Remembering Richard Attenborough: 6 Defining Career Moments

3. Leading One Of The Greatest Films (The Great Escape, 1963)

Though Brighton Rock made him a notable name with British audiences, it wasn't until the 1960s that Richard Attenborough would become well-known Stateside. This was when John Sturges, the director of The Magnificent Seven, opted to make an adaptation of Paul Brickhill's The Great Escape, which documented the escape of 76 men from a German prisoner of war camp in 1944. 73 of the men were eventually recaptured, with 50 being shot on the orders of Hitler, making the story a triumphant but ultimately tragic one - perfect for Hollywood. Despite the real escape involving airmen from a number of countries, the film adaptation opted to exclusively use British and American actors (including James Garner, Charles Bronson, David McCallum, James Coburn and Donald Pleasance) to play predominantly British and American characters, though in reality, all American servicemen were transferred out of the camp before the escape took place. Despite this strong deviation from reality, the film is held in high regard to this day and ranked amongst the all-time greats by many (From Quentin Tarantino to this author). Despite the iconic image of the film being Steve McQueen (as Hilts) attempting to traverse barbed-wire fence into Switzerland on a motorcycle, Attenborough is arguably the lead of the film in the role of Roger Bartlett, the architect of the escape, and the character will always be the most iconic portrayal of his acting career given the Great Escape's enduring popularity.