A striking new mural has been unveiled celebrating one of a Welsh community's most famous sons. Ivor Emmanuel was a beloved musical theatre performer, television star, singer and actor, probably best remembered for his role as Private Owen in the 1964 film Zulu.
Immortalised in Pontrhydyfen
Mr Emmanuel, who died in 2007 aged 79, has now been immortalised in the village of Pontrhydyfen with a new mural which has been painted on the side of The Colliers Arms pub. It shows him wearing the famous red tunic he wore in the blockbuster with an inscription alongside which reads: "Men of Harlech stop your dreaming, can't you see their spear points gleaming. See their warriors' pennants streaming to this battlefield."
Community Project
The people behind the project are Pontrhydyfen-based community group Burton Bont Festival Group which first began in 2023 and was initially set up to commemorate the village's history and heritage. In 2025 it did plenty to commemorate the centenary of actor Richard Burton and the bi-centenary of its aqueduct being built. It has also restored its oak war memorial and run community events such as art competitions for the community.
Andrea Edwards, chairwoman of the group, played a key part in organising the mural, following on from a memorial bench in Mr Emmanuel's memory in 2024. She said: "Ivor's birth centenary is coming up next year and we thought we wanted to pay homage to him and also create a bit of happiness and cohesion in the community. In terms of the reaction, I've got to say, I thought Burton's was good but we posted a picture online and we've had more than 120,000 views. The mural is just amazing and it really does look like Ivor. I think Ivor holds a special place in people's hearts locally as he came back to the village. A lot of people remember him. There's still relatives of Ivor living in the village and his family have been really supportive of anything we've done."
The Artist
Dave Nash, who goes by the name 'Gnasher', is the artist who painted the mural. His work, dating back as far as 1987, has seen him paint large scale murals for Marvel, West Ham United, and Channel 4. Mr Nash, who two years ago also painted the Richard Burton mural in the community, said of his latest project: "This was near his birth house when he was a child. We based it on a very famous scene from the film Zulu which he was in and has him wearing a very bright red tunic. It took three days to complete. Every time I do stuff I try and put in 110% and I think it came out all right. The feedback was great and I had people talking to me as I was doing it which was really cool as it's interactive, which is what art should be."
