Richard Samuel Attenborough was a British actor, filmmaker, politician, and entrepreneur. He is best known for bringing on screen the life and teachings of the great Indian leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in the epic movie ‘Gandhi.’ Born to a scholar and academician father, Richard chose an unlikely profession for himself. Starting out as an actor, he was initially stereotyped as someone who played cowardly characters. He then went on to play various characters, proving his versatility as an actor. He began his acting career as a theatre artist before moving on to work in films. A prolific actor, he worked tirelessly and was one of the most talented British actors ever to grace the silver screen. Attenborough had already made a mark as an actor, but he became an international icon when he directed the film ‘Gandhi’ for which he received two ‘Academy Awards.’ Apart from ‘Gandhi,’ he also made several other successful movies like ‘Cry Freedom,’ which too was based on the life of a social activist. He also served as the president of ‘British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ (BAFTA) and the ‘Royal Academy of Dramatic Art’ (RADA).