Love the Attenboroughs Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cambridge (University fellow)

Richard Samuel Attenborough, eldest of three sons of Frederick Levi Attenborough, scholar and Cambridge fellow (1920-25), was born in Cambridge in 1923. Younger brothers David Frederick and John Michael were born in Isleworth, Middlesex (now part of London) in 1926 and 1928 respectively, at which time Frederick was principal of Borough Road Training College in that place. Frederick went on to be principal of University College, Leicester from 1932-51.

While Richard and David went on to careers in the public eye, John (1928-2012) had a successful career as an executive in the motor industry.

Answer: In Which We Serve

To call "In Which We Serve" (1942) Noel Coward's masterwork is actually something of an understatement, as he starred in, directed, produced, wrote and wrote the music (in whole or in part) for this "story of a ship", loosely based on the experiences of Lord Louis Mountbatten during World War II. One of the memorable sequences is the less than heroic reaction of one young man (played by Richard Attenborough) to HMS Torrin's first action, and his subsequent desire to redeem himself.

Richard found himself cast in a similar role in "Morning Departure" (aka "Operation Disaster")(1950), but this time on a submarine. He was a pilot newly arrived in Heaven in "A Matter of Life and Death" (aka "Stairway to Heaven") (1946) and the despicable young gangster, Pinkie Brown, in "Brighton Rock" (1948).

Answer: Television

Having pursued a degree in Natural Science at Cambridge, David began his long association with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in the early 1950s and has written, produced and presented a multitude of programmes since that time. These include "Zoo Quest", "Life on Earth", "The Living Planet" and many, many more.

He has also authored a number of books which can be seen as accompaniments to these series.

Answer: True

Richard served in the Royal Air Force film unit during the Second World War, actually taking part in some bomber operations. David did his post-war National Service in the Royal Navy. I've been unable to find any information about their younger brother John in this regard, therefore have not included him here, though one might surmise that he would also have been called up for National Service.

Richard, of course, portrayed a number of servicemen on screen, including Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett in "The Great Escape" (1963) and American sailor Frenchy Burgoyne in "The Sand Pebbles" (1966) for which he received a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe.

Answer: Sheila Sim

Sheila Sim and Richard Attenborough met whilst they were students at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) and married in 1945. They appeared in three films together, including "The Guinea Pig" (1948), as well as on stage in "The Mousetrap". Sheila appears to have given up film work by 1960, but continued to work for the Actors' Charitable Trust, and its care home, Denville Hall. It was there that she died, two years after Richard.

Charlotte and Jane Attenborough are their daughters, while Jane Seymour was married to their son Michael for awhile.

David's marriage to his spouse, Jane Oriel, which produced two children, lasted from 1950 until her death in 1997.

Answer: Gandhi

"Gandhi" (1982), a life story of the Indian leader and pacifist, was a pet project for Richard, and it took a long time to put it all together, but the result was worth the trouble. Star Ben Kingsley (as Gandhi) won the Best Actor Oscar and the film's total Oscar haul was eight. The two for Richard Attenborough were his only Oscars, from his only Oscar nominations. The movie also garnered him a Golden Globe and two BAFTAs (British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards).

The three incorrect choices were all also directed by Richard and either were nominated for or won Golden Globes and/or BAFTAs.

Answer: Boxing Day tsunami

On December 26 (Boxing Day) 2004 an earthquake under the Indian Ocean caused a violent tsunami which devastated parts of Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and other areas. Richard's daughter Jane, her children, husband and mother-in-law were vacationing in Thailand when it hit. Jane, her daughter Lucy and her mother-in-law perished. Daughter Alice was severely injured, but Jane's husband Michael Holland and son Sam survived without injury. Jane had been heavily involved in Dance UK, and the promotion of music education.

Richard spoke at the memorial service, and has been quoted as calling Boxing Day 2004 the "worst day of my life".

Answer: Dunkirk

Richard Attenborough and frequent co-star John Mills appeared in "Dunkirk" (1958), directed by Leslie Norman and also starring Bernard Lee (the original M to Sean Connery's James Bond). Richard played a reluctant owner of one of the "little ships" that crossed the Channel to aid in the rescue of the Expeditionary Force from the French shore. Grandson Will, who was born in 1991, appeared in Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk" (2017) as an unnamed Second Lieutenant amongst the troops on the Dunkirk beaches.

Will's father Michael and brother Tom are both stage directors, while his mother is actress Karen Lewis-Attenborough.

The incorrect choices are all real movie titles, but neither Richard nor Will Attenborough appears in any of them.

Answer: David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet

The production and release of "David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet" was delayed for several months by the COVID-19 pandemic, but was well received when it eventually became available. In the film, David looks ahead to what might happen to the planet over the course of a lifetime as long as his own, but beginning now, and proposes ways in which some of the less desirable outcomes can be avoided. He advocates for biodiversity, re-wilding, renewable energy, curtailing deforestation and eating more plant based foods as ways to combat climate change.

The incorrect choices are all earlier projects of David's.

Answer: Richard

Although his peerage was not political, being for "services to cinema", Richard chose to sit on the Labour benches in the House of Lords. His previous honours included being appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1967, and Knight Bachelor in 1976.

David's honours include the Order of Merit (OM), Companion of Honour (CH) and Knight Bachelor, amongst many others.