Philip Leacock
| Philip Leacock | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Philip David Charles Leacock 8 October 1917 London, England |
| Died |
14 July 1990 (aged 72) London, England |
| Occupation | Television and film director, producer |
Philip David Charles Leacock (8 October 1917 – 14 July 1990) was an English television and film director and producer.[1] His brother was documentary filmmaker Richard Leacock.[2]
Career
Born in London, England, Leacock spent his childhood in the Canary Islands.[3] He began his career directing documentaries and later turned to fiction films.
He was known for his films about children, particularly The Kidnappers (US: The Little Kidnappers, 1953), which gained Honorary Juvenile Acting Oscars for two of its performers, and The Spanish Gardener (1956) starring Dirk Bogarde. He also directed Innocent Sinners (1958), with Flora Robson, The Rabbit Trap (1959), with Ernest Borgnine and The War Lover (1962) starring Steve McQueen, based on John Hersey's novel about a World War II pilot.[1]
He began to work manly in Hollywood, where he made Take a Giant Step (1959), about a black youth's encounter with racism, and Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960), about juvenile drug addiction. Around this time, he began to work in television, directing episodes of Gunsmoke, Route 66, The Waltons, The Defenders, and The New Land. As before, he was known for his gentle way with child performers, he also directed many segments of the American series Eight Is Enough (1977–1981).[4]
He retired in 1987, after directing an acclaimed three-part television drama about the Salem witch hunts, Three Sovereigns for Sister Sarah, which starred Vanessa Redgrave.[5]
Leacock died while on vacation with his family in London on 14 July 1990.[6]
Selected filmography
- Island People (1940)
- Appointment in London (1952)
- Take a Giant Step (1959)
- Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960)
- Tamahine (1963)
References
- 1 2 "Philip Leacock". BFI.
- ↑ Hal Erickson. "Philip Leacock - Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ↑ "BFI Screenonline: Leacock, Philip (1917-1990) Biography". screenonline.org.uk.
- ↑ "Philip Leacock". TV.com. CBS Interactive.
- ↑ "Three Sovereigns for Sarah (1985) - Philip Leacock - Cast and Crew - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ↑ "Philip Leacock, 72, Director of Movies And Dramas for TV". The New York Times. 1990-07-21. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
External links
- Philip Leacock at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
- Philip Leacock at the Internet Movie Database
- Interview http://www.thecolumnists.com/bawden/bawden6.html