Richard Attenborough

“When me and Sheila got married, all we had was an oval table, four chairs, a bed, and a painting by Matthew Smith.”

“If I were able to write, I probably would. But movies have given me a part of my life where I can express feelings and bring convictions to an audience as if I could write. So I made 'Gandhi' about human relations, prejudice and the empire. In 'Cry Freedom' I expressed my horror and disgust about apartheid.”

“When I'm directing a movie, nothing else matters.”

“I know I'm regarded as an establishment figure, but I was crucified by the establishment for 'Oh! What a Lovely War', 'Gandhi' and 'Cry Freedom.'”

“I was on my own union council for twenty-odd years.”

“And there are certain things, and they are evident, obviously, without being boring about it, but I mean obviously, the two evident and easy ones being Gandhi and Cry Freedom, there are things which I do care about very much and which I would like to stand up and be counted.”

“Ben Kingsley was my ideal choice for Gandhi, and he really lived up to the expectations of an international audience. I did not find any Indian actor worthy to perform the role of Gandhi in the early Eighties, though there were brilliant performers like Naseeruddin Shah in India.”

“My father thought Gandhi was a great man. I suppose subconsciously, consciously even, I was aware that I wanted to please him and Ma, so I thought doing something like 'Gandhi' would be phenomenal.”

“My family were liberal with a small 'l' but passionately doers. I wanted to be a doer.”

“I do care about style. I do care, but I only care about style that serves the subject.”

“I lived in an atmosphere where Mama brought 60 Basque refugee children to England during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s.”

“In the late 1940s, there weren't any pop stars, and TV didn't exist.”

“If someone says they're going to ring me at 10 o'clock and it's 10 past and they haven't rung, I'm irritated.”

“I know Pandit Ravi Shankar was very upset with me, as I did not use his compositions in 'Gandhi.' I thought that the London Philharmonic Orchestra would prove more effective than his music. It was one of my biggest miscalculations.”

“I just love biography, and I'm fascinated by people who have shifted our destinies or our points of view.”

“I adore my family; they are my joy. However, I am committed to my work. If, on a Saturday morning when I was ostensibly going to be with the children, and something arose at RADA or at UNICEF or at the orphanage or whatever, I would allow the other pressures to take precedent.”

“Pier Angeli was in the movie called Sea of Sand that Guy Green directed where this idea came up.”

“What I am sad about is that there is now, in America, no equivalent to the art circuit.”

“I very, very, very rarely lose my temper. I do get cross sometimes when encountering something that I feel is improper, that I feel is lacking in justice and equity, and this all sounds very pompous and over the top - but these are the things that really upset me: intolerance, prejudice etc. I suppose in more mundane matters, I'm impatient.”

“The old adage about acting - that it's 98% energy and 2% talent - is true, you know.”