James Clavell

Screenwriter

About

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Also Known As

Charles Edmund Dumaresq De Clavelle

Birth Place

Australia

Born

October 10, 1924

Died

September 07, 1994

Cause of Death

Cancer

Biography

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Best-selling author of epic, historical novels ("Tai Pan," "Shogun" "Noble House"), who has worked as a screenwriter and director in the US since 1953, though his best film as a director is the British-produced, "To Sir, With Love" (1967). Clavell's novel "King Rat," based on his experiences in a WWII Japanese prison camp, was effectively brought to the screen in 1965 by another versatil...

Filmography

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The Last Valley (1971)

Where's Jack? (1969)

To Sir, With Love (1967)

Walk Like a Dragon (1960)

Five Gates to Hell (1959)

The Last Valley (1971)

Written for Screen by

Photos & Videos

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Fly, The (1958) -- (Movie Clip) The Gravity Of The Crime

Fly, The (1958) -- (Movie Clip) I've Killed Andre

Family & Companions

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April Stride

Wife

Ballerina, actor. Married April, 1949.

Bibliography

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"King Rat"

James Clavell

"Tai Pan"

James Clavell

"Shogun"

James Clavell

"The Children's Story"

James Clavell

Biography

Best-selling author of epic, historical novels ("Tai Pan," "Shogun" "Noble House"), who has worked as a screenwriter and director in the US since 1953, though his best film as a director is the British-produced, "To Sir, With Love" (1967). Clavell's novel "King Rat," based on his experiences in a WWII Japanese prison camp, was effectively brought to the screen in 1965 by another versatile talent, Bryan Forbes and most of his other novels have been filmed or made into TV mini-series.

Filmography

Director (Feature Film)

The Last Valley (1971)

Where's Jack? (1969)

To Sir, With Love (1967)

Walk Like a Dragon (1960)

Five Gates to Hell (1959)

Writer (Feature Film)

The Last Valley (1971)

Written for Screen by

To Sir, With Love (1967)

The Satan Bug (1965)

633 Squadron (1964)

The Great Escape (1963)

Walk Like a Dragon (1960)

Five Gates to Hell (1959)

Producer (Feature Film)

The Last Valley (1971)

To Sir, With Love (1967)

Walk Like a Dragon (1960)

Five Gates to Hell (1959)

Production Companies (Feature Film)

To Sir, With Love (1967)

Misc. Crew (Feature Film)

Source Material (From Novel)

Producer (TV Mini-Series)

James Clavell's Noble House (1988)

Executive Producer

Executive Producer

Misc. Crew (TV Mini-Series)

James Clavell's Noble House (1988)

Source Material (From Novel)

Source Material (From Novel)

Life Events

1953

Worked as salesman before a TV pilot deal brought him to US

1958

Wrote first screenplays, "The Fly" and "Watusi"

1959

Film directing and producing debut, "Five Gates to Hell" (also writer)

1962

Wrote first novel, "King Rat"

1990

Executive producer of the Broadway musical, "Shogun" (adapted from his novel)

Videos

Fly, The (1958) -- (Movie Clip) The Gravity Of The Crime Vincent Price is Francois, a Quebec industrial scientist, Patricia Owens his sister-in-law Helene, acting serene but claiming to have squished his brother and partner in an industrial press, Herbert Marshall the incredulous Inspector Charas, interruption by an insect, in the original The Fly, 1958.

Fly, The (1958) -- (Movie Clip) I've Killed Andre Plenty of portent, opening scene finds Torben Meyer as Gaston the night watch at a Quebec industrial site, Patricia Owens the maybe-mad wife of his boss, Vincent Price her suave brother-in-law on the phone, Kurt Neumann directing the original The Fly, 1958.

Fly, The (1958) -- (Movie Clip) You Won't Feel A Thing Totally focused on his new invention, Canadian research scientist Andre (Al, a.k.a. David Hedison), excited over having successfully transported a newspaper, is inspired to try again with the family cat, the first major mishap, in the original The Fly, 1958, from the George Langelaan short story.

Fly, The (1958) -- (Movie Clip) You're The First To See A Miracle In a flashback, Helene (Patricia Owens) recalls how her scientist husband Andre (Al Hedison), whom she later crushed, with his cooperation, with industrial machinery, first showed her his expanded lab and his breakthrough in transporting matter, in 20th Century-Fox’s original The Fly, 1958.

To Sir With Love (1967) -- (Movie Clip) Victoria And Albert Museum The second of three uses of the title song, sung by Lulu (who plays student “Babs”) off camera, among those joining Thackeray (Sidney Poitier, title character) for a cleverly edited visit to the Victoria And Albert Museum in London, vignettes featuring Judy Geeson and Suzy Kendall bracketing, in To Sir, With Love, 1967.

To Sir With Love (1967) -- (Movie Clip) It's Getting Harder Not always remembered, another big musical moment, as the top Manchester band The Mindbenders (Ric Rothwell, Bob Lang and Eric Stewart shown) appear improbably at the inner-city London school dance, with a song by Ben Raleigh and Charles Albertine, introduced by Lulu (as Babs) a truce and dance between the title character Thackeray (Sidney Poitier) and coming-around rebel Pamela (Judy Geeson), near the ending of To Sir, With Love, 1967.

To Sir, With Love (1967) -- (Movie Clip) Black Sheep West Indian Thackeray (Sidney Poitier) into the fray, meeting colleagues Weston (Geoffrey Bayldon) and Evans (Faith Brook) on his first day at his East London high school, in James Clavell's To Sir, With Love, 1967.

To Sir, With Love (1967) -- (Movie Clip) Open, Title Song Lulu sings the smash hit theme song, by Marc London and Don Black, then Thackeray (Sidney Poitier) gets some East London in his face on a bus ride, in the opening to To Sir, With Love, 1967. directed by James Clavell, himself best known as a novelist, and from the autobiographical novel by Edward Ricardo Braithwaite.

Watusi (1959) -- (Movie Clip) She Wasn't As Lucky Having found a murdered German missionary, and deduced that he had a female companion, Quartermain (George Montgomery) and Cobb (David Farrar) find that the exceptionally stereotyped African “savages” are planning evil acts against Erica (Tania Elg), in MGM’s Watusi, 1959.

Watusi (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Cheated The Vultures Quartermain (George Montgomery as the son of the better-known original explorer, in this sequel), with rescued missionary Erica (Tania Elg) and crusty companion Cobb (David Farrar) survive a stampede, using some footage from MGM’s original King Solomon’s Mines, 1950, in Watusi, 1959.

Watusi (1959) -- (Movie Clip) I Thought You Were A Greenhorn From the opening establishing “Africa, 1919,” with George Montgomery hiking through the savannah, he meets Mohamet (Dan Seymour), then Cobb (David Farrar) and Jim-Jim (Robert Goodwin), and finally introduces himself, in MGM’s semi-sequel to King Solomon’s Mines, 1950, Watusi, 1959.

To Sir, With Love (1967) -- (Movie Clip) You Know So Little Thackeray (Sidney Poitier) on his first day has just finished taking roll call at North Quay Secondary, facing students (Judy Geeson, Suzy Kendall, Christian Roberts et al) in To Sir, With Love, 1967.

Family

R C Clavell

Father

Career soldier. Recieved OBE.

Eileen Clavell

Mother

Michaela Clavell

Daughter

Holly Clavell

Daughter

Companions

April Stride

Wife

Ballerina, actor. Married April, 1949.

Bibliography

"King Rat"

James Clavell

"Tai Pan"

James Clavell

"Shogun"

James Clavell

"The Children's Story"

James Clavell

"Noble House"

James Clavell

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