Fred Dibnah, Acting - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

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Fred Dibnah
Acting

Fred Dibnah
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1938-04-29,Bolton, Lancashire, England, UK
Gender
Male
Biography
Frederick "Fred" Dibnah MBE (28 April 1938 – 6 November 2004), born in Bolton, was an English steeplejack and eccentric with a keen interest in mechanical engineering who became a cult television personality. Dibnah was born in a country which then relied heavily upon coal to fuel its industry. As a child he was fascinated by the steam engines which powered the many textile mills in Bolton, but he paid particular attention to chimneys and the men who worked on them. He began his working life as a joiner, before becoming a steeplejack. From age 22, he served for two years in the armed forces, as part of his national service. Once demobilised, he returned to steeplejacking but met with limited success until he was asked to repair Bolton's parish church. The resulting publicity provided a welcome boost to his business, ensuring he was almost never out of work. In 1978, while making repairs to Bolton Town Hall, Dibnah was filmed by a regional BBC news crew. The BBC then commissioned an award-winning documentary, which followed the rough-hewn steeplejack as he worked on chimneys, interacted with his family and talked about his favourite hobby—steam. His Lancastrian manner and gentle, self-taught philosophical outlook, proved popular with viewers and he featured in a number of television programmes. Toward the end of his life, the decline of Britain's industry was mirrored by a decline in his steeplejacking business and Dibnah increasingly came to rely on after-dinner speaking for his income. In 1998, he presented a programme on Britain's industrial history and went on to present a number of series, largely concerned with theIndustrial Revolution and its mechanical and architectural legacy. He died from cancer in November 2004, aged 66. He is survived by his five children from three marriages.

Filmography

Fred Dibnah's Getting Steamed Up

10

Fred Dibnah's Getting Steamed Up
1991-09-09

Fred Dibnah, Steeplejack

7

Fred Dibnah, Steeplejack
1979-09-06

Dig with Dibnah

0

Dig with Dibnah
2004-01-08

Fred Dibnah's The Ups and Downs of Chimneys

0

Fred Dibnah's The Ups and Downs of Chimneys
2004-01-01

Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam

0

Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam
2003-07-15

Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age

0

Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age
1999-02-18

Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain

0

Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain
2005-03-08

Fred Dibnah's World of Steam, Steel and Stone

0

Fred Dibnah's World of Steam, Steel and Stone
2006-07-11

The Fred Dibnah Story

0

The Fred Dibnah Story
1996-08-28

Fred Dibnah's Railway Collection

0

Fred Dibnah's Railway Collection
2008-08-08

Fred Dibnah's Victorian Heroes

0

Fred Dibnah's Victorian Heroes
2001-01-01

0

Fred
1982-09-09

Fred Dibnah's Magnificent Monuments

6

Fred Dibnah's Magnificent Monuments
2000-02-17

Fred Dibnah's Building of Britain

7

Fred Dibnah's Building of Britain
2002-02-11

Dig With Dibnah

0

Dig With Dibnah
2004-04-01

Fred Dibnah, Steeplejack

0

Fred Dibnah, Steeplejack
1979-09-06

0

Life With Fred
1994-03-10

A Year With Fred

0

A Year With Fred
1987-02-09