Carol Reed
Encyclopedia
Sir Carol Reed was an English
film director
best known for Odd Man Out
(1947), The Fallen Idol (1948), The Third Man
(1949) and Oliver!
(1968). He won the Palme d'Or
for The Third Man and the 1968 Academy Award for Best Director for Oliver!
and his mistress
, May Pinney Reed, Carol Reed was born in Putney
, and educated at The King's School, Canterbury
, an independent school
. Reed served in the British Army
during the Second World War
, giving him many experiences which appeared in his later films.
on the films Autumn Crocus
, Lorna Doone
and Loyalties
and with Thorold Dickinson
on Java Head
. As director he was responsible for The Stars Look Down
(1939), Kipps
(1941), Odd Man Out
(1947), The Fallen Idol (1948), Outcast of the Islands
(1952), Our Man in Havana
(1959), and The Agony and the Ecstasy
(1965). The Fallen Idol, The Third Man, and Our Man in Havana are based on the work of Graham Greene
.
From 1943 until 1947, he was married to the British film star Diana Wynyard
. After their divorce, he married, in 1948, the actress Penelope Dudley Ward
, also known as Pempie, the elder daughter of Freda Dudley Ward
, who had been a mistress of the Prince of Wales
, later Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
and Duke of Windsor
. They had one son, Max. A nephew was the actor Oliver Reed
. His stepdaughter, Miss Ward's daughter, Tracy Reed, acted in numerous films.
In 1953, he became only the second British film director
to be knighted for his craft. The first was his mentor and collaborator, Sir Alexander Korda
in 1942, who had also been closely involved in the production of some of Reed's most admired films.
on 25 April 1976 at his home in Chelsea
, aged 69.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
best known for Odd Man Out
Odd Man Out
Odd Man Out is a 1947 Anglo-Irish film noir directed by Carol Reed, starring James Mason, and is based on a novel of the same name by F. L. Green.-Plot:The film's opening intertitle reads:...
(1947), The Fallen Idol (1948), The Third Man
The Third Man
The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Many critics rank it as a masterpiece, particularly remembered for its atmospheric cinematography, performances, and unique musical score...
(1949) and Oliver!
Oliver! (film)
Oliver! is a 1968 British musical film directed by Carol Reed. The film is based on the stage musical Oliver!, with book, music and lyrics written by Lionel Bart. The screenplay was written by Vernon Harris....
(1968). He won the Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
for The Third Man and the 1968 Academy Award for Best Director for Oliver!
Early life and education
The son of actor-producer Sir Herbert Beerbohm TreeHerbert Beerbohm Tree
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree was an English actor and theatre manager.Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre, winning praise for adventurous programming and lavish productions, and starring in many of its productions. In 1899, he helped fund the...
and his mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
, May Pinney Reed, Carol Reed was born in Putney
Putney
Putney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, and educated at The King's School, Canterbury
The King's School, Canterbury
The King's School is a British co-educational independent school for both day and boarding pupils in the historic English cathedral city of Canterbury in Kent. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and the Eton Group....
, an independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
. Reed served in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, giving him many experiences which appeared in his later films.
Career and personal life
He embarked on an acting career while still in his teens, but soon went into the role of producer/director. He worked as an Assistant Director with Basil DeanBasil Dean
Basil Herbert Dean CBE was an English actor, writer, film producer/director and theatrical producer/director....
on the films Autumn Crocus
Autumn Crocus (film)
Autumn Crocus is a 1934 British romance film directed by Basil Dean and starring Ivor Novello, Fay Compton and Muriel Aked. A teacher falls in love with the married owner of the guest house in which she is staying during a holiday to Austria...
, Lorna Doone
Lorna Doone (1934 film)
Lorna Doone is a 1934 British drama film directed by Basil Dean and starring Victoria Hopper, John Loder and Margaret Lockwood. It is based on the novel Lorna Doone by R.D...
and Loyalties
Loyalties (1933 film)
Loyalties is a 1933 British drama film directed by Basil Dean and starring Basil Rathbone, Heather Thatcher and Miles Mander. It is based on the John Galsworthy play Loyalties.The film addresses the theme of anti-Semitism...
and with Thorold Dickinson
Thorold Dickinson
Thorold Barron Dickinson was a British film director, screenwriter, producer, and Britains's first university Professor of Film.-Early life and career:...
on Java Head
Java Head (1934 film)
Java Head is a 1934 British historical drama film directed by Thorold Dickinson and J. Walter Ruben. It starred Anna May Wong, Elizabeth Allan, Ralph Richardson, Herbert Lomas and George Curzon...
. As director he was responsible for The Stars Look Down
The Stars Look Down (film)
The Stars Look Down is a 1940 British film based on A. J. Cronin's novel of the same title, initially published in 1935, which chronicles various injustices in a mining community in North East England. The film, co-scripted by Cronin and directed by Carol Reed, stars Michael Redgrave as Davey...
(1939), Kipps
Kipps (1941 film)
Kipps, also known as The Remarkable Mr. Kipps, is a 1941 comedy film adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel of the same name, directed by Carol Reed...
(1941), Odd Man Out
Odd Man Out
Odd Man Out is a 1947 Anglo-Irish film noir directed by Carol Reed, starring James Mason, and is based on a novel of the same name by F. L. Green.-Plot:The film's opening intertitle reads:...
(1947), The Fallen Idol (1948), Outcast of the Islands
Outcast of the Islands
Outcast of the Islands is a 1951 film directed by Carol Reed based on by Joseph Conrad's novel An Outcast of the Islands. The film features Robert Morley, Trevor Howard, Ralph Richardson, and Wendy Hiller....
(1952), Our Man in Havana
Our Man in Havana (film)
Our Man in Havana is a 1959 film directed and produced by Carol Reed and starring Alec Guinness, Burl Ives, Maureen O'Hara, Ralph Richardson, Noel Coward and Ernie Kovacs. The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Graham Greene...
(1959), and The Agony and the Ecstasy
The Agony and the Ecstasy (film)
The Agony and the Ecstasy is a 1965 film directed by Carol Reed, starring Charlton Heston as Michelangelo and Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II. The film was partly based on Irving Stone's biographical novel of the same name. This film deals with the conflicts of Michelangelo and Pope Julius II...
(1965). The Fallen Idol, The Third Man, and Our Man in Havana are based on the work of Graham Greene
Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
.
From 1943 until 1947, he was married to the British film star Diana Wynyard
Diana Wynyard
Diana Wynyard, CBE , whose birth name was Dorothy Isobel Cox, was an English stage and film actress.-Life and career:...
. After their divorce, he married, in 1948, the actress Penelope Dudley Ward
Penelope Dudley Ward
Penelope Ann Rachel, Lady Reed , known as Penelope Dudley-Ward, was an English actress.Born Penelope Anne Rachel Dudley Ward in London, she was the elder daughter of The Right Honourable William Dudley Ward and the leading socialite Freda Dudley Ward, most well-known for being the long-time...
, also known as Pempie, the elder daughter of Freda Dudley Ward
Freda Dudley Ward
Winifred May, Marquesa de Casa Maury , universally known by her first married name as Freda Dudley Ward, was an English socialite best known for being a mistress of the Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VIII.-Life:Born Winifred May Birkin, she was the second child and eldest of three...
, who had been a mistress of the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
, later Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
and Duke of Windsor
Duke of Windsor
The title Duke of Windsor was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1937 for Prince Edward, the former King Edward VIII, following his abdication in December 1936. The dukedom takes its name from the town where Windsor Castle, a residence of English monarchs since the Norman Conquest, is...
. They had one son, Max. A nephew was the actor Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed was an English actor known for his burly screen presence. Reed exemplified his real-life macho image in "tough guy" roles...
. His stepdaughter, Miss Ward's daughter, Tracy Reed, acted in numerous films.
In 1953, he became only the second British film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
to be knighted for his craft. The first was his mentor and collaborator, Sir Alexander Korda
Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda was a Hungarian-born British producer and film director. He was a leading figure in the British film industry, the founder of London Films and the owner of British Lion Films, a film distributing company.-Life and career:The elder brother of filmmakers Zoltán Korda and Vincent...
in 1942, who had also been closely involved in the production of some of Reed's most admired films.
Death
Carol Reed died from a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on 25 April 1976 at his home in Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
, aged 69.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1935 | It Happened in Paris It Happened in Paris It Happened in Paris is a 1935 British comedy film made at Ealing Studios, directed by Carol Reed and Robert Wyler and starring John Loder, Nancy Burne, and Esme Percy. A British millionaire's son travels to France to study art, and falls in love in Paris. It is based on the play L'Arpete by Yves... |
|
| Midshipman Easy Midshipman Easy Midshipman Easy is a 1935 British adventure film directed by Carol Reed and starring Hughie Green, Margaret Lockwood and Harry Tate. A young man runs away from home, joins the navy and goes to sea in the 1790s. He rescues a captive woman from a Spanish ship and battles pirates and smugglers... |
||
| 1936 | Laburnum Grove Laburnum Grove Laburnum Grove is a 1936 British comedy film, written by J. B. Priestley, directed by Carol Reed and starring Edmund Gwenn, Cedric Hardwicke and Victoria Hopper. To rid himself of his sponging relatives a man tells them he is really a forger which causes them to leave... |
|
| 1937 | Talk of the Devil Talk of the Devil Talk of the Devil is a 1936 British crime film directed by Carol Reed and starring Ricardo Cortez, Sally Eilers and Basil Sydney. A dishonest shipbuilder plans to frame his half-brother for his own criminal activities... |
Also Writer |
| Who's Your Lady Friend? Who's Your Lady Friend? Who's Your Lady Friend? is a 1937 British comedy film directed by Carol Reed and starring Frances Day, Vic Oliver and Betty Stockfeld. The secretary of a beauty specialist accidentally brings the wrong person back from the railway station, triggering a series of confusions. It was based on a comedy... |
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| 1938 | Penny Paradise Penny Paradise Penny Paradise is a 1938 British comedy film, produced by Ealing Studios. It was an early directorial assignment for Carol Reed, and along with many other British productions of the era such as the same year's better-known Reed-directed Bank Holiday, is described as: "...belonging to a wider... |
|
| Bank Holiday Bank Holiday (film) Bank Holiday is a 1938 British drama film directed by Carol Reed and starring John Lodge, Margaret Lockwood, Hugh Williams and Kathleen Harrison... |
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| 1939 | Climbing High Climbing High -Plot:Nicky Brooke is as an aristocratic young man engaged to be married. He falls for Diana Castles , a model and makes attempts to woo her by pretending to be despite his engagement.-Cast:*Jessie Matthews as Diana Castles... |
|
| A Girl Must Live A Girl Must Live A Girl Must Live is a 1939 British romantic comedy film directed by Carol Reed and starring Margaret Lockwood, with supporting cast Renee Houston, Lilli Palmer, and Hugh Sinclair... |
||
| The Stars Look Down The Stars Look Down (film) The Stars Look Down is a 1940 British film based on A. J. Cronin's novel of the same title, initially published in 1935, which chronicles various injustices in a mining community in North East England. The film, co-scripted by Cronin and directed by Carol Reed, stars Michael Redgrave as Davey... |
||
| 1940 | Girl in the News Girl in the News Girl in the News is a 1940 British thriller film directed by Carol Reed and starring Margaret Lockwood, Barry K. Barnes and Emlyn Williams.-Cast:* Margaret Lockwood - Anne Graham* Barry K... |
|
| Night Train to Munich Night Train to Munich Night Train to Munich is a 1940 British thriller film. It was directed by Carol Reed, with writing credits by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder. It is liberally adapted from the Gordon Wellesley novel Report on a Fugitive.-Plot:... |
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| 1941 | Kipps Kipps (1941 film) Kipps, also known as The Remarkable Mr. Kipps, is a 1941 comedy film adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel of the same name, directed by Carol Reed... |
|
| A Letter from Home A Letter from Home (film) A Letter from Home is a 1941 short documentary film directed by Carol Reed. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.-Cast:* Joyce Grenfell - American Mother* Kathleen Harrison - The Maid* Celia Johnson - English Mother... |
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| 1942 | The Young Mr Pitt The Young Mr Pitt The Young Mr Pitt is a 1942 British, black-and-white, biographical film, directed by Carol Reed and starring Robert Donat, Robert Morley and John Mills. It was produced by Edward Black, Maurice Ostrer, Twentieth Century Productions Ltd. and Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation.-Synopsis:The film... |
|
| 1943 | The New Lot The New Lot The New Lot is a 1943 British drama film directed by Carol Reed and starring Eric Ambler, Robert Donat, Kathleen Harrison, Bernard Lee, Raymond Huntley, John Laurie, Peter Ustinov and Austin Trevor, with music by Richard Addinsell... |
|
| 1944 | The Way Ahead The Way Ahead The Way Ahead is a British Second World War drama released in 1944. It stars David Niven and Stanley Holloway and follows a group of civilians who are conscripted into the British Army to fight in North Africa. In the U.S., an edited version was released as The Immortal Battalion.The film was... |
|
| 1945 | The True Glory The True Glory The True Glory was a 1945 co-production of the US Office of War Information and the British Ministry of Information, documenting the victory on the Western Front, from Normandy to the collapse of the Third Reich. Although many individuals contributed to the film, British director Carol Reed is... |
uncredited |
| 1947 | Odd Man Out Odd Man Out Odd Man Out is a 1947 Anglo-Irish film noir directed by Carol Reed, starring James Mason, and is based on a novel of the same name by F. L. Green.-Plot:The film's opening intertitle reads:... |
Also Producer |
| 1948 | The Fallen Idol | Also Producer New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director is one of the awards given by the New York Film Critics Circle to honour the finest achievements in filmmaking.... |
| 1949 | The Third Man The Third Man The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Many critics rank it as a masterpiece, particularly remembered for its atmospheric cinematography, performances, and unique musical score... |
Also Producer Grand Prize of the Cannes Film Festival 1949 Cannes Film Festival The 3rd Cannes Film Festival was held on September 2-17, 1949. No festival was held in 1948.- Jury :The entire jury for this festival were French.*Georges Huisman *Jules Romains *Mme... BAFTA Award for Best British Film BAFTA Award for Best Film This page lists the winners and nominees for the BAFTA Award for Best Film, BAFTA Award for Best Film not in the English Language and Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film for each year, in addition to the retired earlier versions of those awards... |
| 1952 | Outcast of the Islands Outcast of the Islands Outcast of the Islands is a 1951 film directed by Carol Reed based on by Joseph Conrad's novel An Outcast of the Islands. The film features Robert Morley, Trevor Howard, Ralph Richardson, and Wendy Hiller.... |
Also Producer |
| 1953 | The Man Between The Man Between The Man Between is a 1953 British thriller film directed by Carol Reed and starring James Mason, Claire Bloom, Hildegard Knef and Geoffrey Toone... |
Also Producer |
| 1955 | A Kid for Two Farthings A Kid for Two Farthings (film) A Kid For Two Farthings is a 1955 film, directed by Carol Reed. The screenplay was adapted by Wolf Mankowitz from his own novel of the same name.-Plot:... |
Also Producer |
| 1956 | Trapeze Trapeze (film) Trapeze is a 1956 circus film directed by Carol Reed and starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida, making her debut in American films.... |
|
| 1958 | The Key The Key (1958 film) The Key is a 1958 war film set in 1940 during the World War II Battle of the Atlantic. It was based on the novel Stella by Jan de Hartog.-Plot:... |
|
| 1959 | Our Man in Havana Our Man in Havana (film) Our Man in Havana is a 1959 film directed and produced by Carol Reed and starring Alec Guinness, Burl Ives, Maureen O'Hara, Ralph Richardson, Noel Coward and Ernie Kovacs. The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Graham Greene... |
Also Producer |
| 1962 | Mutiny on the Bounty Mutiny on the Bounty (1962 film) Mutiny on the Bounty is a 1962 film starring Marlon Brando and Trevor Howard based on the novel Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. The film retells the 1789 real-life mutiny aboard HMAV Bounty led by Fletcher Christian against the ship's captain, William Bligh... |
replaced by Lewis Milestone; uncredited |
| 1963 | The Running Man The Running Man (1963 film) The Running Man is a 1963 British drama film directed by Carol Reed, starring Laurence Harvey as a man who fakes his own death in a glider accident, then runs into trouble when an insurance investigator starts taking a close interest.... |
Also Producer |
| 1965 | The Agony and the Ecstasy The Agony and the Ecstasy (film) The Agony and the Ecstasy is a 1965 film directed by Carol Reed, starring Charlton Heston as Michelangelo and Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II. The film was partly based on Irving Stone's biographical novel of the same name. This film deals with the conflicts of Michelangelo and Pope Julius II... |
Also Producer |
| 1968 | Oliver! Oliver! (film) Oliver! is a 1968 British musical film directed by Carol Reed. The film is based on the stage musical Oliver!, with book, music and lyrics written by Lionel Bart. The screenplay was written by Vernon Harris.... |
Academy Award for Best Director |
| 1970 | Flap | |
| 1972 | Follow Me! Follow Me! (1972 film) Follow Me! is a 1972 drama film directed by Sir Carol Reed, starring Mia Farrow and Topol. Adapted by Peter Shaffer from his own play , it is Reed's last completed film.... |