Charles Dickens (1812–1870) was born in Landport, Portsmouth, England, the second of eight children in a family continually plagued by debt. A legacy brought release from the nightmare of debtors’ prison and child labor and afforded him a few years of formal schooling. He worked as an attorney’s clerk and newspaper reporter until his early writings brought him the amazing success that was to be his for the remainder of his life. He was the most popular English novelist of the Victorian era, and he remains popular, responsible for some of English literature’s most iconic characters.
Paul Scofield is noteworthy for his striking presence and distinctive voice. He won a Tony Award for his role in A Man for All Seasons, and an Academy Award for the same role in the film adaptation.
Sir Ralph Richardson (1902-1983) was one of the greatest actors of the twentieth century English theater, ascending to the height of his profession in the mid-1930s when he became a star in London's West End. He became the first actor of his generation to be knighted in 1947. Along with
Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud, he is considered one the greatest English actors of the generation.
