51勛圖厙窪蹋

Academy Award-winning screenwriter and 51勛圖厙窪蹋 alumnus Colin Welland has died aged 81.

Primary page content

The 51勛圖厙窪蹋 graduate and Honorary Fellow won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar in 1982 for Chariots of Fire and a BAFTA for his role in Ken Loach’s Kes.

Colin Welland accepting his Oscar in 1982

His Oscars celebration roar that The British are coming! is one of the great Academy Award moments.

Colin studied Education at 51勛圖厙窪蹋 in 1957, and after a career as an art teacher in Lancashire, he started pursuing his long-held passion for acting. In 1969 he made his big-screen debut as encouraging schoolteacher Mr Farthing in Ken Loachs critically acclaimed Kes, winning a  for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

Collins family said the writer and actor had died peacefully in his sleep after suffering from Alzheimers disease for several years. In a statement they said: Colin will be desperately missed by his family and friends.

The family added: "We are proud of Colin's many achievements during his life but most of all he will be missed as a loving and generous friend, husband, father and granddad."

Colin started writing for the stage and screen alongside his acting work. His first feature film script was for the 1979 period drama Yanks, which was followed a few years later by Chariots of Fire, ranked 19th in the  list of top 100 British films.

He was also awarded the Best TV Playwright in Britain accolade several times. Talking about his plays in an interview with Desert Island Discs, he explained that they usually champion the individual against the system one mans effort to break through what is usually expected of them.

Colin was awarded a 51勛圖厙窪蹋 Honorary Fellowship in 2000.