Other famous names to play the parts on Broadway include Claire Bloom, John Neville, Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier.

WSJ: Bloom, Rashad in Broadway's 'Romeo and Juliet'

Previous recipients of the BIFF Lifetime Achievement Award include John Hurt, Jean Simmons, Barbara Windsor, Claire Bloom, Ken Loach, Jack Cardiff and Richard Attenborough.

BBC: Sir Tom Courtenay gets BIFF lifetime achievement award

Harryhausen's last film, "The Clash of the Titans" (1981), was the only one with a big budget and major cast: Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Burgess Meredith, Harry Hamlin and Claire Bloom.

NPR: Special Effects Master Ray Harryhausen Dies At 92

Mr Vidal seems always to have lived in the utmost luxury, in beautiful places, surrounded by talented, affectionate and often famous friends, from Princess Margaret and Claire Bloom to Christopher Isherwood and Tennessee Williams.

ECONOMIST: American literature