Leon Clore (9 July 19189 February 1992) was a British
film producer who was primarily involved in
documentary
A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
and
short films
A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...
, as well as several motion pictures.
Biography
Leon Clore was born in
Brighton
Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
on 9 July 1918. He was the nephew of
Sir Charles Clore, whose foundation enabled the
Tate Gallery
Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...
, via the Clore Gallery, to adequately present the
William Turner estate.
Clore's film career began as the first assistant director for the British film ''The Silver Darlings'' in 1947. Up to 1951, Clore worked for the
Crown Film Unit
The Crown Film Unit was an organisation within the British Government's Ministry of Information during the Second World War; until 1940, it was the GPO Film Unit. Its remit was to make films for the general public in Britain and abroad. Its outp ...
before taking charge of Basic Films. He first worked as a film producer in 1951, and was responsible for the documentary short film '' Sunday by the Sea''. His documentary''
The Conquest of Everest
''The Conquest of Everest'' is a 1953 British Technicolor documentary film directed by George Lowe about various expeditions to the summit of Mount Everest. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Cameraman Tom St ...
'' was nominated for an
Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
The Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film is an award for documentary films. In 1941, the first awards for feature-length documentaries were bestowed as Academy Honorary Award, Special Awards to ''Kukan'' and ''Target for Tonight''. The ...
.
Clore produced the romantic film ''
Virgin Island
The Virgin Islands () are an archipelago between the North Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Caribbean Sea, geographically forming part of the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean islands or West Indies.
Geologically separate ...
'' (1958), directed by
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, Jackson's formal ...
and starring
John Cassavetes
John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self- ...
and
Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was a Bahamian-American actor, film director, activist, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. Among his ot ...
; ''
Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment
''Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment'' (also called ''Morgan!'') is a 1966 British comedy film directed by Karel Reisz and starring David Warner (actor), David Warner, Vanessa Redgrave, and Robert Stephens, with Irene Handl and Bernard Br ...
'' (1966) starring
David Warner David or Dave Warner may refer to:
Sports
* Dave Warner (strongman) (born 1969), Northern Ireland strongman competitor
* David Bruce Warner (born 1970), South African alpine skier
* David Warner (cricketer) (born 1986), Australian cricketer
Othe ...
and
Vanessa Redgrave
Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress. In her career spanning over six decades, she has garnered List of awards and nominations received by Vanessa Redgrave, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony A ...
, the
Karel Reisz
Karel Reisz (21 July 1926 – 25 November 2002) was a Czech-born British filmmaker and film critic, one of the pioneers of the new realist strain in British cinema during the 1950s and 1960s. Two of the best-known films he directed are '' Satur ...
directed
David Mercer comedy; ''
All Neat in Black Stockings
''All Neat in Black Stockings'' is a 1969 British comedy-drama directed by Christopher Morahan and starring Victor Henry, Susan George and Jack Shepherd. The screenplay was by Jane Gaskell and Hugh Whitemore based on Gaskell's 1966 novel of t ...
'' (1969) with Victor Henry in the leading role; and ''
The French Lieutenant's Woman
''The French Lieutenant's Woman'' is a 1969 Postmodern literature, postmodern historical fiction novel by John Fowles. The plot explores the fraught relationship of gentleman and amateur naturalist Charles Smithson and Sarah Woodruff, the for ...
'' (1981) directed by
Karel Reisz
Karel Reisz (21 July 1926 – 25 November 2002) was a Czech-born British filmmaker and film critic, one of the pioneers of the new realist strain in British cinema during the 1950s and 1960s. Two of the best-known films he directed are '' Satur ...
, starring
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Known for her versatility and adept accent work, she has been described as "the best actress of her generation". She has received numerous accolades throughout her career ...
and
Jeremy Irons
Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards, ...
. He produced a number of advertisements.
His last involvement in the film business was in the documentary short "Your Degree and the Royal Navy?" in 1986.
Clore died at
Hammersmith Hospital
Hammersmith Hospital, formerly the Military Orthopaedic Hospital, and later the Special Surgical Hospital, is a major teaching hospital in White City, London, White City, West London. It is part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in the ...
in London, where he was being treated for cancer, on 9 February 1992 at the age of 73.
Clore's son
G. Marius Clore
G. Marius Clore MAE, FRSC, FMedSci, FRS is a British-born, Anglo-American molecular biophysicist and structural biologist. He was born in London, U.K. and is a dual U.S./U.K. Citizen. He is a Member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Fel ...
FRS became a biophysicist.
Selected filmography
* 1951: ''Sunday by the Sea '', documentary short film)
* 1953: ''
The Conquest of Everest
''The Conquest of Everest'' is a 1953 British Technicolor documentary film directed by George Lowe about various expeditions to the summit of Mount Everest. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Cameraman Tom St ...
''
* 1957: ''
Apaches
The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...
''
* 1957: ''
Time Without Pity
''Time Without Pity'' is a 1957 British film noir thriller film directed by Joseph Losey and starring Michael Redgrave, Ann Todd, Leo McKern, Paul Daneman, Peter Cushing, Alec McCowen and Renee Houston. It is about a father trying to save his s ...
''
* 1958: ''
Virgin Island
The Virgin Islands () are an archipelago between the North Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Caribbean Sea, geographically forming part of the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean islands or West Indies.
Geologically separate ...
'' (US: ''Our Virgin Island'')
* 1966: ''
Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment
''Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment'' (also called ''Morgan!'') is a 1966 British comedy film directed by Karel Reisz and starring David Warner (actor), David Warner, Vanessa Redgrave, and Robert Stephens, with Irene Handl and Bernard Br ...
''
* 1969: ''
All Neat in Black Stockings
''All Neat in Black Stockings'' is a 1969 British comedy-drama directed by Christopher Morahan and starring Victor Henry, Susan George and Jack Shepherd. The screenplay was by Jane Gaskell and Hugh Whitemore based on Gaskell's 1966 novel of t ...
''
* 1981:
''The French Lieutenant’s Woman (film)''
* 1986: ''Your Degree and the Royal Navy?'' (Documentary short)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clore, Leon
1918 births
1992 deaths
English documentary filmmakers
English film producers
Deaths from cancer in England