PBS to air Winston Churchill biopic starring Michael Gambon
Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes the victory sign in an undated photograph. Actor Michael Gambon will portray Churchill in a PBS movie coming out next year titled “Churchill’s Secret.”
PBS is aiming for one of its finest hours -- make that two hours -- with a new movie about Winston Churchill.
“Churchill’s Secret” will star Michael Gambon as the legendary British prime minister. The two-hour film, commissioned by the British network ITV, will go into production in Britain next month and air on PBS stations in the United States in 2016 as part of the “Masterpiece” series.
Gambon is a veteran British actor best known to American audiences for playing Dumbledore in the “Harry Potter” films. The role of Churchill’s wife, Clementine, will be played by Lindsay Duncan.
The movie -- based on the book “The Churchill Secret: KBO” -- details the summer of 1953, as Churchill, then serving his second stint as prime minister, was struggling to recover from a stroke that was kept under wraps. Intrigue surrounds the wartime leader as family tensions surface and political allies and foes jockey for power.
The film will be directed by Charles Sturridge (“Da Vinci’s Demons”).
What do you think of “Churchill’s Secret”? Will you watch?
Twitter: @scottcollinsLAT
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