Arthur C. Clarke

Born: 1917-12-16

Sir Arthur Charles Clarke CBE FRAS (16 December 1917 – 19 March 2008) was an English science-fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, one of the most influential films of all time. Clarke was a science fiction writer, an avid populariser of space travel, and a futurist of a distinguished ability. He wrote many books and many essays for popular magazines. In 1961, he received the Kalinga Prize, a UNESCO award for popularising science. Clarke's science and science-fiction writings earned him the moniker "Prophet of the Space Age". His science-fiction writings in particular earned him a number of Hugo and Nebula awards, which along with a large readership, made him one of the towering figures of the genre. For many years Clarke, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov were known as the "Big Three" of science fiction. Clarke was a lifelong proponent of space travel. In 1934, while still a teenager, he joined the British Interplanetary Society. In 1945, he proposed a satellite communication system using geostationary orbits. He was the chairman of the British Interplanetary Society from 1946–1947 and again in 1951–1953. Clarke emigrated to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1956, to pursue his interest in scuba diving. That year, he discovered the underwater ruins of the ancient Koneswaram Temple in Trincomalee. Clarke augmented his popularity in the 1980s, as the host of television shows such as Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World. He lived in Sri Lanka until his death. Clarke was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1989 "for services to British cultural interests in Sri Lanka". He was knighted in 1998 and was awarded Sri Lanka's highest civil honour, Sri Lankabhimanya, in 2005.


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2001: The Making of a Myth

as Self
Released: 2001-01-13

The making of Stanley Kubrick's classic space epic, presented by James Cameron, including unseen...

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Without Warning

as Self
Released: 1994-10-30

A television program is interupted by a news network announcing that three meteors have hit the...

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Fractals: The Colors Of Infinity

as Himself
Released: 1995-11-17

Explores the revolutionary world of Fractal Geometry - its far-reaching and often unexpected...

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Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001

as Self
Released: 2007-10-23

This documentary about "2001: A Space Odyssey" looks at some of the things that seemed fanciful...

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God, the Universe and Everything Else

as Himself
Released: 1988-01-01

In a studio setting, Stephen Hawking, Arthur C. Clarke and Carl Sagan (who joins them via...

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Sky Line

as as himself (archive footage)
Released: 2015-11-20

The concept of an elevator to space is not new. In the world of Arthur C. Clarke, it is a...

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2001 and Beyond

as Self
Released: 2001-01-07

Author Arthur C. Clarke and the cast and crew of Stanley Kubrick's 1968 masterpiece "2001: A...

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9/11 Alchemy: Facing Reality

as Himself
Released: 2018-01-01

An examination of the evidence surrounding the events of September 11, 2001 that took the lives...

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'2001: A Space Odyssey' – A Look Behind the Future

as Self
Released: 1966-01-01

A short documentary about the making of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and its impact...

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'2001: A Space Odyssey' – What Is Out There?

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2007-10-23

Keir Dullea, interspersed with archive clips of Arthur C. Clarke, discusses the probability of...

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I Saw the Future

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2017-08-31

In a dark expanse that could be the cosmos, we hear the voice of Arthur C. Clarke, whose face -...

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Horizon

as uncredited
First aired: 1964-02-04

Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen...

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The Dick Cavett Show

as Self - Guest
First aired: 1968-06-06

The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various...

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Wogan

as Self
First aired: 1982-05-04

Wogan is a British television chat show

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The Real History of Science Fiction

as Self (archive footage)
First aired: 2014-04-19

The series heads to the very frontiers of space and science to produce the definitive television...

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Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious Universe

as Host
First aired: 1994-07-15

Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious Universe was a popular eighteen part television series looking at...

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Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World

as uncredited
First aired: 1980-09-02

Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World is a thirteen part British television series looking at...

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Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers

as Host
First aired: 1985-04-03

Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers is a popular thirteen-part British television series...

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Rendezvous with the Future

as Self (archive footage)
First aired: 2022-11-16

Documentary series exploring the science behind the science fiction of the award-winning writer...

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