Famous name wordplay

[skullturfq]

It's entirely possible that there's more than one pair of names this can be done with.

I'm thinking of two famous names. One is from the past, and one is from the present. The name from the past is three letters longer.

Take the name from the past, and remove a certain string of three letters. Then, switch the first and last names. You'll get the name from the present.

EXAMPLE: Suppose there was a famous person from the past called "KEN JENNINGS". Say you remove "NIN", giving you "KEN JENGS". This would work if there was a famous person from the present called "JENGS KEN".

HINTS: The two famous people I have in mind are both from Britain, and they were born 103 years apart: the older in 1872 and the younger in 1975. Both are male, and both have had marriages deteriorate.

[Bill]

A middle name of the older figure is a significant title role played by the younger.

[ArtVark]

I should be able to logically figure out who the first guy is,
but the marriage hint for the second guy leaves me hot and cold.

[skullturfq]

You've both got it. ArtVark's hints in particular should be helpful to anyone who's still stuck.

[skullturfq]

Explicit answer in white text below:

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The famous name from the past is Bertrand Russell, and the famous name from the present is Russell Brand. One of Bertrand Russell's middle names was "Arthur", which is also the name of a recent movie remake that Brand was in.