Brian Sterling-Vete
Encyclopedia
Brian Sterling-Vete (born August 22, 1958) is an English
author
, Guinness World Record Holder, motivational speaker
, Award-Winning Film-Maker, TV presenter, stage
, film and television actor, stunt performer
, martial arts expert
, and entrepreneur
.
and Moss Side
district of Manchester
, England
, son of Norman, an Exporter and Ida, a restorer of historic costumes. He attended school at Heald Place County Primary and then Burnage High School
before taking a 3 year degree at Manchester Polytechnic, now Manchester Metropolitan University
.
During this time, Sterling worked in many areas at once, at the Kendals
(House of Fraser
) in Manchester, as a demolition rigger, a nightclub bouncer, builder/plumbers mate, working for Liberty Life and Abbey Life
, as a gym instructor, and eventually becoming the owner of a small chain of fitness studios.
Sterling found some success in drug-free bodybuilding
during this period, competing in the National Amateur Body Building Association (NABBA) Junior Mr. North West, Junior Mr. Britain and Mr. Britain contests and eventually winning the smaller but completely drug-free Mr. Olympic contest in 1980. He went on to set some very acceptable lifts as a drug-free power lifter and specialty
strength athlete at 200 lbs bodyweight in 1980: Squat 665 lbs x 1 rep, Dead Lift 525 lbs x 1 rep, Bench Press 405 lbs x 1 rep, Seated Press Behind Neck 225 lbs x 1 rep.
at the age 12 and progressed over following decade to include Muay Thai
, Aikido
, Dim Mak
, Yawara
and Karate
. Sterling was actually the first person to train Muay Thai
under Masters Sken and Toddy after they befriended him as neighbours. Licensed first by the British Kung Fu Council (later British Council for Chinese Martial Arts
) and then by the British Karate Association (BKA), he has studied, trained and taught martial arts all his life to date and after several features in Fighters Magazine he began lecturing internationally on the subject. He was accepted by the World Karate and Kickboxing Organisation as a National team coach Grade A and as International referee Class A.
In 2002 Sterling began adapting the skills, principles and strategies of the Martial Arts
, Sun Tzu
and the Shaolin
masters which he had studied for 30 years at that point in time, into his own business and life training system of Mental Martial Arts. Sterling delivers seminars as an
inspirational and motivational speaker
in strategic planner
. In 2003, Sterling was part of the United Nations
team which met Abu Dhabi
senior ministers regarding Solar Energy.
in 1985 to wrestle the then 1 time winner of the World's Strongest Man
contest, Jón Páll Sigmarsson
. This was to promote the production of Claire Luckham’s Play, Trafford Tanzi
by the Icelandic National Theatre. As a specialist strength coach Sterling later went on to help coach Jon Pall Sigmarsson for another 3 World’s Strongest Man wins.
Inspired by his new friend, the World’s Strongest Man, Jon Pall Sigmarsson, Sterling began setting and breaking World Records himself. Sterling's first World Record was set in 1987 in speed block breaking (105 regulation blocks in one minute). This was done to aid charity as part of the BBC’s Children in Need
program. That record stood for one year until it was beaten by Mac Gilmour the Scottish
Karate Champion on the ITV programme You Bet!
in 1988. This prompted him to then make another successful attempt at the same world record, again for the BBC’s Children in Need programme in 1989 (breaking 127 regulation blocks in one minute).
When working as an instructor in a gymnasium in Rochdale
, England, he eventually struck a deal to buy the almost derelict club which he renovated in to the Olympic Gym in 1980/1; Sterling operated until his first divorce in 1981 when it was lost in the process.
included: The Pike
starring Joan Collins
, Target Eve Island, Masons War, The Ibiza Connection, Harrising Moments, The Blind Side of God, Ring of Steel
, African Run, The Omega Connection, Predator the Quaith (aka Moonstalker), The Eye of Satan, Tokyo Sunrise, Firestar
, and Lethal Impact. It was on the movie Predator the Quaith that Sterling met cinematographer
David Tattersall
(The Green Mile
, Die Another Day
, The Day the Earth Stood Still
, The Phantom Menace', Con Air
, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
and the new Gulliver's Travels
).
Sterling says this was a pivotal meeting for him and when he first took a deeper interest in direction
and cinematography
to learn the arts himself while taking advice from, and being inspired by his new friend and Emmy Award
winning cinematographer.
After gaining membership to the professional actors union, British Actors Equity, Sterling went on to make many more on-screen appearances in the UK, Europe and in the US. Credits include: BBC
TV’s That's Life!
, Coronation Street
, (Carl Chambers), Sterling doubled for Hollywood
star Steve McQueen
in a series of TV Commercials recreating the movie The Great Escape
for Holsten Pils breweries, he again doubled as Ian Fleming
’s 007 character, James Bond
for Barratt Developments
and made three appearances in Star Trek: The Next Generation
by Paramount Pictures
. As a TV presenter and TV News reporter, Sterling’s work included appearances on the BBC, ITV
in the UK and internationally on Alpha TV
in Greece
, RTL TV
Germany
and Holland.
.
In 1987 and 1988 Sterling also set new world records in fire stunts for part body burns with gasoline
. The first successful world record attempt in 1987 was set at 2 minutes, 24 seconds and the second successful world record attempt in 1988, was for 2 minutes, 53 seconds. Both records were set at the Armalite (now Armatomic) research laboratory under the direction of Craig Mills, the inventor of the pre-burnt carbon fibre multi-layer stunt suit system
. Seventeen years later in 2005 he captured a Guinness World Record in plate spinning, making a personal total of 5 World Records to date.
As a broadcaster and presenter, Sterling produced programmes and news for Discovery TV, CNN, ITN and the BBC front line news for 15 years. Sterling was part of the team winning 4 Royal Television Society
awards in the process, performing interviews with US President Bill Clinton
and British Prime Minister Tony Blair
at the G-8 Summit meeting in 1988. Sterling introduced the concept of Steadicam
to the directors of Formula 1 motor racing TV coverage and he also performed the Pit Lane interviews in 1998/9 for FOCA TV. Sterling was the director/camera operator (Rick Bayles – producer) for the team that received the Creative Excellence award for best documentary at the US Film and TV Festival
in Chicago
2001 for the documentary "Millennium Bridge." Sterling and MajorVision covered two war zones, Desert Storm in 1991 and Bosnia in 1995; then in 2001 the
Oldham race-religion riots in the UK for the BBC News.
As a producer of coaching and instructional films, Sterling produced: Pro Boxing Heavy Bag Drills, Thai Bag Drills, Focus Pad Drills, Fit-Ball Drills and Medicine Ball Drills all through the UK’s National Coaching Foundation’s publications division, Coachwise-1st 4Sport, these follow on from Sterling’s production of the Dictionary of Weight Training in 1991.
Sterling's MajorVision organisation expanded into cellular telecom between 1995–2000, contracting with Brightpoint Europe, Middle East and Asia.
In 2003, Sterling led the marine dive-salvage
team to lift the Baltic Trading ship The Glaciere from the bottom of Liverpool
bay. The ship's new home is in the Albert Dock
moored outside the World famous Tate Gallery
. The ship’s owner, Captain Dave Murray generously donated the ship for use as a sail and dive training vessel for charity, benefiting under privileged children.
, contemporary jazz singer and songwriter Rick Guard
and former manager to opera star Russell Watson
).
In 2006 Sterling acquired Record Breakers
company, the name was more commonly associated with a commercial TV show about World Records. In 2005, this 25 year old organisation was turned into a non-profit, Registered International Fund Raising organisation for multiple Charities.
. Sterling was part of the pioneering movie making team led by Twemlow from the late 70’s through the 80’s and into the 90’s. This 3 decade era was dubbed in the book as being ‘The Golden Age’ of guerrilla movie making in Britain.
Sterling was awarded a Knighthood as a Knight Templar for his charitable works through the years. The order of the Knights Templar is an ancient military order dating back to the 12th century. The order is noted for its dedication serving and helping
others in need through charitable endeavours. The hit movie The DaVinci Code brought the order back into the public eye.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, Guinness World Record Holder, motivational speaker
Motivational speaker
A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...
, Award-Winning Film-Maker, TV presenter, stage
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, film and television actor, stunt performer
Stunt performer
A stuntman, or daredevil is someone who performs dangerous stunts, often as a career.These stunts are sometimes rigged so that they look dangerous while still having safety mechanisms, but often they are as dangerous as they appear to be...
, martial arts expert
Japanese honorifics
The Japanese language has many honorifics, parts of speech which show respect, and their use is mandatory in many social situations. Honorifics in Japanese may be used to emphasize social distance or disparity in rank, or to emphasize social intimacy or similarity in rank.The system of honorifics...
, and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
.
Background
Brian Sterling-Vete was born in the RusholmeRusholme
-Etymology:Rusholme, unlike other areas of Manchester which have '-holme' in the place name is not a true '-holme'. Its name came from ryscum, which is the dative plural of Old English rysc "rush": "[at the] rushes"...
and Moss Side
Moss Side
Moss Side is an inner-city area and electoral ward of Manchester, England. It lies south of Manchester city centre and has a population of around 17,537...
district of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, son of Norman, an Exporter and Ida, a restorer of historic costumes. He attended school at Heald Place County Primary and then Burnage High School
Burnage High School
Burnage Media Arts College is an all-boys secondary school in Burnage, Manchester, England.-Grammar school:...
before taking a 3 year degree at Manchester Polytechnic, now Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University is a university in North West England. Its headquarters and central campus is in the city of Manchester, but there are outlying facilities in the county of Cheshire. It is the third largest university in the United Kingdom in terms of student numbers, behind the...
.
During this time, Sterling worked in many areas at once, at the Kendals
Kendals
Kendals, Kendal Milne, Kendal, Milne & Co, Kendal, Milne & Faulkner or Watts' was the name of a department store in Manchester, England.-History:...
(House of Fraser
House of Fraser
House of Fraser is a British department store group with over 60 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891 it was known as Fraser & Sons. The company grew steadily during the early 20th century, but after the Second...
) in Manchester, as a demolition rigger, a nightclub bouncer, builder/plumbers mate, working for Liberty Life and Abbey Life
Abbey Life
Abbey Life plc was a leading life assurance business based in London also with an office in Bournemouth. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
, as a gym instructor, and eventually becoming the owner of a small chain of fitness studios.
Sterling found some success in drug-free bodybuilding
Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is a form of body modification involving intensive muscle hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In competitive and professional bodybuilding, bodybuilders display their physiques to a panel of judges, who assign points based on their...
during this period, competing in the National Amateur Body Building Association (NABBA) Junior Mr. North West, Junior Mr. Britain and Mr. Britain contests and eventually winning the smaller but completely drug-free Mr. Olympic contest in 1980. He went on to set some very acceptable lifts as a drug-free power lifter and specialty
strength athlete at 200 lbs bodyweight in 1980: Squat 665 lbs x 1 rep, Dead Lift 525 lbs x 1 rep, Bench Press 405 lbs x 1 rep, Seated Press Behind Neck 225 lbs x 1 rep.
Martial arts
A holder of 3 Black Belts, his martial arts training started in Pak Mei Kung FuBak Mei
Bak Mei is said to have been one of the legendary Five Elders — survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Temple by the Qing Dynasty imperial regime — who, according to some accounts, betrayed Shaolin to the imperial government...
at the age 12 and progressed over following decade to include Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
, Aikido
Aikido
is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
, Dim Mak
Touch of Death
The Death Touch refers to any martial arts technique that can kill using seemingly less than lethal force targeted at specific areas of the body....
, Yawara
Yawara
The yawara is a Japanese weapon used in various martial arts. It is also the specific weapon of Yawara-Jitsu....
and Karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
. Sterling was actually the first person to train Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
under Masters Sken and Toddy after they befriended him as neighbours. Licensed first by the British Kung Fu Council (later British Council for Chinese Martial Arts
British Council for Chinese Martial Arts
The BCCMA -- British Council for Chinese Martial Arts—is a governing body for Chinese Martial Arts in the United Kingdom.Created in 1973, granted UK Sports Council Recognised Governing Body status in 1980 , it represents over 10,000 practitioners in over 75 organisations/associations....
) and then by the British Karate Association (BKA), he has studied, trained and taught martial arts all his life to date and after several features in Fighters Magazine he began lecturing internationally on the subject. He was accepted by the World Karate and Kickboxing Organisation as a National team coach Grade A and as International referee Class A.
In 2002 Sterling began adapting the skills, principles and strategies of the Martial Arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
, Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu
Sun Wu , style name Changqing , better known as Sun Tzu or Sunzi , was an ancient Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher who is traditionally believed, and who is most likely, to have authored The Art of War, an influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy...
and the Shaolin
Shaolin kung fu
Shaolin Kung Fu refers to a collection of Chinese martial arts that claim affiliation with the Shaolin Monastery.Of the multitude styles of kung fu and wushu, only some are actually related to Shaolin...
masters which he had studied for 30 years at that point in time, into his own business and life training system of Mental Martial Arts. Sterling delivers seminars as an
inspirational and motivational speaker
Motivational speaker
A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...
in strategic planner
Strategic planning
Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy. In order to determine the direction of the organization, it is necessary to understand its current position and the possible avenues...
. In 2003, Sterling was part of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
team which met Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
senior ministers regarding Solar Energy.
Wrestling
Sterling travelled to IcelandIceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
in 1985 to wrestle the then 1 time winner of the World's Strongest Man
World's Strongest Man
The World's Strongest Man is a well recognised event in strength athletics and has been described by a number of highly respected authorities in the sport as the premier event in strongman. Organized by TWI, an IMG Media company, it is broadcast around the end of December each year...
contest, Jón Páll Sigmarsson
Jón Páll Sigmarsson
Jón Páll Sigmarsson was a strongman, a powerlifter , and a bodybuilder from Iceland who won the World's Strongest Man Competition four times . In 1984 Jón won the Icelandic bodybuilding title in the +90 kg. class...
. This was to promote the production of Claire Luckham’s Play, Trafford Tanzi
Trafford Tanzi
Trafford Tanzi is a play by Claire Luckham. Originally performed in Manchester in 1980, it later played in Liverpool before achieving commercial success in London.-Plot:...
by the Icelandic National Theatre. As a specialist strength coach Sterling later went on to help coach Jon Pall Sigmarsson for another 3 World’s Strongest Man wins.
Inspired by his new friend, the World’s Strongest Man, Jon Pall Sigmarsson, Sterling began setting and breaking World Records himself. Sterling's first World Record was set in 1987 in speed block breaking (105 regulation blocks in one minute). This was done to aid charity as part of the BBC’s Children in Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
program. That record stood for one year until it was beaten by Mac Gilmour the Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
Karate Champion on the ITV programme You Bet!
You Bet!
You Bet! was a British game show based around the format of the German show Wetten, dass..? developed by Frank Elstner. You Bet! ran on ITV, mostly on Saturday nights but sometimes on Fridays, between 20 February 1988 and 12 April 1997, initially hosted by Bruce Forsyth from 1988 to 1990, then by...
in 1988. This prompted him to then make another successful attempt at the same world record, again for the BBC’s Children in Need programme in 1989 (breaking 127 regulation blocks in one minute).
When working as an instructor in a gymnasium in Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
, England, he eventually struck a deal to buy the almost derelict club which he renovated in to the Olympic Gym in 1980/1; Sterling operated until his first divorce in 1981 when it was lost in the process.
Film
Projects in collaboration with writer and producer Cliff TwemlowCliff Twemlow
Cliff Twemlow was an English actor, nightclub bouncer, horror paperback writer and library music composer.- Career :...
included: The Pike
The Pike
The Pike became a world famous Long Beach, California amusement zone in 1902 along the shoreline south of Ocean Boulevard with several independent arcades, food stands, gift shops, a variety of rides and a grand bath house...
starring Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
, Target Eve Island, Masons War, The Ibiza Connection, Harrising Moments, The Blind Side of God, Ring of Steel
Cliff Twemlow
Cliff Twemlow was an English actor, nightclub bouncer, horror paperback writer and library music composer.- Career :...
, African Run, The Omega Connection, Predator the Quaith (aka Moonstalker), The Eye of Satan, Tokyo Sunrise, Firestar
Firestar
Firestar is a fictional mutant superhero in the . Debuting in 1981 on the NBC animated television series Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, she has the ability to generate and manipulate microwave radiation, which allows her to generate intense heat and flames, and to fly...
, and Lethal Impact. It was on the movie Predator the Quaith that Sterling met cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
David Tattersall
David Tattersall
David Tattersall BSC is a noted British cinematographer. He has worked on many big-budget films and has won an Emmy Award for his cinematography on the The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles television series...
(The Green Mile
The Green Mile (film)
The Green Mile is a 1999 American drama film directed by Frank Darabont and adapted by him from the 1996 Stephen King novel of the same name...
, Die Another Day
Die Another Day
Die Another Day is the 20th spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth and last film to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond; it is also the last Bond film of the original timeline with the series being rebooted with Casino Royale...
, The Day the Earth Stood Still
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008 film)
The Day the Earth Stood Still is a 2008 science fiction film, a remake of the 1951 film of the same name. The screenplay is based on the 1940 classic science fiction short story "Farewell to the Master" by Harry Bates, and the 1951 screenplay adaptation by Edmund H...
, The Phantom Menace', Con Air
Con Air
Con Air is an Academy Award–nominated 1997 American action-thriller film directed by Simon West and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich...
, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is a 2001 adventure thriller film adapted from the Tomb Raider video game series. Directed by Simon West and starring Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft, it was released in U.S. theaters on June 15, 2001. The film was a commercial success...
and the new Gulliver's Travels
Gulliver's Travels
Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships, better known simply as Gulliver's Travels , is a novel by Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of...
).
Sterling says this was a pivotal meeting for him and when he first took a deeper interest in direction
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
to learn the arts himself while taking advice from, and being inspired by his new friend and Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
winning cinematographer.
After gaining membership to the professional actors union, British Actors Equity, Sterling went on to make many more on-screen appearances in the UK, Europe and in the US. Credits include: BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV’s That's Life!
That's Life!
That's Life! was a magazine-style television series on BBC1 between 26 May 1973 and 19 June 1994, presented by Esther Rantzen throughout the entire run, with various changes of co-presenters. The show was generally recorded about an hour prior to transmission, which was originally on Saturday...
, Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, (Carl Chambers), Sterling doubled for Hollywood
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
star Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
in a series of TV Commercials recreating the movie The Great Escape
The Great Escape (film)
The Great Escape is a 1963 American film about an escape by Allied prisoners of war from a German POW camp during World War II, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough...
for Holsten Pils breweries, he again doubled as Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
’s 007 character, James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
for Barratt Developments
Barratt Developments
Barratt Developments PLC is one of the largest residential property development companies in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1958 as Greensitt Bros. but control was later assumed by Sir Lawrie Barratt. It was originally based in Newcastle upon Tyne but is now located at David Wilson's former...
and made three appearances in Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. As a TV presenter and TV News reporter, Sterling’s work included appearances on the BBC, ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
in the UK and internationally on Alpha TV
Alpha TV
Alpha TV is a Greek terrestrial channel . The station features a mix of Greek and foreign shows with an emphasis on entertainment programs. The studios are located near Athens...
in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, RTL TV
RTL Television
Rtl.de' redirects here. For other uses, see RTL.RTL Television , or simply RTL, is a German commercial television station distributed via cable and satellite along with DVB-T , in larger population centres...
Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Holland.
Stuntman
With divorce came a significant career change to that of TV & Film Stunt Performer when offered work on the projects of Mancunian author and film producer Cliff TwemlowCliff Twemlow
Cliff Twemlow was an English actor, nightclub bouncer, horror paperback writer and library music composer.- Career :...
.
In 1987 and 1988 Sterling also set new world records in fire stunts for part body burns with gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
. The first successful world record attempt in 1987 was set at 2 minutes, 24 seconds and the second successful world record attempt in 1988, was for 2 minutes, 53 seconds. Both records were set at the Armalite (now Armatomic) research laboratory under the direction of Craig Mills, the inventor of the pre-burnt carbon fibre multi-layer stunt suit system
Pyrolysis
Pyrolysis is a thermochemical decomposition of organic material at elevated temperatures without the participation of oxygen. It involves the simultaneous change of chemical composition and physical phase, and is irreversible...
. Seventeen years later in 2005 he captured a Guinness World Record in plate spinning, making a personal total of 5 World Records to date.
Documentary filmmaker
In 1988 Sterling formed the MajorVision organisation and began pioneering specialist documentary films. His total works in this area amount to 58 verifiable independent film productions, including the merited Porsche Cars 50th Anniversary documentary, The Power to Win, Fitness on the Move, The Ultimate Self Defence and the award winning Giants of Steam.As a broadcaster and presenter, Sterling produced programmes and news for Discovery TV, CNN, ITN and the BBC front line news for 15 years. Sterling was part of the team winning 4 Royal Television Society
Royal Television Society
The Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
awards in the process, performing interviews with US President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and British Prime Minister Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
at the G-8 Summit meeting in 1988. Sterling introduced the concept of Steadicam
Steadicam
A Steadicam is a stabilizing mount for a motion picture camera that mechanically isolates it from the operator's movement, allowing a smooth shot even when moving quickly over an uneven surface...
to the directors of Formula 1 motor racing TV coverage and he also performed the Pit Lane interviews in 1998/9 for FOCA TV. Sterling was the director/camera operator (Rick Bayles – producer) for the team that received the Creative Excellence award for best documentary at the US Film and TV Festival
Chicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America....
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
2001 for the documentary "Millennium Bridge." Sterling and MajorVision covered two war zones, Desert Storm in 1991 and Bosnia in 1995; then in 2001 the
Oldham race-religion riots in the UK for the BBC News.
As a producer of coaching and instructional films, Sterling produced: Pro Boxing Heavy Bag Drills, Thai Bag Drills, Focus Pad Drills, Fit-Ball Drills and Medicine Ball Drills all through the UK’s National Coaching Foundation’s publications division, Coachwise-1st 4Sport, these follow on from Sterling’s production of the Dictionary of Weight Training in 1991.
Sterling's MajorVision organisation expanded into cellular telecom between 1995–2000, contracting with Brightpoint Europe, Middle East and Asia.
In 2003, Sterling led the marine dive-salvage
Marine salvage
Marine salvage is the process of rescuing a ship, its cargo, or other property from peril. Salvage encompasses rescue towing, refloating a sunken or grounded vessel, or patching or repairing a ship...
team to lift the Baltic Trading ship The Glaciere from the bottom of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
bay. The ship's new home is in the Albert Dock
Albert Dock
The Albert Dock is a complex of dock buildings and warehouses in Liverpool, England. Designed by Jesse Hartley and Philip Hardwick, it was opened in 1846, and was the first structure in Britain to be built from cast iron, brick and stone, with no structural wood...
moored outside the World famous Tate Gallery
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
. The ship’s owner, Captain Dave Murray generously donated the ship for use as a sail and dive training vessel for charity, benefiting under privileged children.
Documentary productions
- Freedom Denmark 1990
- Summer in Holland (1992) (V)
- The Power to Win 1992
- Fitness on the Move 1992
- The Ultimate Self Defence 1993
- Fitness over Forty 1993
- The Giants of Steam 1994
- Porsche 50th Anniversary Documentary 1998
- Manchester Storm Episode 1 1999
- Millennium Bridge 2001
- Manchester Storm Episode 2 2002
- Advantage TV 2007
- The Rough Guide to Athens 2007
Business
In business Sterling partnered Perry Hughes (Roots Music Group), manager to opera star Jon ChristosJon Christos
Jon Christos is an English singer and local radio presenter.A classically trained tenor, he is best known for an album of operatically-styled crossover music.-Early years and education :...
, contemporary jazz singer and songwriter Rick Guard
Rick Guard
Rick Guard of Chorley, Lancashire, England is a contemporary jazz singer and songwriter. He performs as a solo vocalist or with other live musicians from two piece up to an 18-piece bigband. Guard made his debut with Decca Records, progressing to Roots Music Group and is one half of a successful...
and former manager to opera star Russell Watson
Russell Watson
Russell Watson is an English tenor who has released singles and albums of both operatic-style and pop songs. The self-styled "People's Tenor" had been singing since he was a child, and became known after performing at a working men's club...
).
Consultant
From 1985 to 1989 Sterling was consultant to British vitamin and food supplement manufacturers, Healthilife and to produce their Super-Bodypower range of food supplements, they were later the sponsorship owners of the NABBA Mr and Miss Universe contests for that period.In 2006 Sterling acquired Record Breakers
Record Breakers
Record Breakers was a British children's TV show, themed around world records and produced by the BBC and originally presented by Roy Castle with twin brothers Norris McWhirter and Ross McWhirter. It was broadcast on BBC1 from 15 December 1972 to 21 December 2001...
company, the name was more commonly associated with a commercial TV show about World Records. In 2005, this 25 year old organisation was turned into a non-profit, Registered International Fund Raising organisation for multiple Charities.
Author
Sterling's first book, Mental Martial Arts was released in 2010. This work took him 7 years to compile and complete, yet 39 years to research, the whole time he has been studying the martial arts to that date.Recognition
Sterling was honoured as one of the pioneers of British Video and Digital Cinematography in the 2005 book by Julian Granger of the British Film Institute. Sterling’s work was aggain honoured at the Manchester and Salford Film Festival in 2009 and 2010 and in the book The Lost World of Cliff Twemlow: The King of Manchester Exploitation Movies by C.P. Lee and Andy Willis (as featured in the Manchester Evening NewsManchester Evening News
The Manchester Evening News is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. It is published every day except Sunday and is owned by Trinity Mirror plc following its sale by Guardian Media Group in early 2010. It has an average daily circulation of 90,973 copies...
. Sterling was part of the pioneering movie making team led by Twemlow from the late 70’s through the 80’s and into the 90’s. This 3 decade era was dubbed in the book as being ‘The Golden Age’ of guerrilla movie making in Britain.
Sterling was awarded a Knighthood as a Knight Templar for his charitable works through the years. The order of the Knights Templar is an ancient military order dating back to the 12th century. The order is noted for its dedication serving and helping
others in need through charitable endeavours. The hit movie The DaVinci Code brought the order back into the public eye.
As actor
- Target Eve Island (1983)
- The Ibiza Connection (1984) (V)
- G.B.H. (1983)
- Emmerdale Farm (2 episodes, 1986) (TV)
- The Blind Side of God (1987)
- Star Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
(2 episodes, 1987) (TV)- The Battle (1987) episode
- Justice (1987) episode
- Wipe Out (1988) (TV mini-series)
- Lethal Impact (1991) (V)
- Eye of Satan (1992) (V)
- Coronation StreetCoronation StreetCoronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
(3 episodes, 1998)
As stuntman
- Target Eve Island (1983)
- G.B.H. (1983)
- The Ibiza Connection (1984) (V)
- Screen Two (1 episode, 1987) (TV)
- Naming the Names
- The Eye of Satan (1992) (V)
Theater
- Yankee Doodle DandyYankee Doodle DandyYankee Doodle Dandy is a 1942 American biographical musical film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owns Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, George Tobias, Rosemary DeCamp and Jeanne Cagney.The movie was written by...
- George M. Cohan (M/C Polytechnic Theatre) - The Silver Box – Jeremiah (M/C Polytechnic Theatre)
- Trafford TanziTrafford TanziTrafford Tanzi is a play by Claire Luckham. Originally performed in Manchester in 1980, it later played in Liverpool before achieving commercial success in London.-Plot:...
- Stunt Choreographer & Fight Director (Icelandic National Theatre) - AladdinAladdinAladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
1995 and 1996 - Chinese Police Chief Ping (Albert Halls) - Dick Whittington 1997,1998 and 1999 - King Rat (Albert Halls)
- Spring and Port WineSpring and Port WineSpring and Port Wine is a stage play by Bill Naughton which was turned into a film .It began life under the title My Flesh, My Blood as a BBC Radio play, broadcast on 17 August 1957 in the Saturday Night Theatre strand...
1998 - Arthur Gasket (Healds Green-Room Production and Theatre) - Blithe SpiritBlithe Spirit (play)Blithe Spirit is a comic play written by Noël Coward which takes its title from Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "To a Skylark" . The play concerns socialite and novelist Charles Condomine, who invites the eccentric medium and clairvoyant, Madame Arcati, to his house to conduct a séance, hoping to...
1999 - Mr Condemine (Healds Green-Room Production and Theatre) - Hobson’s Choice 1999 - William Mossop (Healds Green-Room Production and Theatre)
External links
- Brian Sterling at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Official website