John Attenborough, a pioneering British filmmaker and celebrated British actor, passed away on November 9, 2012, at the age of 84. During his lengthy, distinguished career, Attenborough won multiple awards for his groundbreaking work in film and television, including two Academy Awards, numerous Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations, and the first Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of Great Britain. Attenborough began his career in acting in 1945 and went on to star in some of the most seminal films of the 20th century, including The Great Escape, which earned him his first-ever Academy Award nomination. After a short retirement from acting that spanned the 1960s, he resumed his career with the award-winning Paper Tiger in 1975 and went on to appear in seven more feature films before returning to British television roles in the late 1980s. He made history in 1983 when he earned an Academy Award for Best Director for his groundbreaking dedication to the making of Gandhi, a film about the late Indian leader. Alongside his award-winning careers in front of and behind the camera, Attenborough was a passionate philanthropist. He dedicated his career to many charitable causes, including the establishment of his own charities that provided assistance to animal conservation campaigns and to the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Attenborough was beloved for his wide-ranging and impressive body of work as well as his work for charitable causes. His life will be remembered as a source of creative inspiration and positive change to those who knew and admired him.