Charles Bronson (prisoner)
Encyclopedia
Charles Bronson is a Welsh
criminal often referred to in the British press as the "most violent prisoner in Britain".
Born in Aberystwyth
, Wales, Peterson often found his way into fights before he began a bare-knuckle boxing
career in the East End of London
. His promoter was unhappy with his name and suggested he change it to Charles Bronson.
In 1974 he was imprisoned for a robbery and sentenced to seven years. While in prison he began making a name for himself as a loose cannon, often fighting convicts and prison guards. These fights added years onto his sentence. Regarded as a problem prisoner, he was moved 120 times throughout Her Majesty's Prison Service
and spent most of that time in solitary confinement
. What was originally a seven year term stretched out to a fourteen year sentence that resulted in his first wife, Irene, with whom he had a son, leaving him. He was released on October 30, 1988 but only spent sixty-nine days as a free man before he was arrested again.
While in jail in 2001 he married his second wife, Fatema Saira Rehman, a Bangladeshi-born divorcée who inspired him to convert to Islam
and take the name of Charles Ali Ahmed. This second marriage lasted four years before he was divorce
d and renounced Islam.
Bronson is one of the most high profile criminals in Britain, and has been the subject of books, interviews and studies in prison reform and treatment. He is the subject of the 2008 film Bronson
, the story based loosely around significant events during his life. In addition Bronson has himself written many books about his experiences and famous prisoners he has met throughout his internment. A self-declared fitness fanatic who spent multiple years in solitary, Bronson dedicated a book to working out
in confined spaces.
of Eira and Joe Peterson, who would later run the Conservative club
in Aberystwyth
. His uncle and aunt were mayor
and mayoress of the town in the 1960s and 1970s. His aunt, Eileen Parry, is quoted as saying, "As a boy he was a lovely lad. He was obviously bright and always good with children. He was gentle and mild-mannered, never a bully – he would defend the weak."
He lived in Luton from the age of four, but when he was a teenager, Bronson moved with his family to Ellesmere Port
, Cheshire
, where he started getting into trouble. Bronson later returned to Luton
, which is often referred to as his home town, where he earned a living as a circus strongman
. He was married in December 1970 to Irene, with whom he had a son, Michael.
in the East End of London
, during which time he became an associate of Lenny McLean
. He changed his name from Mick Peterson to Charles Bronson in 1987 on the advice of his fight promoter, "not because he liked the idea of the ‘Death Wish’ films starring the original Charles Bronson
."
Bronson was imprisoned for seven years in 1974, aged twenty-two, for an armed robbery at a Post Office in Little Sutton, a suburb of Ellesmere Port, during which he stole £
26.18. His sentence was repeatedly extended for crimes committed within prison, which include wounding with intent, wounding, criminal damage, grievous bodily harm
, false imprisonment
, blackmail
and threatening to kill.
Bronson has served all but four of his years in prison in solitary confinement
due to a number of hostage
situations, rooftop protests, and repeated attacks on prison staff and on other inmates. His dangerous behaviour has meant that he has spent time in over 120 different prisons, including all three maximum security hospitals: Broadmoor Hospital
, Rampton Secure Hospital
, and Ashworth Hospital
.
Bronson has spent a total of just four months and nine days out of custody since 1974. He was released on 30 October 1988 and spent sixty-nine days as a free man before being arrested for robbery, and then released again on 9 November 1992, spending fifty-three days as a free man before being arrested again, this time for conspiracy to rob.
In 1999 a special prison unit was set up for Bronson and two other violent prisoners from Woodhill
, to reduce the risk they posed to staff and other prisoners.
In 2000, Bronson received a discretionary life sentence
with a three year tariff for a hostage-taking incident. His appeal against this sentence was denied in 2004.
Bronson remained a Category A
prisoner when he was moved to Wakefield High-Security Prison
. He was due for a parole hearing in September 2008, but this was postponed when his lawyer objected to a one-hour parole interview, requesting a full day to deal with Bronson's case. The parole hearing took place on 11 March 2009 and parole was refused shortly afterwards. The Parole Board said that Mr Bronson had not proved he was a reformed character.
On 12 November 2010, Bronson was involved in another incident in Wakefield prison’s F Wing, when he stripped naked, covered himself in butter and attacked six guards. Covering himself with butter apparently made him harder to control. Another six warders were brought in and finally restrained him. Bronson claimed in an interview that this incident never occurred.
The incident followed another attack on warders the previous week during which he injured four attempting to take him back to solitary confinement.
Prison sources said the attack was Bronson's “protest over an appeal rejection” and fears that he may now spend the rest of his life in prison.
Bronson has been involved in over a dozen hostage incidents, some of which are described below:
', HMP Woodhill
to Fatema Saira Rehman, a Bangladeshi-born divorcee who had seen his picture in a newspaper and begun writing to him. Rehman had visited Bronson ten times prior to their wedding. She had worked at a women's shelter prior to their meeting, but lost her job when her employer found out about the relationship. For a short time, Bronson converted to Islam
(Rehman is Muslim
) and wished to be known as Charles Ali Ahmed. After four years he and Rehman divorced. Rehman has since given many interviews regarding her short marriage to Bronson, portraying him in a negative light. In one interview she was quoted as saying, "He fooled me - he is nothing but an abusive, racist thug."
Bronson claims that shortly after the 9-11 attacks in New York, two men visited him (he was then known as Ahmed) offering to release him into general population if he would infiltrate the Muslim prison population.
For the past ten years, Bronson has occupied himself by writing poetry and producing pieces of art; he has had eleven books published, including in 2008 his only self-penned book Loonyology: In My Own Words. He has won 11 Koestler Trust
Awards for his poetry and art.
On 28 April 2010, BBC News reported that artwork by Bronson were displayed on the London Underground at Angel Station from 26 April 2010 for two weeks. The display was organised by Art Below
, which is unrelated to the official Transport For London art program, and there is controversy over whether it should have been shown. His work has since been removed by an unknown party.
, which loosely follows Bronson's life, was released in Britain on 13 March 2009. It stars Tom Hardy
in the titular role, and is directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. There was some controversy caused at the première, when a recording of Bronson's voice was played with no prior permission granted by officers at HM Prison Service, who called for an inquiry into how the recording had been made.
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...
criminal often referred to in the British press as the "most violent prisoner in Britain".
Born in Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
, Wales, Peterson often found his way into fights before he began a bare-knuckle boxing
Bare-knuckle boxing
Bare-knuckle boxing is the original form of boxing, closely related to ancient combat sports...
career in the East End of London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
. His promoter was unhappy with his name and suggested he change it to Charles Bronson.
In 1974 he was imprisoned for a robbery and sentenced to seven years. While in prison he began making a name for himself as a loose cannon, often fighting convicts and prison guards. These fights added years onto his sentence. Regarded as a problem prisoner, he was moved 120 times throughout Her Majesty's Prison Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service is a part of the National Offender Management Service of the Government of the United Kingdom tasked with managing most of the prisons within England and Wales...
and spent most of that time in solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
. What was originally a seven year term stretched out to a fourteen year sentence that resulted in his first wife, Irene, with whom he had a son, leaving him. He was released on October 30, 1988 but only spent sixty-nine days as a free man before he was arrested again.
While in jail in 2001 he married his second wife, Fatema Saira Rehman, a Bangladeshi-born divorcée who inspired him to convert to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and take the name of Charles Ali Ahmed. This second marriage lasted four years before he was divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d and renounced Islam.
Bronson is one of the most high profile criminals in Britain, and has been the subject of books, interviews and studies in prison reform and treatment. He is the subject of the 2008 film Bronson
Bronson (film)
Bronson is a 2008 British fictionalised biographical crime film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Tom Hardy. The film follows the life of notorious prisoner Michael Gordon Peterson, who was re-named Charles Bronson by his fight promoter...
, the story based loosely around significant events during his life. In addition Bronson has himself written many books about his experiences and famous prisoners he has met throughout his internment. A self-declared fitness fanatic who spent multiple years in solitary, Bronson dedicated a book to working out
Physical exercise
Physical exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons including strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system, honing athletic skills, weight loss or maintenance, as well as for the purpose of...
in confined spaces.
Before prison
Early life
Bronson was one of three sonsof Eira and Joe Peterson, who would later run the Conservative club
Conservative Club
The Conservative Club was a London gentlemen's club, now dissolved, which was established in 1840. In 1950 it merged with the Bath Club, and was disbanded in 1981...
in Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
. His uncle and aunt were mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and mayoress of the town in the 1960s and 1970s. His aunt, Eileen Parry, is quoted as saying, "As a boy he was a lovely lad. He was obviously bright and always good with children. He was gentle and mild-mannered, never a bully – he would defend the weak."
He lived in Luton from the age of four, but when he was a teenager, Bronson moved with his family to Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port is a large industrial town and port in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated on the south border of the Wirral Peninsula on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal, which in turn gives access to the River...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, where he started getting into trouble. Bronson later returned to Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
, which is often referred to as his home town, where he earned a living as a circus strongman
Strongman (circus)
The circus strongman is one of many acts found in a modern circus. The strongman demonstrates great strength, power and agility to the audience. The strongman and strongwomen were very popular attractions in the circus in the 19th century....
. He was married in December 1970 to Irene, with whom he had a son, Michael.
Boxing career and name change
Prior to being imprisoned, Bronson had a short-lived career in bare-knuckle boxingBare-knuckle boxing
Bare-knuckle boxing is the original form of boxing, closely related to ancient combat sports...
in the East End of London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
, during which time he became an associate of Lenny McLean
Lenny McLean
Leonard John "Lenny" McLean , also known as "The Guv'nor," was an East End of London bareknuckle fighter, bouncer, criminal and prisoner, author, businessman, bodyguard, enforcer, weightlifter, television presenter and actor, and has been referred to as "the hardest man in Britain".McLean's...
. He changed his name from Mick Peterson to Charles Bronson in 1987 on the advice of his fight promoter, "not because he liked the idea of the ‘Death Wish’ films starring the original Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...
."
Life in prison
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
26.18. His sentence was repeatedly extended for crimes committed within prison, which include wounding with intent, wounding, criminal damage, grievous bodily harm
Grievous bodily harm
Grievous bodily harm is a term of art used in English criminal law which has become synonymous with the offences that are created by sections 18 and 20 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861....
, false imprisonment
False imprisonment
False imprisonment is a restraint of a person in a bounded area without justification or consent. False imprisonment is a common-law felony and a tort. It applies to private as well as governmental detention...
, blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
and threatening to kill.
Bronson has served all but four of his years in prison in solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
due to a number of hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
situations, rooftop protests, and repeated attacks on prison staff and on other inmates. His dangerous behaviour has meant that he has spent time in over 120 different prisons, including all three maximum security hospitals: Broadmoor Hospital
Broadmoor Hospital
Broadmoor Hospital is a high-security psychiatric hospital at Crowthorne in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It is the best known of the three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England, the other two being Ashworth and Rampton...
, Rampton Secure Hospital
Rampton Secure Hospital
Rampton Secure Hospital is a high security psychiatric hospital near the village of Woodbeck between Retford and Rampton in the Bassetlaw District of Nottinghamshire, England...
, and Ashworth Hospital
Ashworth Hospital
Ashworth Hospital is a high security psychiatric hospital at Maghull in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England.Ashworth is one of only three high-security specialist psychiatric hospitals in England and Wales, along with Rampton and Broadmoor, that exist to work with people who...
.
Bronson has spent a total of just four months and nine days out of custody since 1974. He was released on 30 October 1988 and spent sixty-nine days as a free man before being arrested for robbery, and then released again on 9 November 1992, spending fifty-three days as a free man before being arrested again, this time for conspiracy to rob.
In 1999 a special prison unit was set up for Bronson and two other violent prisoners from Woodhill
Woodhill (HM Prison)
HM Prison Woodhill is a Category A men's prison and Young Offenders Institution, located in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. Woodhill Prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
, to reduce the risk they posed to staff and other prisoners.
In 2000, Bronson received a discretionary life sentence
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
with a three year tariff for a hostage-taking incident. His appeal against this sentence was denied in 2004.
Bronson remained a Category A
Prison security categories in the United Kingdom
There are four prisoner security categories in the United Kingdom used to classify every adult prisoner for the purposes of assigning them to a prison. The categories are based upon the severity of the crime and the risk posed should the person escape....
prisoner when he was moved to Wakefield High-Security Prison
Wakefield (HM Prison)
HM Prison Wakefield is a Category A men's prison, located in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service, and is the largest maximum security prison in the United Kingdom...
. He was due for a parole hearing in September 2008, but this was postponed when his lawyer objected to a one-hour parole interview, requesting a full day to deal with Bronson's case. The parole hearing took place on 11 March 2009 and parole was refused shortly afterwards. The Parole Board said that Mr Bronson had not proved he was a reformed character.
On 12 November 2010, Bronson was involved in another incident in Wakefield prison’s F Wing, when he stripped naked, covered himself in butter and attacked six guards. Covering himself with butter apparently made him harder to control. Another six warders were brought in and finally restrained him. Bronson claimed in an interview that this incident never occurred.
The incident followed another attack on warders the previous week during which he injured four attempting to take him back to solitary confinement.
Prison sources said the attack was Bronson's “protest over an appeal rejection” and fears that he may now spend the rest of his life in prison.
Hostage incidents
- In 1983, Bronson took hostages and staged a 47-hour rooftop protest at Broadmoor, causing £750,000 of damage.
- In 1994, while holding a civilian librarian hostage at Woodhill Prison, Milton KeynesMilton KeynesMilton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, he demanded an inflatable dollSex dollA sex doll is a type of sex toy in the size and shape of a sexual partner for aid in masturbation....
, a helicopter and a cup of tea as ransom. Two months later, he held deputy governor Adrian Wallace hostage for five hours at Hull prisonHull (HM Prison)HM Prison Hull is a Category B men's local prison. The term 'local' means that this prison holds people on remand to the local courts. Hull Prison located in Kingston upon Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England...
, injuring him so badly he was off work for five weeks. - In 1998, Bronson took two Iraqi hijackers and another inmate hostage at Belmarsh prisonBelmarsh (HM Prison)HM Prison Belmarsh is a Category A men's prison, located in the Thamesmead area of the London Borough of Greenwich, in south-east London, England. Belmarsh Prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service...
in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He insisted his hostages address him as "General" and told negotiators he would eat one of his victims quickly unless his demands were met. At one stage, Bronson demanded one of the Iraqis hit him "very hard" over the head with a metal tray. When the hostage refused, Bronson slashed his own shoulder six times with a razor blade. He later told staff: "I'm going to start snapping necks – I'm the number-one hostage taker." He demanded a plane to take him to CubaCubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, two Uzi sub-machine guns, 5,000 rounds of ammunition, and an axe. In court, he said he was "as guilty as Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
", adding, "I was on a mission of madness, but now I'm on a mission of peace and all I want to do now is go home and have a pint with my son." Another seven years were added to his sentence. - In 1999, he took Phil Danielson, a civilian education officer, hostage at Hull prison. He can be seen in CCTV footage singing the song "Yellow SubmarineYellow Submarine (song)"Yellow Submarine" is a 1966 song by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney , with lead vocals by Ringo Starr. It was included on the Revolver album and issued as a single, coupled with "Eleanor Rigby". The single went to number 1 on every major British chart, remained at number 1 for four weeks...
", walking around with a makeshift spear (after having caused havoc inside the prison) and causing the wing to be locked up for over forty hours. - In 2007, two prison staff members at Full SuttonFull Sutton (HM Prison)HM Prison Full Sutton is a Category A men's prison in the village of Full Sutton, near Pocklington in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Full Sutton is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service and holds some 600 inmates.-History:...
high security prison in the East Riding of YorkshireEast Riding of YorkshireThe East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
were involved in a "control and restraint incident", in an attempt to prevent another hostage situation, during which Bronson (who by now needed spectacles) had his glasses broken. Bronson received £200 compensation for his broken glasses, which he claimed were made of "pre-war gold" and given to him by Lord LongfordFrank Pakenham, 7th Earl of LongfordFrancis Aungier Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford KG, PC , known as the Lord Pakenham from 1945 to 1961, was a British politician, author, and social reformer...
.
First marriage
Bronson met his first wife, Irene, in 1969, when he was still called Michael Peterson. Irene remembers that he "was so different from any other boys I knew. He always wore tailored suits, had perfectly-groomed sideburns and a Cockney accent." Eight months later, when Irene was 4 months pregnant, they married at Chester Register Office in December 1970. Four years later, when their son Mike was three years old, the police raided their house searching for Peterson. He was eventually caught and sent to prison. Five years later they divorced and Irene later remarried.Second marriage and second name change
In 2001, Bronson married again, this time in Milton KeynesMilton Keynes (borough)
The Borough of Milton Keynes is a unitary authority and borough in south central England, at the northern tip of the South East England Region. For ceremonial purposes, it is in the county of Buckinghamshire...
', HMP Woodhill
Woodhill (HM Prison)
HM Prison Woodhill is a Category A men's prison and Young Offenders Institution, located in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. Woodhill Prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
to Fatema Saira Rehman, a Bangladeshi-born divorcee who had seen his picture in a newspaper and begun writing to him. Rehman had visited Bronson ten times prior to their wedding. She had worked at a women's shelter prior to their meeting, but lost her job when her employer found out about the relationship. For a short time, Bronson converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
(Rehman is Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
) and wished to be known as Charles Ali Ahmed. After four years he and Rehman divorced. Rehman has since given many interviews regarding her short marriage to Bronson, portraying him in a negative light. In one interview she was quoted as saying, "He fooled me - he is nothing but an abusive, racist thug."
Bronson claims that shortly after the 9-11 attacks in New York, two men visited him (he was then known as Ahmed) offering to release him into general population if he would infiltrate the Muslim prison population.
Occupations and projects
While in prison, Bronson has developed an extreme fitness regime and claims he is still able to do 172 press-ups in 60 seconds and 94 press-ups in 30 seconds. In 2002, he published the book Solitary Fitness, detailing an individual training process with minimal resources and space.For the past ten years, Bronson has occupied himself by writing poetry and producing pieces of art; he has had eleven books published, including in 2008 his only self-penned book Loonyology: In My Own Words. He has won 11 Koestler Trust
Koestler Trust
The Koestler Trust or award scheme,is a charity which helps prison inmates and detained psychiatric patients in the UK to express themselves creatively. The trust promotes the arts in special institutions, encouraging creativity and the acquisition of new skills as a means to rehabilitation...
Awards for his poetry and art.
On 28 April 2010, BBC News reported that artwork by Bronson were displayed on the London Underground at Angel Station from 26 April 2010 for two weeks. The display was organised by Art Below
Art Below
Art Below is a London based public art enterprise. It was founded in 2006 by Ben Moore. With a wide range of international artists and its various campaigns in cities worldwide, Art Below has an important position within the movement of contemporary art in public space...
, which is unrelated to the official Transport For London art program, and there is controversy over whether it should have been shown. His work has since been removed by an unknown party.
Film of Bronson's life
BronsonBronson (film)
Bronson is a 2008 British fictionalised biographical crime film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Tom Hardy. The film follows the life of notorious prisoner Michael Gordon Peterson, who was re-named Charles Bronson by his fight promoter...
, which loosely follows Bronson's life, was released in Britain on 13 March 2009. It stars Tom Hardy
Tom Hardy
Edward Thomas "Tom" Hardy is an English actor. He is best known for playing the title character in the 2008 British film Bronson, the character of Eames in Inception, and the villain Praetor Shinzon in Star Trek Nemesis...
in the titular role, and is directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. There was some controversy caused at the première, when a recording of Bronson's voice was played with no prior permission granted by officers at HM Prison Service, who called for an inquiry into how the recording had been made.