The Jurassic Park star died in August (14) and his closest friends, family, film stars and a limited number of fans were given the chance to pay their respects and celebrate his life at the special service.

During the ceremony, his brother, veteran broadcaster David Attenborough, recited a speech his sibling once gave in Britain's House of Lords.

He told guests, "The arts are not a prerequisite of the privileged few; nor are they the playground of the intelligentsia. The arts are for everyone - and failure to include everyone diminishes us all."

Kingsley paid tribute to his Gandhi movie director by reciting writings by Mahatma Gandhi with his film co-star Geraldine James, and Tom Hiddleston and British actress Penelope Wilton read passages from the Bible.

Other celebrities attending the service included Sir John Hurt, Sir Kenneth Branagh, Jane Seymour, Alan Rickman, Patricia Hodge, and director Paul Greengrass.