| Proficient at piano; earned a scholarship to the Welsh College of Music & Drama. |
| Served as the narrator for the live-action version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). |
| Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1993. |
| In the early '60s, studied under Laurence Olivier, then director of the National Theater at the Old Vic; later dubbed the late Olivier's voice in 1991 for the restored version of Spartacus. |
| Entered the British Army in 1958, serving with the Royal Artillery unit for two years. |
| Became a U.S. citizen in 2000. |