Early Life The comedy actor Sid James was born Solomon Joel Cohen on 8 May 1913 to Jewish parents in Johannesburg, South Africa. As a small boy, he performed with his parents in their music-hall act. In 1919, his parents, Laurie (Lou) and Reine Cohen left South Africa for a 2-year tour of Australia. James…
Early Life Dirk Bogarde was born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde on 28 March 1921 in West Hempstead, London. He was the eldest child of Margaret (nee Niven) and Ulric van den Bogaerde. His British-born father of Flemish origin was the art editor of The Times, while his Scottish mother was a…
Early Life The English actor John Le Mesurier was born on 5 April 1912 in Bedford. He was christened John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley by his parents, Charles Elton Halliley, a solicitor, and Amy Michelle (née Le Mesurier). The affluent Halliley family settled in Bury St Edmunds whilst John was still a young child. He…
Early Life The English character actress, comedian, presenter and writer Thora Hird was born on 28 May 1911 in Morecambe, Lancashire. Her parents James and Jane Hird were both from a theatrical background. Her father was the manager of a number of theatre venues in Morecambe, while her mother was an actress. Thora had two…
Early Life The English actress Honor Blackman was born on 22 August 1925 in Plaistow, East London. Her parents, Frederick, a civil servant, and Edith, a housewife, had three daughters and a son. Third-born Honor had one younger sister. She attended North Ealing Primary School, where she proved to be an athletic child from an…
Early Life The British actress Audrey Hepburn was born Audrey Kathleen Ruston on 4 May 1929 in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium. Her mother, Baroness Ella Van Heemstra, was born into Dutch nobility. Her father, Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, was born to English and Austrian parents in the present-day Czech Republic. Joseph would later double-barrel his surname…
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