed his reputation as having the ability to describe events clearly and dramatically, and he worked until his death. Two weeks before he died, of testicular cancer, Dimbleby presented a documentary on the links between tobacco smoking and lung cancer, which helped raise awareness of the disease. The charity Dimbleby Cancer Care was set up in his memory. His sons David and Jonathan are also world-renowned broadcasters.
PETER CUSHING, actor, 1913-1994
Best known for his roles in Hammer horror films, Peter Cushing left the UK for Hollywood at the age of 26. From there he featured in a number of fi lms, including The Man In The Iron Mask and A Chump At Oxford, in which he appeared alongside Laurel and Hardy. He married the actress Helen Beck in 1943, and played Osric in Laurence Olivier’s 1948 film production of Hamlet.
His most famous roles were in Terence Fisher’s The Curse Of Frankenstein and Dracula, but he withdrew from Blood From The Mummy’s Tomb following the death of his wife. A devastated Cushing attempted to commit suicide, but was stopped by a poem left by his late wife, which urged him not to do so until he had lived his life to the full.
He later appeared in Star Wars, but in 1989 retired to Whitstable in Kent, where he wrote two autobiographies and a children’s novel.
NORMAN PARKINSON, photographer, 1913-1990
Ronald William Parkinson Smith is one of the greatest portrait and fashion photographers of all time. Born in London in 1913, he studied at Westminster School and became apprentice to court photographers Speight & Sons Ltd aged 18. By 23 he had opened his own studio with Norman Kibblewhite. His early work was diverse, ranging from photographs of debutantes to studies of Welsh mining families. In 1935, Parkinson started working for Harper’s Baazar, and revolutionised fashion photography. He replaced rigid studio environments with dynamic outdoor settings and introduced exotic backdrops, unexpected props and odd juxtapositions. He was awarded a CBE in 1981 for his contribution to fashion photography.
VIVIEN LEIGH, actress, 1913-1967
Best known for her performances in Gone With The Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire, Vivien Leigh was the only child of Ernest Young, an English offi cer in the Indian Cavalry, and Gertrude Hartley, a devout Roman Catholic. She made her acting debut aged three, reciting Little Bo Peep for her mother’s amateur theatre group and in 1931, her father enrolled 18-year-old Vivien in London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Leigh’s early career was diffi cult, and she had a turbulent relationship with Laurence Olivier. Despite this, she was a prolific stage performer and Olivier directed her in several roles, such as Juliet in Romeo And Juliet and Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire. Despite clashing with several co-stars in Gone With The Wind, Leigh received the Oscar for Best Actress in 1939. A second Best Actress award followed in 1952, for A Streetcar Named Desire.
BENJAMIN BRITTEN, composer, 1913-1976
A composer, conductor and musician, Britten’s bestknown works include Peter Grimes and The Young Person’s Guide To The Orchestra. Born in Suffolk, Britten composed his fi rst piece of music aged fi ve. After examining his work, Frank Bridge agreed to take Britten on as a composition pupil just a few weeks after his 14th birthday, following which he won a Composition Scholarship at the Royal College of Music in 1930.
Britten came to the public’s attention in 1934 with A Boy Was Born, becoming internationally renowned with Peter Grimes (1945). He declined a knighthood, but Britten did accept a life peerage in 1976, the fi rst composer to receive this honour.
MARY LEAKEY, archaeologist and anthropologist, 1913-1996
Mary Leakey is best known for her remarkable discovery of a partial skull fossil of an early human ancestor in Africa in 1960, which significantly advanced scientific knowledge of the origins of humankind.
Although she was born in London, Leakey lived all over the world as a child, during which time her father, Erskine Nicol, developed an amateur enthusiasm for Egyptology. Leakey followed in his footsteps, gaining a fouryear apprenticeship in archaeology with Dorothy Liddell, and going on to discover the largest elephant tooth in Britain at the time.
Mary met the archaeologist Louis Leakey during her time as an illustrator for his book Adam’s Ancestors. The pair married and continued to work together until Louis’ death in 1972. Following her husband’s death, Mary devoted herself to working and supporting the archaeological studies of her son, Richard.
BILL SHANKLY, footballer, 1913-1981
Born the ninth child of 10 in a mining town in Glenbuck, Scotland, William Shankly’s upbringing was povertystricken, and he worked in the mines before the pit closed and he was made redundant. But he was signed as a footballer by Carlisle United and later moved into management.
Best remembered for his successful management of Liverpool, which, under his guidance, led the club to dominate English football and they became First Division Champions in the 1963–64, 1965–66 and 1972–73 seasons.
He was awarded an OBE four months after his retirement from the club in 1974 and is fondly remembered for his frequent ‘kick abouts’ with young enthusiasts.
Elizabeth David revolutionised the art of home cooking. She had a strong mind and rebelled against her upper-class background. She studied in Paris, and on her return to London, she became an actress before sailing to Greece and Egypt. Flavours of the Mediterranean often infl uenced her recipes when this style of cooking was rarely used in Britain.
She wrote for The Sunday Times and opened a kitchen shop, which famously didn’t stock garlic presses. Her business partners found that her uncompromising approach to the business was unsustainable, and she left in 1973, but her cookery books are still in demand.
RICHARD DIMBLEBY, journalist and broadcaster, 1913-1965
One of the most respected fi gures in British broadcasting history, Dimbleby followed his father, Frederick, into journalism, working fi rst for The Richmond And Twickenham Times. In 1936 he joined the BBC, becoming the corporation’s first war correspondent, broadcasting the first reports from Belsen concentration camp.
His work for Panorama from 1955 developed his reputation as having the ability to describe events clearly and dramatically, and he worked until his death. Two weeks before he died, of testicular cancer, Dimbleby presented a documentary on the links between tobacco smoking and lung cancer, which helped raise awareness of the disease. The charity Dimbleby Cancer Care was set up in his memory. His sons David and Jonathan are also world-renowned broadcasters.
PETER CUSHING, actor, 1913-1994
Best known for his roles in Hammer horror films, Peter Cushing left the UK for Hollywood at the age of 26. From there he featured in a number of fi lms, including The Man In The Iron Mask and A Chump At Oxford, in which he appeared alongside Laurel and Hardy. He married the actress Helen Beck in 1943, and played Osric in Laurence Olivier’s 1948 film production of Hamlet.
His most famous roles were in Terence Fisher’s The Curse Of Frankenstein and Dracula, but he withdrew from Blood From The Mummy’s Tomb following the death of his wife. A devastated Cushing attempted to commit suicide, but was stopped by a poem left by his late wife, which urged him not to do so until he had lived his life to the full.
He later appeared in Star Wars, but in 1989 retired to Whitstable in Kent, where he wrote two autobiographies and a children’s novel.
NORMAN PARKINSON, photographer, 1913-1990
Ronald William Parkinson Smith is one of the greatest portrait and fashion photographers of all time. Born in London in 1913, he studied at Westminster School and became apprentice to court photographers Speight & Sons Ltd aged 18. By 23 he had opened his own studio with Norman Kibblewhite. His early work was diverse, ranging from photographs of debutantes to studies of Welsh mining families. In 1935, Parkinson started working for Harper’s Baazar, and revolutionised fashion photography. He replaced rigid studio environments with dynamic outdoor settings and introduced exotic backdrops, unexpected props and odd juxtapositions. He was awarded a CBE in 1981 for his contribution to fashion photography.
VIVIEN LEIGH, actress, 1913-1967
Best known for her performances in Gone With The Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire, Vivien Leigh was the only child of Ernest Young, an English offi cer in the Indian Cavalry, and Gertrude Hartley, a devout Roman Catholic. She made her acting debut aged three, reciting Little Bo Peep for her mother’s amateur theatre group and in 1931, her father enrolled 18-year-old Vivien in London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Leigh’s early career was diffi cult, and she had a turbulent relationship with Laurence Olivier. Despite this, she was a prolific stage performer and Olivier directed her in several roles, such as Juliet in Romeo And Juliet and Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire. Despite clashing with several co-stars in Gone With The Wind, Leigh received the Oscar for Best Actress in 1939. A second Best Actress award followed in 1952, for A Streetcar Named Desire.
BENJAMIN BRITTEN, composer, 1913-1976
A composer, conductor and musician, Britten’s bestknown works include Peter Grimes and The Young Person’s Guide To The Orchestra. Born in Suffolk, Britten composed his fi rst piece of music aged fi ve. After examining his work, Frank Bridge agreed to take Britten on as a composition pupil just a few weeks after his 14th birthday, following which he won a Composition Scholarship at the Royal College of Music in 1930.
Britten came to the public’s attention in 1934 with A Boy Was Born, becoming internationally renowned with Peter Grimes (1945). He declined a knighthood, but Britten did accept a life peerage in 1976, the fi rst composer to receive this honour.
MARY LEAKEY, archaeologist and anthropologist, 1913-1996
Mary Leakey is best known for her remarkable discovery of a partial skull fossil of an early human ancestor in Africa in 1960, which significantly advanced scientific knowledge of the origins of humankind.
Although she was born in London, Leakey lived all over the world as a child, during which time her father, Erskine Nicol, developed an amateur enthusiasm for Egyptology. Leakey followed in his footsteps, gaining a fouryear apprenticeship in archaeology with Dorothy Liddell, and going on to discover the largest elephant tooth in Britain at the time.
Mary met the archaeologist Louis Leakey during her time as an illustrator for his book Adam’s Ancestors. The pair married and continued to work together until Louis’ death in 1972. Following her husband’s death, Mary devoted herself to working and supporting the archaeological studies of her son, Richard.
BILL SHANKLY, footballer, 1913-1981
Born the ninth child of 10 in a mining town in Glenbuck, Scotland, William Shankly’s upbringing was povertystricken, and he worked in the mines before the pit closed and he was made redundant. But he was signed as a footballer by Carlisle United and later moved into management.
Best remembered for his successful management of Liverpool, which, under his guidance, led the club to dominate English football and they became First Division Champions in the 1963–64, 1965–66 and 1972–73 seasons.
He was awarded an OBE four months after his retirement from the club in 1974 and is fondly remembered for his frequent ‘kick abouts’ with young enthusiasts.