The Honourable 'Anthony Asquith' (
November 9,
1902 –
February 20,
1968) was a respected
English film director.
Born in
London, he was the son of
Herbert Henry Asquith, the
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during
World War I, and
Margot Asquith. Within his family he was known as 'Puffin'.
His first successful film was ''
Pygmalion'' (1938) based on the
George Bernard Shaw play. It featured
Leslie Howard and
Wendy Hiller.
His later films included ''
The Winslow Boy'' (1948), ''
The Browning Version'' (1951), and ''
The Importance of Being Earnest'' (1952). The last two starred
Michael Redgrave. All three were remade in subsequent years.
Asquith, a charming, gentle man and a
closeted homosexual
[1] who never married, died from
lymphoma at the age of 65.
Filmography
★ ''
Shooting Stars (film)'' (1927)
★ ''
Underground'' (1928)
★ ''
A Cottage on Dartmoor'' (1929)
★ ''
The Runaway Princess'' (1929)
★ ''
Tell England'' (1931)
★ ''
The Lucky Number'' (1932)
★ ''
Dance Pretty Lady'' (1932)
★ ''
Unfinished Symphony'' (1934)
★ ''
Moscow Nights'' (1935)
★ ''
Pygmalion'' (1938)
★ ''
Channel Incident'' (1940)
★ ''
French Without Tears'' (1940)
★ ''
Freedom Radio'' (1941)
★ ''
Quiet Wedding'' (1941)
★ ''
Cottage to Let'' (1941)
★ ''
Rush Hour'' (1941)
★ ''
Uncensored'' (1942)
★ ''
We Dive at Dawn'' (1943)
★ ''
The Demi-Paradise'' (1943)
★ ''
Two Fathers'' (1944)
★ ''
Fanny by Gaslight'' (1944)
★ ''
The Way to the Stars'' (1945)
★ ''
While the Sun Shines'' (1947)
★ ''
The Winslow Boy'' (1948)
★ ''
The Woman in Question'' (1950)
★ ''
The Browning Version'' (1951)
★ ''
The Importance of Being Earnest'' (1952)
★ ''
The Final Test'' (1953)
★ ''
The Net'' (1953)
★ ''
The Young Lovers'' (1954)
★ ''
Carrington V.C.'' (1955)
★ ''
On Such a Night'' (1956)
★ ''
Orders to Kill'' (1958)
★ ''
The Doctor's Dilemma'' (1958)
★ ''
Libel'' (1959)
★ ''
The Millionairess'' (1960)
★ ''
Two Living, One Dead'' (1961)
★ ''
Guns of Darkness'' (1962)
★ ''
The V.I.P.s'' (1963)
★ ''
The Yellow Rolls-Royce'' (1964)
References
1. Bourne, Stephen, "Behind the masks: Anthony Asquith and Robin Desmond Hurst" in Griffiths, Robin (ed.), ''British Queer Cinema'', p. 37. Routledge, Oxford, 2006.
External links
★
★
Anthony Asquith biography at BFI Screenonline