Harold French (23 April 1897 – 19 October 1997) was an English film director, screenwriter and actor.

Biography

After training at the Italia Conti School, he made his acting debut age 12, in a production of ''

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some cri ...

''. As an actor, most of his roles occurred between 1912 and 1936, not gaining as much attention as later he would as a director. He worked as a screenwriter on three of the four films produced by

Marcel Hellman Marcel Hellman (31 May 1898 – 28 April 1986) was a Romanian-born British film producer, who worked closely with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Harold French. In 1936 he founded Criterion Film Productions together with Douglas Fairbanks Jr., ...

's and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.'s production company ''Criterion Film Productions'' in the late 1930s, before switching to film direction in 1937, often with Marcel Hellman as producer. From 1940 to 1955, he had several box-office successes as director. This successful period was clouded by the 1941 death of his wife Phyllis in a

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

bombing raid. Although he did some TV work after 1955, he appears to have retired from directing and acting after 1963. He directed the hit West End play '' Out of Bounds'' starring

Michael Redgrave Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave CBE (20 March 1908 – 21 March 1985) was an English stage and film actor, director, manager and author. He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''Mourning Becomes Elec ...

in 1962. He died in 1997 at the age of 100. He was a subject of the television programme ''

This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...

'' in May 1970 when he was surprised by

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...

Selected filmography

Director

* '' Dead Men are Dangerous'' (1939) *'' The House of the Arrow'' (1940) *''

The Day Will Dawn ''The Day Will Dawn'', released in the US as ''The Avengers'', is a 1942 British war film set in Norway during World War II. It stars Ralph Richardson, Deborah Kerr, Hugh Williams and Griffith Jones, and was directed by Harold French from a sc ...

'' (1940) * '' Jeannie'' (1941) *'' Secret Mission'' (1942) *'' Unpublished Story'' (1942) *'' Talk About Jacqueline '' (1942) *''

Dear Octopus ''Dear Octopus'' is a comedy by the playwright and novelist Dodie Smith. It opened at the Queen's Theatre, London on 14 September 1938. On the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 the run was halted after 373 performances; after a ...

'' (1943) *'' English Without Tears'' (1944) *'' Quiet Weekend'' (1946) *''

Quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

'' (1948, with

Ken Annakin Kenneth Cooper Annakin, OBE (10 August 1914 – 22 April 2009) was an English film director. His career spanned half a century, beginning in the early 1940s and ending in 2002, and in the 1960s he was noticed by critics with large-scale adventu ...

Arthur Crabtree Arthur Crabtree (29 October 1900 in Shipley, Yorkshire, England – 15 March 1975 in Worthing, Sussex, England) was a British cinematographer and film director. He directed films with comedians such as Will Hay, the Crazy Gang and Arthur A ...

and

Ralph Smart Ralph Foster Smart (27 August 1908 – 12 February 2001) was a film and television producer, director, and writer, born in England to Australian parents. Biography Smart found work in Britain with Anthony Asquith and later alongside the film dir ...

) *'' Adam and Evelyne'' (1949) *'' Trio'' (1950, with

and

Pat Jackson Patrick Douglas Selmes Jackson (26 March 1916 – 3 June 2011) was an English film and television director. Biography Born in Eltham, to a formerly affluent family which was severely affected by the Wall Street Crash in 1929, and his father's ...

) *''

Encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pre ...

'' (1951, with

Anthony Pelissier Harry Anthony Compton Pelissier (27 July 1912 – 2 April 1988) was an English actor, screenwriter, producer and director. Biography Pelissier was born in Barnet and came from a theatrical family. His parents were the theatre producer H. G. ...

) *''

The Man Who Watched Trains Go By ''The Man Who Watched Trains Go By'' (1952) is a crime drama film, based on the 1938 novel by Georges Simenon and directed by Harold French. It has an all-European cast, including Claude Rains in the lead role of Kees Popinga, who is infatuated ...

'' (1952) *''

The Hour of 13 ''The Hour of 13'' is a 1952 British historical mystery film directed by Harold French and starring Peter Lawford, Dawn Addams and Roland Culver. It was made at Elstree Studios by the British subsidiary of MGM. The film's sets were designed by the ...

'' (1952) *'' Isn't Life Wonderful!'' (1953) *''

Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue ''Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue'' is a 1953 adventure film produced by RKO-Walt Disney British Productions which is about Rob Roy MacGregor. It was the last Disney film released through RKO Radio Pictures. Plot The film begins in the early 18th ...

'' (1953) *'' Forbidden Cargo'' (1954) *''

The Man Who Loved Redheads ''The Man Who Loved Redheads'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Harold French and starring Moira Shearer, John Justin and Roland Culver. The film is based on the play '' Who is Sylvia?'' (1950) by Terence Rattigan, which is reputedly a ...

'' (1955)

Actor

* ''

Sister Brown ''Sister Brown'' (Dutch:'' Zuster Brown'') is a 1921 Dutch silent film directed by Maurits Binger. Cast * Marjorie Villis - Joyce Sinclair, zuster Brown * Rolf Leslie * Harold French Harold French (23 April 1897 – 19 October 1997) ...

'' (1921) *''

Jealousy Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety. Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness or disgus ...

'' (1931) * ''

East Lynne on the Western Front ''East Lynne on the Western Front'' is a 1931 British comedy film directed by George Pearson and starring Herbert Mundin, Mark Daly and Alf Goddard. It was made at the Lime Grove Studios.Wood p.71 Plot During the First World War a group of B ...

'' (1931) * ''

The Officers' Mess ''The Officers' Mess'' is a 1931 British comedy film directed by Manning Haynes and starring Richard Cooper, Harold French and Elsa Lanchester. It was made at Walton Studios.Wood p.72 It was released as a quota quickie by Paramount Pictures. ...

'' (1931) * ''

A Tight Corner ''A Tight Corner'' is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Frank Pettingell, Gina Malo, Betty Astell and Charles Stratton. It was made at Twickenham Studios as a quota quickie for release by MGM.Wood p.76 Cas ...

'' (1932) * '' The Callbox Mystery '' (1932) * ''

A Safe Proposition ''A Safe Proposition'' is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring A. W. Baskcomb, Barbara Gott, Harold French and Austin Trevor. It was made at Twickenham Studios as a quota quickie for release by Fox Film.Wood p.7 ...

'' (1932) *'' I Adore You'' (1933) * ''

Night of the Garter ''Night of the Garter'' is a 1933 British comedy film directed by Jack Raymond and starring Sydney Howard, Winifred Shotter and Elsie Randolph. The film was made at British and Dominion's Elstree Studios by the producer Herbert Wilcox for rel ...

'' (1933) * '' The Umbrella'' (1933) * ''

Yes, Madam Yes, Madam may refer to: * ''Yes, Madam'' (1933 film), a British comedy film * ''Yes, Madam'' (1942 film), an Italian romance film * ''Yes, Madam'' (1985 film), a Hong Kong action film * ''Yes, Madam? ''Yes, Madam?'' is a 1938 British musica ...

'' (1933) *'' The Diplomatic Lover'' (1934) * '' Murder at the Inn'' (1934) * ''

Faces The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affe ...

'' (1934) * '' Two on a Doorstep'' (1936)

Screenwriter

* '' Accused'' (1936) * ''

Crime Over London ''Crime Over London'' is a 1936 British crime film directed by Alfred Zeisler and starring Margot Grahame, Paul Cavanagh and David Burns. It was made at Isleworth Studios,Wood p.89 based on the novel ''House of a Thousand Windows'' by Ludwig ...

'' (1936) * ''

Jump for Glory ''Jump for Glory'' is a 1937 British romantic drama film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Valerie Hobson and Alan Hale. It was based on a novel by Gordon McDonnell. The film was shot at Isleworth Studios by the ind ...

'' (1937)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:French, Harold 1897 births 1997 deaths Male actors from London Men centenarians English centenarians English male film actors English film directors English male stage actors 20th-century English male actors