Sir John Mills

From the Guardian Unlimited site
http://www.guardian.co.uk
Sir John Mills dies aged 97
Oscar-winning actor Sir John Mills has died at the age of 97, a star ofmore than100 films, Sir John, who was knighted in 1976, will probably bebest-remembered for his patriotic roles in such films as Ice Cold in Alex,Above Us the Waves, Dunkirk, Scott of the Antarctic and Tunes of Glory - oneof his personal favourites.

He died earlier today at his home in Denham, Buckinghamshire after a shortillness.
The archetypal English gentleman, Sir John graced stage and screen formore than 60 years, starting as a £4-a-week chorus boy at the LondonHippodrome in 1929.

His greatest triumph was winning a Hollywood Oscar in 1971 for playing a deformed mute in Ryan's Daughter. Sir John, who was born in February 1908 in Felixstowe, south-east England,starred in a succession of David Lean films - In Which We Serve, This HappyBreed, Hobson's Choice and as Pip in Great Expectations. He is survived by his wife, playwright Mary Hayley Bell, his son,Jonathan, and daughters Juliet and Hayley, both actors.