Actor and writer Colin Welland, who famously told Hollywood "the British are coming" when he won an Academy Award for "Chariots of Fire," has died. He was 81.
His family said in a statement Tuesday that Welland, who had Alzheimer's disease, died peacefully in his sleep late Monday.
Welland's long acting career included TV cop shows "Z-Cars" and "The Sweeney," Sam Peckinpah thriller "Straw Dogs" and the role of a kindly teacher in Ken Loach's 1969 drama "Kes," about an unhappy boy who finds solace by training a kestrel.
His writing credits included British television dramas and the 1979 film "Yanks," with Vanessa Redgrave and Richard Gere, but his biggest success was "Chariots of Fire" in 1981.
The film was based on the true story of two British athletes at the 1924 Olympics: devout Christian Eric Liddell, who refused to compete on a Sunday, and Jewish sprinter Harold Abrahams, who faced prejudice from the British sporting world.
Combining nostalgia with grit and buoyed by Vangelis' catchy electronic score, it was an unexpected hit and took four Oscars in 1982, including best picture and best original screenplay.
Brandishing his statuette, Welland – optimistically, it turned out – quoted Paul Revere's legendary phrase: "The British are coming!"
Welland is survived by his wife Patricia, four children and six grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTE®,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
“SMPTE’s membership has spoken,” said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann D’Amato. “These officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!”
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More