MICHAEL ANDERSON

(30 January 1920 - 25 April 2018)

The London-born director Michael Anderson, who has died aged 98, came from an acting family and was himself an actor in Housemaster (1938) and In Which We Serve (1942). Beginning as an assistant director on Spy for a Day (1940) and other films, his debut as a producer, co-writer and co-director with Peter Ustinov was on Private Angelo (1949). He established himself as an international director with Hell is Sold Out, Will Any Gentleman?, The Dam Busters, 1984 and Around the World in Eighty Days. High profile titles followed, including Yangtse Incident, Chase a Crooked Shadow and The Wreck of the Mary Deare. In the 1960s he directed All the Fine Young Cannibals, The Naked Edge, Operation Crossbow, The Quiller Memorandum and The Shoes of the Fisherman. Later films included Doc Savage, Conduct Unbecoming, Logan’s Run and Orca. Then he worked for television until his last feature The New Adventures of Pinocchio (1999) and a video version of Around the World with Simon Callow and Philip Jackson. Michael Anderson was married three times and had six children. His son Michael is an actor and David is a producer.

MICHAEL DARVELL