Philip David Charles Leacock (8 October 1917 – 14 July 1990) was an English

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and

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 ...

and producer. His brother was documentary filmmaker

Richard Leacock Richard Leacock (18 July 192123 March 2011)
The Telegraph (Lon ...

Career

Born in London, England, Leacock spent his childhood in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, :es:Canarias, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to ...

. 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 Sir Dirk Bogarde (born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde; 28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was an English actor, novelist and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as '' Doctor in the House'' (1954) for the Rank Org ...

. He also directed ''

Innocent Sinners ''Innocent Sinners'' is a 1958 British black and white film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Flora Robson. It was based on the 1955 novel '' An Episode of Sparrows'' by Rumer Godden. Plot Olivia Chesney is too sick to leave home, som ...

'' (1958) with Flora Robson, '' The Rabbit Trap'' (1959) with

Ernest Borgnine Ernest Borgnine (; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perfor ...

, and '' The War Lover'' (1962) with

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and ...

, based on John Hersey's novel about a World War II pilot. He began to work mainly 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 ''Let No Man Write My Epitaph'' is a 1960 American crime drama film about the son of an executed criminal who aspires to escape his impoverished, crime-ridden neighborhood with the help of his mother and a group of concerned neighbors. The film w ...

'' (1960) about an aspiring young pianist whose mother is a drug addict. Around this time, he began to work in television, directing episodes of ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'', '' Route 66'', ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book '' Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 fil ...

'', '' The Defenders'', and '' The New Land''. He also directed many segments of the American series ''

Eight Is Enough ''Eight Is Enough'' is an American television comedy-drama series that ran on ABC from March 15, 1977, until May 23, 1981. The show was modeled on the life of syndicated newspaper columnist Tom Braden, a real-life parent with eight children, who ...

'' (1977–1981). He retired in 1987 after directing a three-part television drama about the Salem witch hunts titled ''Three Sovereigns for Sister Sarah'', which starred

Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, tw ...

. Leacock died while on vacation with his family in London on 14 July 1990.

Selected filmography

Feature films: * ''Island People'' (1940) * ''Riders of the New Forest'' (1948) * '' Life in Her Hands'' (1951) * ''

The Brave Don't Cry ''The Brave Don't Cry'' is a 1952 British drama film directed by Philip Leacock and starring John Gregson, Meg Buchanan and John Rae. The film depicts the events of September 1950 at the Knockshinnoch Castle colliery in Scotland, where 129 men ...

'' (1952) * '' Appointment in London'' (1952) ** ''Raiders in the Sky'' - American title * '' The Kidnappers'' (1953) ** ''The Little Kidnappers'' - American title * '' Escapade'' (1955) * '' The Spanish Gardener'' (1956) * ''

High Tide at Noon ''High Tide at Noon'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by Philip Leacock. It was entered into the 1957 Cannes Film Festival. ''High Tide at Noon'' was based on the first of a series of novels by Elisabeth Ogilvie, set in Maine. Location w ...

'' (1957) * ''

'' (1958) * '' Take a Giant Step'' (1959) * '' The Rabbit Trap'' (1959) * '' Hand in Hand'' (1960) * ''

'' (1960) * '' 13 West Street'' (1962) * '' Reach for Glory'' (1962) * '' The War Lover'' (1962) * ''

Tamahine ''Tamahine'' is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Nancy Kwan, Dennis Price and John Fraser. It is a film about a Polynesian woman who believes she can change the culture of Hallow School, a British boys' board ...

'' (1963) * ''

Adam's Woman ''Adam's Woman'' is a 1970 Australian-American historical drama film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Beau Bridges, Jane Merrow and John Mills. It has been called a "convict Western". Plot In the 1840s, an American sailor ashore in Liver ...

'' (1970) * '' Three Sovereigns for Sarah '' (1985) TV movies: * '' The Birdmen'' (1971) * '' When Michael Calls'' (1972) * '' The Great Man's Whiskers'' (1972) * '' The Daughters of Joshua Cabe'' (1972) * '' Baffled!'' (1973) * ''

Dying Room Only ''Dying Room Only'' is a 1973 American made-for-television horror mystery thriller film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Cloris Leachman and Ross Martin. Written by Richard Matheson and based on his 1953 short story of the same name, ...

'' (1973) * ''

Key West Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...

'' (1973) * ''The Thanksgiving Story'' (1973) * ''Killer on Board'' (1978) * ''

Wild and Wooly ''Wild and Wooly'' is a 1978 comedy/Western television film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Charles Siebert, David Doyle, Elyssa Davalos, Vic Morrow, and Doug McClure. The screenplay concerns four turn-of-the-century women who bre ...

'' (1978) * '' The Curse of King Tut's Tomb'' (1980) * ''Angel City'' (1980) * ''The Two Lives of Carol Letner'' (1981) * ''

The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch ''The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch'' is a 1982 American made-for-television Western romantic comedy film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Priscilla Barnes, Lee Horsley, Joan Collins, Donny Osmond, Morgan Brittany, and Lisa Whelchel. E ...

'' (1982)

References

External links

* Th
Philip Leacock papers
at th
American Heritage Center

External links

Philip Leacock papers
at the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

–

American Heritage Center The American Heritage Center is the University of Wyoming's repository of manuscripts, rare books, and the university archives. Its collections focus on Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United ...

* * *Interview https://web.archive.org/web/20101129015325/http://thecolumnists.com/bawden/bawden6.html English film producers English television directors English television producers English documentary filmmakers Film directors from London 1917 births 1990 deaths 20th-century English businesspeople {{UK-film-director-stub