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Thought of as the archetypal 'stiff upper lipped' Brit (an image reinforced by roles like Lord Cardigan in Charge Of The Light Brigade) Howard came to stardom - and now immortality - as the unrequited lover of Celia Johnson in David Lean's Brief Encounter (1945). Like so many of Britain's best actors, Howard was a RADA graduate and made his name on the London stage, but it was a war injury while serving with the Royal Artillery that saw him demobbed early and gave him the chance to appear in Lean's fog-bound classic. Thus began a consistent and varied film career, reaching a peak with an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the father in Sons And Lovers (1960).
