Double Oscar winners Daniel Day-Lewis and Kevin Spacey were joined at a memorial in London to actor Pete Postlethwaite by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band, his wife, son and daughter and a group of locals from Shropshire.

The event was held yesterday at St Leonard’s Church, in Shoreditch, and also featured contributions from many more actors, directors and friends.

It was timed to coincide with what would have been the 65th birthday of Mr Postlethwaite, who lived near Bishop’s Castle but died, aged 64, on January 2, following a lengthy illness.

Pete Postlethwaite in his beloved Shropshire hills

Mr Postlethwaite’s wife, Jacqui, paid a heartfelt tribute to the man whom she described as a ‘wizard’.

His son William read a poem which Mr Postlethwaite had written in Ward 21 of the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, shortly before he died.

And his daughter Lily made a poignant contribution saying that, even though her father had died, he lived on in the hearts, minds and souls of those who knew him.

Actor Mr Day-Lewis said: “My great good fortune was to serve an apprenticeship under the mighty Pete Postlethwaite.”

Mr Day-Lewis said: “He had a Merlin engine inside him; refined, complex and capable of generating immense power.”

He sang an unaccompanied traditional Irish song as a tribute.

Two of Mr Postlethwaite’s closest friends, Judy Miller and Mark Wells, who live in Shropshire, also paid tribute. Mr Wells, who worked for Mr Postlethwaite, read a poem called ‘Pete’ and described him as ‘a true Shropshire lad’.

The attendees at yesterday’s memorial read like a Who’s Who of British actors, with former colleagues including Sean Bean, Sue Johnston from Brookside and The Royal Family, Michael Gambon, Matthew Kelly and many more in attendance.

Music included a performance of John Lennon’s Working Class Hero and the The Grimethorpe Colliery Band accompanied the congregation.

By Andy Richardson