Arts: Lights, camera, actuary!
We have all been in a social situation where the question arises: “So, what do you do for a living?” The ‘I’m an actuary’ answer can provoke reactions ranging from the predictable to the strange, but one of the best can be, “An actor?!” Never quite sure whether to play along, it has set our brains on a tangent to the new question: how have actuaries inspired the world of films?
Matt and Finn
In a poll of professions least likely to feature on film, I would put a fairly hefty bet on actuaries topping the list. Therefore, it was somewhat to my surprise that the humble actuary has provided the inspiration in film genres as diverse as thrillers, musicals and romantic comedies.
The film that could be said to have started it all was Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity back in 1944. The plot concerns a murderer seeking to get hold of the payout on a rather large insurance policy. A canny investigator with an eye for actuarial statistics becomes suspicious at this outlier event and unravels the case. It’s good to see actuarial skills can be diversified into areas such as solving (or even perpetrating) crime.
Less successful, but equally pioneering, in 1996 — the year of modern classics such as Fargo and The English Patient — the ambitious Escape Clause sought to combine actuaries and the thriller genre. To quote a review: “The makers of this direct-to-video release thought the world was ready for a thriller about an insurance actuary. They thought wrong.”
Films featuring actuaries on the lighter side of life include Are You With It? — a 1948 musical comedy where an actuary is forced out of his job and made to join a carnival. His crime was misplacing a decimal point on a statistical table. Actuaries everywhere beware.
There is even a film incorporating the romantic life of an actuary. Amusingly entitled Sweet Charity, I am not too sure what the writers were trying to imply.
The most famous movie incorporating an actuary as its lead character was 2002’s About Schmidt. This Oscar-nominated film featured Jack Nicholson playing a retired actuary tramping around being rather depressed about pretty much everything. Again, not the best picture for a profession that sometimes struggles with its reputation for being interesting, but a creditable film nonetheless.
So this demonstrates a broad spectrum of films inspired by actuarial concepts and characters. What about real-life actuaries who actually appeared in films? This is where I start to struggle. I did hear a rumour in the pub once that Minnie Driver sat some actuarial exams, but even the internet seems to struggle to prove this. I could have used myself as an example, having once got a role as an extra in the romantic comedy Wimbledon, only for a holiday to get in the way.
I feel the lack of actuarial actors on film is slightly inevitable. As Doctor Evil in Austin Powers once said, “I didn’t spend six years in Evil Medical School so people could go around calling me ‘Mister’.” And so it is with actuaries — we do not toil for many years sitting actuarial exams to not follow our calling. To be recognised on film, whether positively or not, is an honour so I look forward to seeing more films featuring characters from our profession.
Recommended artist: Eine
Often lazily referred to as the Banksy of lettering, Eine is a prolific street artist based in London. Anyone who has wandered around Brick Lane, Shoreditch or Old Street is likely to have witnessed his most notable work, his alphabet letters on shop shutters. Go explore! Alternatively visit http://www.artofthestate.co.uk/Graffiti/eine_graffiti.htm
Client entertaining: Bell’s Diner, Bristol
Bell’s Diner has been producing exquisite and innovative European food long before the rise of the gastropub. Although Bell’s offers an excellent à la carte menu and substantial wine list, the real action is with the tasting menu. Offering a truly exciting mix of flavours, and wine selected to complement each dish, the tasting menu is less dinner and more a culinary journey. Recommended for the more refined client you are looking to impress. Visit www.bellsdiner.com for details.
Art by an actuary: Barbara Stevens
This month’s artwork has been produced by Barbara Stevens. The piece is entitled Run on the beach and captures a scene Barbara saw of a dog scampering along the West Wittering shoreline. Produced using ink and gouache paint, this is one of many pictures she has produced that she exhibits with the Epsom and Ewell Art Group. If you want your work featured in this space please e-mail arts@the-actuary.org.uk
In the coming months we are looking to showcase the architecture of actuarial offices and we need your help. If you have pictures or stories of interesting buildings you work in anywhere in the world, please let us know at arts@the-actuary.org.uk
Run on the beach by Barbara Stephens
