Career: Mills made his film debut in The Midshipmaid (1932) and went on to appear in a number of films, including Goodbye, Mr Chips (1939), before he enlisted in the Royal Engineers at the start of the Second World War. His war was cut short in 1942 by a stomach ulcer. He quickly returned to acting and went on to star in a number of acclaimed films in a career that spanned 70 years. Notable works included Great Expectations (1946), Scott of the Antarctic (1948), The Colditz Story (1954), Ice Cold in Alex (1958), Tunes of Glory (1960), Swiss Family Robinson (1960), Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), Ryan's Daughter (1970), Young Winston (1972), Gandhi (1982) and Hamlet (1996). Among his roles on TV, he starred in Quatermass, Young at Heart, A Woman of Substance and Martin Chuzzlewit. He also appeared in a number of productions on Broadway. He was knighted in 1976. He died on April 23, 2005, at the age of 97.

Career: Hird made her film debut in The Black Sheep of Whitehall in 1942 with Will Hay and a string of small roles followed. She had a memorable role as a sharp-tongued mother in A Kind of Loving (1962). Her biggest roles were on TV in sitcoms, including Meet the Wife, In Loving Memory, Hallelujah! and for nearly 20 years in Last of the Summer Wine. Her most acclaimed performances came later in life in straight roles. She won Bafta Best Actress awards for two of Alan Bennett's Talking Heads monologues and the drama Lost for Words. Away from acting, she hosted the religious programme Praise Be! for many years. She died on March 15, 2003 at the age of 91.