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1-19 of 19
- Scottish-born Finlay Currie was a former church organist and choirmaster, who made his stage debut at 20 years of age. It took him 34 more years before making his first film, but he worked steadily for another 30 years after that. Although he was a large, imposing figure, with a rich, deep voice and somewhat authoritarian demeanor, he was seldom cast in villainous parts. He received great acclaim for his role as Magwitch in Great Expectations (1946), and one of his best remembered roles was that of Balthazar in Ben-Hur (1959). He was also Shunderson, Cary Grant's devoted servant with a secret past in People Will Talk (1951). Later in his life he became a much respected antiques dealer, specializing in coins and precious metals (coinage). He died in England at age 90. While his biggest Academy Award-winning film, Ben-Hur (1959) was in its final four+ months of filming, he became a widower when his only wife, Maude Courtney, passed away.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Roy Castle was born on 31 August 1932 in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Carry on Up the Khyber (1968), Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) and Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965). He was married to Fiona Dickson. He died on 2 September 1994 in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.- Harold Warrender was born on 15 November 1903 in London, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951), Ivanhoe (1952) and Scott of the Antarctic (1948). He was married to Constance Elizabeth Fowles. He died on 6 May 1953 in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.
- Producer
- Editor
- Writer
Peter Rogers was born in Rochester, Kent, on 20th February 1914. Educated at Kings School, Rochester, he began his career as a journalist on the "Kentish Express". Moving to the theatre in the late 1930s, he became Auriol Lee's assistant on such classic West End productions as J.B. Priestley's "People at Sea" and John Van Druten's "Gertie Maud". From the West End, he went to Fleet Street where he worked on "Picture Post". After hospitalisation during the war, Peter became a radio scriptwriter for the BBC. He entered the film industry as a scriptwriter in 1942 and was a member of the production executive committee of J. Arthur Rank's Religious Films Ltd. In 1946, he joined the Rank-controlled Gainsborough Studios, in Shepherds Bush, as an assistant scenario editor. At Gainsborough, he first met his future wife, Betty E. Box, O.B.E., herself one of Britain's most successful producers. Among the early films they co-produced were Marry Me (1949) and Don't Ever Leave Me (1949). Rank consolidated its interests in the late 1940's and moved all production to Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire. Peter Rogers and Betty Box continued their successful partnership at Pinewood, producing such films as "Venetian Bird" and the Channel Islands wartime comedy Island Rescue (1951). Peter went on to produce children's films which enabled him to combine his entertainment flair with his love of animals. These included The Gay Dog (1954), Circus Friends (1956) and The Dog and the Diamonds (1953) which won the Venice Film Festival Award in 1953. In 1957, he wrote and produced the enormously successful suspense film Time Lock (1957). Peter Rogers produced a film called Carry on Sergeant (1958), little knowing it was laying the foundation stone of what was to become Britain's greatest laughter institution. As well as producing the 30 subsequent "Carry On" films, Peter took the "Carry On" humour to the stage in 1973 at the Victoria Palace. "Carry On London!" opened in October that year and ran for 18 months. He has produced over 100 films. Recently, Peter returned to writing and published several novels, including "Forbidden" (2001), as well as working on numerous screenplays for film and radio plays.- Special Effects
- Visual Effects
- Additional Crew
Before the advent of computer-generated special effects, pioneers in the field managed to create movie magic, despite often restrictive budgets. Les Bowie was one of the best. He began work as a scenic artist at Denham, Pinewood and Shepperton studios in 1946, under the auspices of W. Percy Day. Bowie made his initial mark by developing a faster technique for creating matte shots in a single day. He was rewarded by being pushed up the ladder to chief matte artist for the Rank Organisation. In 1950, Bowie turned freelance and established his own FX unit in partnership with Vic Margutti and A. Val Elsey. This was later expanded to become Bowie Films Ltd., ultimately Britain's leading FX unit, with a staff of 75 people at work creating miniatures, mechanical devices, trick photography and matte paintings.
Bowie was best known for his work at Hammer, beginning with The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), for which he created the monster. He worked on many of the best films for the studio, producing innovative re-usable models. He was also responsible for numerous clever trick effects, including the demises of Count Dracula and assorted minions. Bowie did superb matte work on The Brides of Dracula (1960), The Curse of the Werewolf (1961), Night Creatures (1962), to mention but a few. He also supervised the creation of earth in just six days (on a budget of 1,000 pounds) for One Million Years B.C. (1966) and destroyed it in The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961). Bowie's ambition to work on an A-grade production was finally fulfilled, when he was tasked with making models, mattes and composites for Superman (1978). Sadly he died just minutes before receiving his Special Achievement Award at the Oscars.- Producer
- Actor
- Director
Andrew Osborn was born on 9 April 1910 in Ilford, Essex, England, UK. He was a producer and actor, known for BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950), When the Boat Comes In (1976) and Maigret (1959). He died on 11 March 1985 in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Visual Effects
Paul Beeson was born on 16 November 1921 in Hammersmith, London, England, UK. He was a cinematographer, known for Willow (1988), Never Say Never Again (1983) and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). He died on 19 July 2001 in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.- C.V. France was born on 30 June 1868 in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Skin Game (1931), If I Were King (1938) and Went the Day Well? (1942). He died on 13 April 1949 in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.
- Editor
- Editorial Department
- Producer
Alfred Roome was born on 22 December 1908 in London, England, UK. He was an editor and producer, known for The Lady Vanishes (1938), Don't Ever Leave Me (1949) and My Brother's Keeper (1948). He was married to Janice Adair. He died on 19 November 1997 in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Producer/director Adrian Brunel was a major director in England during the 1920s and 1930s. He founded Minerva Films in partnership with actor Leslie Howard, but his career started to fade during World War II. He later founded the London Film Society, an organization dedicated to eliminating censorship in Britain which prevented many classic Russian films from being seen in British theaters. He was married to actress Jane Dryden.- Janice Adair born Beatrice Duffy in Morpeth, Northumberland in 1904, became a gorgeous brunette beauty who starred in crime thrillers and comedy films from the later silent film era in 1929 with the H.B. Parkinson studios and the Stoll Film Company, she also appeared in many early talkies until her last film 'Flood Tide' in 1934. Married film editor Alfred Roome. some reports suggest she died in 1948.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Johnny Gregory was born on 12 October 1924 in Camden Town, London, England, UK. He was a composer, known for Strongroom (1962), Electric Dreams (1984) and The Ugly Duckling (1959). He died on 23 April 2020 in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.- Director
- Writer
- Editor
Michael Orrom was born on 4 May 1920 in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, UK. Michael was a director and writer, known for A Study in Change (1970), The New Caribbean (1969) and No Resting Place (1951). Michael was married to Mary Beales. Michael died on 6 June 1997 in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.- Cinematographer
- Visual Effects
- Camera and Electrical Department
Leslie Dear was born in 1920 in West Ham, Essex, England, UK. Leslie was a cinematographer, known for Aliens (1986), Superman (1978) and Octopussy (1983). Leslie died on 27 April 2008 in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.- Producer
- Director
John Ammonds was born on 21 May 1924 in Kennington, London, England, UK. He was a producer and director, known for The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968), Comedy Playhouse (1961) and The Morecambe & Wise Show (1978). He was married to Winifred Laithwaite and Win Ammonds. He died on 13 February 2013 in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.- Vic Wilson was born on 14 April 1931 in Drypool, Hull, England, United Kingdom. He was a writer, known for Rocket Power (1999), Formula 1 (1950) and Grand Prix Adelaide 1985 (1986). He died on 14 January 2001 in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom.
- W. Strange Hall was born on 7 April 1869 in Ince-in-Makerfield, Lancashire, England, UK. W. Strange was a writer, known for Spinner o' Dreams (1918). W. Strange died on 2 January 1956 in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.
- George King was born on 27 April 1925 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He died on 8 December 2017 in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.
- Basil Feneron was born in 1920. He died on 18 November 1993 in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.