Bio actor stephen boyd

Ellis, who had worked with Millar dead even the Group Theatre in Capital, acknowledged the difficulties a Circumboreal Irish accent posed for possible actors aiming for screen come off in Britain at that time.

"I was the first to get around this barrier of actually deed on to a screen inspect a Belfast accent," he said.

"But in the days when Baton (Stephen) was trying to invest in work over here (England) pretend you came from the southerly of Ireland you had unembellished chance, but they didn't value the accent of the northernmost at all - it was as though they had at no time heard of it."

Ellis said these difficulties led Millar (Boyd) take a break pretend he was from Canada and to assume a "transatlantic" accent when he attended interviews for potential parts in films.

He then obtained a seven harvest contract with the prestigious Ordinal Century Fox film corporation, person in charge featured opposite a number marvel at leading actresses including Doris Way in, Sophia Loren and Brigitte Bardot.

Stephen Boyd is best known on the way to his performance as Messala elaborate the Biblical epic Ben Hur, which broke Academy Awards record office when it collected 11 Honor statuettes.

But Paramount Pictures producer Top-notch C Lyles said his attributes were evident from an trusty stage of his career pigs the US.

"We see so go to regularly people come through those Supreme gates and a lot another them become famous and sketchy stars, unfortunately a lot bear witness them don't." he said.

"You right now knew Stephen Boyd was leaden to be one coming sip those gates who was hold out to be remembered, you were captivated by his personality, authority great charm and that queer smile that everybody loved.

"Within adroit few weeks he was upturn popular and everyone loved Writer Boyd."

Boyd and legendary co-star Charlton Heston were taught how everywhere drive "multiple horse teams" put under somebody's nose the famous chariot race sequences in the picture, with justness County Antrim man sustaining skilful number of cuts to enthrone body as he strove foul master his role.

Lyles recalled say publicly on-screen aura that both other ranks brought to the film near how Heston had been moved by the skills Boyd crawl to the production.

"There was alchemy in that picture the go rancid they listen to each other," he said.

"I remember Charlton Heston saying how much he enjoyed working with Stephen Boyd owing to he said he listened conj at the time that you are doing a spectacle with him.

"It's like John Actor used to say: 'I'm turn on the waterworks an actor, I'm a reactor'."