Kenneth Cooper Annakin, OBE (10 August 1914 – 22 April 2009) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

. 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 adventure epic and comedies films, like '' Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines'', ''

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

'', '' The Biggest Bundle of Them All'' and '' Monte Carlo or Bust!''. During his career, Annakin directed nearly 50 pictures.

Biography

Annakin was born in and grew up in

Beverley Beverley is a market and minster town and a civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre and north-west of City of Hull. The town is known fo ...

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire t ...

where he attended the local

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

. After leaving school he became a trainee income tax inspector in the city of Hull. Annakin subsequently decided to emigrate to New Zealand, and travelled around the world in a variety of jobs. He was compere and

stage manager Stage management is a broad field that is generally defined as the practice of organization and coordination of an event or theatrical production. Stage management may encompass a variety of activities including the overseeing of the rehearsal p ...

of Eugene Permanent Waving Company's roadshow, touring the

Northern provinces The Northern Provinces of South Africa is a biogeographical area used in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD). It is part of the WGSRPD region 27 Southern Africa. The area has the code "TVL". It includes the So ...

. When

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

broke out, Annakin became a firefighter in

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was deve ...

, then joined the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

Documentaries

Injured in the Liverpool Blitz, Annakin joined the RAF Film Unit, where he worked as a camera operator on propaganda films for the Ministry of Information and the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

. '' We Serve'' (1942), a recruiting film for women, was directed by Carol Reed, who made Annakin his assistant director; Annakin subsequently directed several training films for Verity Films, a group led by Sydney Box, who was soon to become head of Gainsborough Pictures. His early documentaries included ''London 1942'' (1942), ''A Ride with Uncle Joe'' (1943), ''Make Fruitful the Land'' (1945), ''We of the West Riding'' (1945), ''English Criminal Justice'' (1946), '' It Began on the Clyde'' (1946) and '' Fenlands'' (1946).

Feature films and Gainsborough Pictures

Annakin had made a number of documentaries for Sydney Box, and when Box took over as head of Gainsborough Pictures he brought Annakin with him and assigned him to his first feature, '' Holiday Camp'' (1947). It was a solid hit and launched Annakin's career. Box called in Annakin to replace Michael Charlton, who was directing '' Miranda'' (1948) with

Glynis Johns Glynis Margaret Payne Johns (born 5 October 1923) is a South African-born British former actress, dancer, musician and singer. Recognised as a film and Broadway icon, Johns has a career spanning eight decades, in which she appeared in more than ...

. The resulting film was another success. '' Broken Journey'' (1948) with Phyllis Calvert was a commercial disappointment. However, ''

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), an anthology film based on stories by

W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

, for which Annakin directed one segment, was well received. ''Holiday Camp'' featured the Huggetts, a working-class family living in suburban England headed by Jack Warner and Kathleen Harrison. They were spun off into their own vehicle directed by Annakin, '' Here Come the Huggetts'' (1948) with Petula Clark,

Jane Hylton Jane Hylton (16 July 1926 – 28 February 1979, born as Audrey Gwendolene Clark) was an English actress who accumulated 30 film credits, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s, before moving into television work in the latter half of her career in the ...

, and Susan Shaw as their young daughters,

Amy Veness Amy Veness (26 February 1876 – 22 September 1960) was an English film actress. She played the role of Grandma Huggett in '' The Huggetts Trilogy'' and was sometimes credited as Amy Van Ness. Veness was born Amy Clarice Beart in Aldeburgh, Su ...

as their grandmother and

Diana Dors Diana Dors (born Diana Mary Fluck; 23 October 19314 May 1984) was an English actress and singer. Dors came to public notice as a blonde bombshell, much in the style of Americans Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. Dors was p ...

as their cousin. It was popular and led to '' Vote for Huggett'' (1949) and '' The Huggetts Abroad'' (1949).

Associated British

Annakin moved to

Associated British Pictures Corporation Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), originally British International Pictures (BIP), was a British film production, distribution and exhibition company active from 1927 until 1970 when it was absorbed into EMI. ABPC also owned appro ...

, for whom he directed '' Landfall'' (1949), a war film; and ''

Double Confession ''Double Confession'' is a 1950 British crime film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Derek Farr, Joan Hopkins, William Hartnell and Peter Lorre. The screenplay, written by William Templeton, is based on the novel, ''All On A Summer's Day' ...

'' (1950), a thriller. He did another installment for an anthology movie based on Maugham stories, '' Trio'' (1950). For producer George Brown, Annakin did the comedy '' Hotel Sahara'' (1951) with

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...

and

Yvonne de Carlo Margaret Yvonne Middleton (September 1, 1922January 8, 2007), known professionally as Yvonne De Carlo, was a Canadian-American actress, dancer and singer. She became a Hollywood film star in the 1940s and 1950s, made several recordings, and later ...

Walt Disney

Annakin then received an offer from Walt Disney to make ''

The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men ''The Story of Robin Hood'' is a 1952 action-adventure film produced by RKO- Walt Disney British Productions, based on the Robin Hood legend, made in Technicolor and filmed in Buckinghamshire, England. It was written by Lawrence Edward Watkin and ...

'' (1952) with Richard Todd. He made an action film

set Set, The Set, SET or SETS may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Mathematics *Set (mathematics), a collection of elements *Category of sets, the category whose objects and morphisms are sets and total functions, respectively Electro ...

during the

Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces ...

, the United Artists film '' The Planter's Wife'' (1952) with

Jack Hawkins John Edward Hawkins, CBE (14 September 1910 – 18 July 1973) was an English actor who worked on stage and in film from the 1930s until the 1970s. One of the most popular British film stars of the 1950s, he was known for his portrayal of mil ...

and Claudette Colbert, which was a big hit in Britain. Disney reunited Annakin and Todd on '' The Sword and the Rose'' (1953), co-starring

; it was a commercial disappointment. Annakin made a comedy, '' You Know What Sailors Are'' (1954) then did another imperial adventure story with Hawkins, ''

The Seekers The Seekers were an Australian folk music, folk-influenced pop music, pop quartet, originally formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the Un ...

'' (1954). He returned to comedy for ''

Value for Money In economics, economic value is a measure of the benefit provided by a good or service to an economic agent. It is generally measured through units of currency, and the interpretation is therefore "what is the maximum amount of money a speci ...

'' (1955) with John Gregson and

, for

Rank Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as: Level or position in a hierarchical organization * Academic rank * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy * ...

; '' Loser Takes All'' (1956) with Johns, based on a script by

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

, for

British Lion Films British Lion Films is a film production and distribution company active under several forms since 1919. Originally known as British Lion Film Corporation Ltd, it entered receivership on 1 June 1954. From 29 January 1955 to 1976, the company was kn ...

; and ''

Three Men in a Boat ''Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'',The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: ''Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog!'' published in 1889, is a humorous account by English writer Jerome K. Jerome of a two ...

'' (1956) with

Laurence Harvey Laurence Harvey (born Zvi Mosheh Skikne; 1 October 192825 November 1973) was a Lithuanian-born British actor and film director. He was born to Lithuanian Jewish parents and emigrated to South Africa at an early age, before later settling in th ...

and

Jimmy Edwards James Keith O'Neill Edwards, DFC (23 March 19207 July 1988) was an English comedy writer and actor on radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in ''Take It from Here'' and as headmaster "Professor" James Edwards in ''Whack-O!''. Early lif ...

for

Romulus Films Sir John Woolf (15 March 1913, London – 28 June 1999, London) and his brother James Woolf (2 March 1920, London – 30 May 1966, Beverly Hills, California) were British film producers. John and James founded the production companies Romulus Fil ...

. ''Three Men in a Boat'' was especially popular. Annakin made '' Across the Bridge'' (1957) with

Rod Steiger Rodney Stephen Steiger (; April 14, 1925July 9, 2002, aged 77) was an American actor, noted for his portrayal of offbeat, often volatile and crazed characters. Cited as "one of Hollywood's most charismatic and dynamic stars," he is closely assoc ...

from a story by

. This would be Annakin's favourite film. He travelled to South Africa to make another adventure story, ''

Nor the Moon by Night ''Nor the Moon by Night'' is a 1958 British drama film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Belinda Lee. It was based on the novel by Joy Packer and partly filmed in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. The title is a quote from the Old Test ...

'' (1958) for Rank, with Michael Craig and Belinda Lee. Around this time he was credited as a writer on '' Mission in Morocco'' (1959), though he did not direct it. Disney called again and hired Annakin to make a mountaineering tale, ''

Third Man on the Mountain ''Third Man on the Mountain'' is a 1959 American family adventure film by Walt Disney Productions, directed by Ken Annakin and starring Michael Rennie, James MacArthur and Janet Munro. Set during the golden age of alpinism, its plot concerns a yo ...

'' (1959). They kept him on for ''

Swiss Family Robinson ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' (German: ''Der Schweizerische Robinson'') is a novel by Johann David Wyss, first published in 1812, about a Swiss family of immigrants whose ship en route to Port Jackson, Australia, goes off course and is shipwr ...

'' (1960), which

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

's nephew, Roy, considered "one of the greatest family adventure films of all time and a favourite for generations of moviegoers". It was a huge hit. Annakin returned to comedy with '' Very Important Person'' (1961) with James Robertson Justice. He travelled to South Africa once more for '' The Hellions'' (1962) with Richard Todd. Annakin did some British comedies with

Leslie Phillips Leslie Samuel Phillips (20 April 1924 – 7 November 2022) was an English actor, director, producer and author. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. ...

, Stanley Baxter and a young

Julie Christie Julie Frances Christie (born 14 April 1940) is a British actress. An icon of the Swinging Sixties, Christie is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She ...

: '' The Fast Lady'' (1962) and ''

Crooks Anonymous ''Crooks Anonymous'' is a British comedy film from 1962. Directed by Ken Annakin, it stars Leslie Phillips and Stanley Baxter and is notably the feature film debut of Julie Christie. Plot Captain "Dandy Forsdyke" (Leslie Phillips) is a habitual ...

'' (1962).Ken Annakin---on a Grand Scale Los Angeles Times 24 Dec 1965: a9.

Producer

Annakin was hired by Darryl F. Zanuck to direct the British and (uncredited) French and American interior segments in '' The Longest Day'' (1962), which was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only categ ...

, eventually losing out to ''

Lawrence of Arabia Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...

''. Annakin then made ''

The Informers ''The Informers'' is a collection of short stories, linked by the same continuity, written by American author Bret Easton Ellis. The collection was first published as a whole in 1994. Chapters 6 and 7, "Water from the Sun" and "Discovering Jap ...

'' (1963) with Nigel Patrick for Rank. June 16, 1965, saw the release of '' Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines.'' At the time it was Annakin's most ambitious project, and Zanuck, the head of the

20th Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

Studio, endorsed the British period

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

. In this project, Annakin co-wrote, produced and directed an international

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast t ...

, including Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles,

Robert Morley Robert Adolph Wilton Morley, CBE (26 May 1908 – 3 June 1992) was an English actor who enjoyed a lengthy career in both Britain and the United States. He was frequently cast as a pompous English gentleman representing the Establishment, of ...

Terry-Thomas Terry-Thomas (born Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens; 10 July 19118 January 1990) was an English character actor and comedian who became internationally known through his films during the 1950s and 1960s. He often portrayed disreputable members of th ...

James Fox William Fox (born 19 May 1939), known professionally as James Fox, is an English actor. He appeared in several notable films of the 1960s and early 1970s, including '' King Rat'', '' The Servant'', ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' and ''Performan ...

Red Skelton Richard Red Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program ''The Red Skelton Show''. He has stars ...

, Benny Hill, Jean-Pierre Cassel,

Gert Fröbe Karl Gerhart "Gert" Fröbe (; 25 February 1913 – 5 September 1988) was a German actor. He was best known in English-speaking countries for his work as Auric Goldfinger in the James Bond film '' Goldfinger'', as Peachum in ''The Threepenny Ope ...

and

Alberto Sordi Alberto Sordi (15 June 1920 – 24 February 2003) was an Italian actor, voice actor, singer, comedian, director and screenwriter. Early life Born in Rome to a schoolteacher and a musician and the last of five children, Sordi was named in hon ...

. The story, revolving around the craze of early aviation circa 1910, is about a pompous newspaper magnate (Morley) who is convinced, by his daughter (Miles) and fiancée (Fox), to organize an air race from London to Paris. A large sum of money is offered to the winner, and a variety of characters are drawn to participate. The film received favourable reviews, in which it was described as funny, colourful and clever, and was said to have captured the early enthusiasm for aviation. It was treated as a major production, one of only three full-length 70 mm Todd-AO Fox releases in 1965, with an intermission and musical interlude part of the original screenings."Director's Voice-over Commentary". ''Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines'' DVD, 2004. Because of the Todd-AO process, the film was an exclusive roadshow feature, initially shown in deluxe Cinerama venues, where customers needed reserved seats purchased ahead of time.Munn (1983), p. 161. The film grossed $31,111,111 theatrically. Audience reaction both in first release and even today, is nearly universal in assessing the film as one of the "classic" aviation films. For its writing, Annakin and Jack Davies received an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination. Annakin directed the big-scale war film ''

'' the same year for producer Philip Yordan and Cinerama. He also started writing a follow up to ''Flying Machine'' called ''Monte Carlo or Bust''. Annakin planned to make epics about the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an ar ...

, Cortez and the

Indian Mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the for ...

, and a film about martians. None of these were made. Instead, he made ''

The Long Duel ''The Long Duel'' is a 1967 British adventure film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Yul Brynner, Trevor Howard, Charlotte Rampling and Harry Andrews. It is set in British-ruled India of the 1920s but was filmed in Spain. Plot Superintendent ...

'' (1967) in India for Rank with

Yul Brynner Yuliy Borisovich Briner (russian: link=no, Юлий Борисович Бринер; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner, was a Russian-born actor. He was best known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in th ...

, then '' The Biggest Bundle of Them All'' (1968) for MGM in Italy. This was followed by ''

Monte Carlo or Bust ''Monte Carlo or Bust!'' is a 1969 comedy film, also known by its American title, ''Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies''. A co-production of the United Kingdom, France and Italy, the story is based on the Monte Carlo Rally – firs ...

'' (1969) for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

, which Annakin produced and directed from his own script and story. It was an attempt to replicate the success of ''Those Magnificent Men',' but was not as well received. Annakin continued to travel widely with his films: '' The Call of the Wild'' (1972) was shot in Finland, with

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten ...

; '' Paper Tiger'' (1975), with David Niven in Malaysia.

Hollywood

In 1978, Annakin left Britain and moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

. There he made a series of films for TV: '' Murder at the Mardi Gras'' (1978), '' The Pirate'' (1978) from a novel by Harold Robbins and ''

Institute for Revenge ''Institute for Revenge'' is a 1979 American made-for-television drama film starring Sam Groom, Lauren Hutton and George Hamilton. Cast *Sam Groom - John Schroeder *Lauren Hutton - Lilla Simms * George Hamilton - Alan Roberto * Leslie Niel ...

'' (1979). He travelled to Europe for ''

The Fifth Musketeer ''The Fifth Musketeer'' is a 1979 German-Austrian film adaptation of the last section of the 1847–1850 novel '' The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later'' by Alexandre Dumas, père, which is itself based on the French legend of the Man in the ...

'' (1979). In Hollywood he made '' Cheaper to Keep Her'' (1981) and went to Australia for ''

The Pirate Movie ''The Pirate Movie'' is a 1982 Australian musical romantic comedy film directed by Ken Annakin, and starring Christopher Atkins and Kristy McNichol. Loosely based on Gilbert and Sullivan's 1879 comic opera ''The Pirates of Penzance'', the origi ...

'' (1982). Annakin's last completed film was '' The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking'' (1988) which he directed, produced and co wrote. The 1992 project ''

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; ; xng, Temüjin, script=Latn; ., name=Temujin – August 25, 1227) was the founder and first Great Khan (Emperor) of the Mongol Empire, which became the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in history a ...

'' was not completed. "The company financing it went bust," he said."

Autobiography

In 2001 Annakin released a highly regarded autobiography ''So You Wanna Be A Director?'' published by Tomahawk Press (). Considered "a classic among directors' autobiographies" it has forewords by both

Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Academy of Film and Televisi ...

and

Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English film and theatre director, screenwriter and playwright. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and further at the Camberwell School of Art, the Central School of Art and Des ...

. In its review, the

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film director, film and television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dire ...

stated

''So You Wanna Be a Director?'' is an entertaining autobiography through which seasoned directors and aspirants alike can enjoy and learn from a man with such a versatile and long-lived career. If Annakin tells of his exasperation over trying to coax performances out of producers' girlfriends, the bad behaviour – and sometimes the drug problems – of certain stars and the vagaries of international film financing, he's providing tales that are as cautionary today as when he lived them.

Annakin was honored as a Disney Legend by

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...

in March 2002. He is only the second film director to be so honoured. He was also awarded an OBE the same year for service to the film industry and received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Hull University. He died on 22 April 2009, the same day as

Jack Cardiff Jack Cardiff, (18 September 1914 – 22 April 2009) was a British cinematographer, film and television director, and photographer. His career spanned the development of cinema, from silent film, through early experiments in Technicolor, to f ...

, who had been his cinematographer on the 1979 film ''

''. A daughter from a previous marriage predeceased him. The cause of his death was

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

and

stroke A stroke is a disease, medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemorr ...

. Claims were made that

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the '' Star Wars'' and '' Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as c ...

took the name for

Anakin Skywalker Darth Vader is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator Geor ...

in ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...

'' from his fellow film director; however, Lucas's publicist denied this following Annakin's death in 2009.

Filmography

*
London 1942
' (1943) *
Make Fruitful the Land
' (1945) *
We of the West Riding
' (1946) *
English Criminal Justice
' (1946) * '' It Began on the Clyde'' (1946) * '' Fenlands'' (1946) * '' Holiday Camp'' (1947) * '' Miranda'' (1948) * '' Broken Journey'' (1948) * ''

'' (1948) * '' Here Come the Huggetts'' (1948) * '' Vote for Huggett'' (1949) * '' The Huggetts Abroad'' (1949) * '' Landfall'' (1949) * ''

'' (1950) * '' Hotel Sahara'' (1951) * ''

'' (1952) * '' The Planter's Wife'' (1952) * '' The Sword and the Rose'' (1953) * '' You Know What Sailors Are'' (1954) * ''

'' (1954) * ''

'' (1955) * '' Loser Takes All'' (1956) * ''

'' (1956) * '' Across the Bridge'' (1957) * ''

'' (1958) * ''

'' (1959) * ''

'' (1960) * '' Very Important Person'' (1961) * '' The Hellions'' (1961) * '' The Fast Lady'' (1962) * '' The Longest Day'' (1962) * ''

'' (1962) * ''

'' (1963) * '' Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines'' (1965) * ''

'' (1965) * ''

'' (1967) * '' The Biggest Bundle of Them All'' (1968) * '' Monte Carlo or Bust!'' (1969) * '' The Call of the Wild'' (1972) * '' Paper Tiger'' (1975) * '' The Pirate'' (1978) * ''

'' (1979) * ''

'' (1979) * '' Cheaper to Keep Her'' (1981) * ''

'' (1982) * '' The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking'' (1988) * ''Genghis Khan'' (1992) (unreleased)

References

External links

*
Ken Annakin biography at BFI Screenonline

AP Obituary
in the

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

Obituary in ''The Times''

Obituary in ''The Guardian''

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Annakin, Ken 1914 births 2009 deaths 20th-century English businesspeople 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English screenwriters Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Civil servants in the Ministry of Information (United Kingdom) English film directors English film producers English male screenwriters Mountaineering film directors Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Beverley Grammar School People from Beverley Royal Air Force airmen Royal Air Force personnel of World War II