Notorious British thief who orchestrated the 1963 Great Train Robbery, stealing millions from a Royal Mail train. He became a folk hero for evading capture and living in Brazil for many years.
Ronnie Biggs, the notorious English criminal, is best known for his role in the Great Train Robbery of 1963, one of the most daring heists in British history. His subsequent escape from prison and 36-year fugitive lifestyle only added to his notoriety, cementing his place in the annals of crime folklore.
Born on August 8, 1929, in Stockwell, London, Biggs was evacuated to the countryside during World War II. After the war, he enlisted in the Royal Air Force in 1947 but was dishonorably discharged two years later for desertion. He then turned to a life of crime, with multiple convictions for theft and burglary.
In 1963, Biggs, along with a gang of 15 robbers, orchestrated the daring heist of a Royal Mail train carrying large quantities of cash. The gang, led by Bruce Reynolds, made off with £2.6 million (approximately £46 million today). Biggs' role was to arrange for the train driver to move the train to a remote location, where the gang could empty the carriages of cash.
In 1965, Biggs escaped from Wandsworth Prison, where he was serving a 30-year sentence for his role in the Great Train Robbery. He fled to Paris, where he underwent plastic surgery to alter his appearance, and then made his way to Brazil, where he lived in exile for 36 years.
During his fugitive years, Biggs became a celebrity of sorts, giving interviews to the press and participating in publicity stunts. He even recorded a song, "No One is Innocent," with the Sex Pistols in 1978.
In 2001, Biggs voluntarily returned to the UK, where he was arrested and sentenced to serve the remaining 28 years of his original sentence. Due to poor health, he was released from prison on compassionate grounds in 2009. Biggs died on December 18, 2013, at the age of 84, in a nursing home.
Biggs' exploits have captivated the public imagination, inspiring numerous books, films, and documentaries about his life and the Great Train Robbery. His notoriety has also led to a reevaluation of the criminal justice system, with some arguing that his sentence was excessive and that he was unfairly vilified by the media.
In 1960, Biggs married Charmian Brent Powell, with whom he had three sons. During his fugitive years, he had multiple affairs and fathered a son with a Brazilian woman, Raimunda de Castro.
Ronnie Biggs' life was a wild ride of crime, escape, and celebrity, a true original who left an indelible mark on the world of crime and popular culture.
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