Lord Attenborough has been the subject of a BBC documentary

Attenborough, known affectionately as Dickie, has enjoyed more than 60 years both in front of and behind the cameras.

He recently said: "The thought of retirement is anathema to me. I can't imagine anything worse."

Attenborough is now seen as a British film legend - and an establishment "luvvie" - and his success as an actor spanned the period from the post-war Brighton Rock to Jurassic Park and Elizabeth in the 1990s.

In the director's chair, he won two Oscars for Gandhi, as well as making Shadowlands and A Bridge Too Far.

Scenes from Lord Attenborough's long career In pictures

A special two-part BBC Arena documentary was screened at the weekend, while the National Film Theatre in London is showing a season of his films from 2 September.

In birthday messages, Gandhi star Sir Ben Kingsley praised Lord Attenborough's "genius" while Richard Briers said he was "simply a triumph".

Born in Cambridge, Attenborough attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made his professional stage debut aged 18.

He was in the Royal Air Force during World War II and found fame after that as the evil gang leader Pinkie Brown in Brighton Rock.

Send your birthday tributes to Lord Attenborough

That made him a big name - a status he built on in a range of gripping guises in films like The Great Escape, Seance on a Wet Afternoon and 10 Rillington Place.

Direct hits

His first foray into directing came at the end of the 1960s with satire Oh! What a Lovely War.

But it was his ambition for many years to make a film about the Indian nationalist figurehead Mahatma Gandhi - which finally reached screens in 1982.

He has remained active in the film world and has also become involved in arts, educational and sporting organisations.

Lord Attenborough married actress Sheila Sim in 1945 and one of their children, Michael, is artistic director of London's Almieda theatre.

Of his two brothers, David has become a household name in his own right as the well-known BBC wildlife TV presenter.

Their other brother, John, stayed out of the limelight and became a businessman, but has recently started to work on the family archives.