Joseph McGrath (born 28 March 1928) is a Scottish film and television director and screenwriter. He was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and studied at Glasgow School of Art in the late 1940s and early 1950s where his energy and talent was much admired by his contemporaries. McGrath is best known for his collaborations with ''

The Goon Show ''The Goon Show'' is a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme. The first series, broadcast from 28 May to 20 September 19 ...

'' stars

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...

and

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British Colonial India, where h ...

. He directed the scenes with Sellers and

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

in the multi-director James bond spoof '' Casino Royale'' (1967). He also directed Sellers and Spike Milligan in '' The Magic Christian'' (1969) and '' The Great McGonagall'' (1974). 1108 pp
Published in the U.S. via Applause Books
This comprehensive biography contains multiple reference to Milligan and McGrath. McGrath also worked with director

Richard Lester Richard Lester Liebman (born January 19, 1932) is an American retired film director based in the United Kingdom. He is best known for directing the Beatles' films '' A Hard Day's Night'' (1964) and ''Help!'' (1965), and the superhero films ''S ...

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' musical-comedy films '' A Hard Day's Night'' (1964) and ''

Help! ''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their Help! (film), film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the singles "Help! ( ...

'' (1965). In November 1965, McGrath directed the Beatles' first-ever music videos (known at the time as "promo clips"), filming the band miming to five of their hit songs, including " Ticket to Ride", "

" and "

Day Tripper "Day Tripper" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a double A-side single with "We Can Work It Out" in December 1965. The song was written primarily by John Lennon with some contributions from Paul McCartney and ...

". In the 2004 film ''

The Life and Death of Peter Sellers ''The Life and Death of Peter Sellers'' is a 2004 television film about the life of English comedian Peter Sellers, based on Roger Lewis's book of the same name. 1108 pagesPublished in the U.S. via Applause BooksA very comprehensive biography, w ...

'', Alan Williams plays the unnamed director of ''Casino Royale'', whom Sellers (played by

Geoffrey Rush Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor. He is known for his eccentric leading man roles on stage and screen. He is among 24 people who have won the Triple Crown of Acting, having received an Academy Award, a Primetime Em ...

) calls "Joe".

Filmography

*''Justin Thyme'' (1964, TV) *'' Casino Royale'' (1967) *'' 30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia'' (1968) *''

'' (1968, TV) *'' The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom'' (1968) *'' The Magic Christian'' (1969) *''

Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World ''Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World'' is a 1973 British children's fantasy-adventure comedy film starring Jim Dale, and directed by Joseph McGrath. A large supporting cast of British movie stalwarts includes Spike Milligan, Angela Douglas, N ...

'' (1973) *'' The Great McGonagall'' (1974) *'' Girls Come First'' (1975, credited as Croisette Meubles) *''

I'm Not Feeling Myself Tonight ''I'm Not Feeling Myself Tonight'' is a 1976 British comedy film directed by Joseph McGrath and starring Barry Andrews, James Booth and Sally Faulkner. Cast * Barry Andrews as Jon Pigeon * James Booth as S.J. Nutbrown * Sally Faulkner as Che ...

'' (1976) *''

The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It ''The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It'' is a 1977 comedy film directed by Joseph McGrath and starring John Cleese. It is a low-budget spoof of the Sherlock Holmes detective series, as well as the mystery genre in gener ...

'' (1977) *'' The Losers'' (1978, TV series) *''

Rising Damp Structural dampness is the presence of unwanted moisture in the structure of a building, either the result of intrusion from outside or condensation from within the structure. A high proportion of damp problems in buildings are caused by ambient ...

'' (1980) * '' Goodnight and God Bless'' (1983, TV series) *''

Night Train to Murder ''Night Train to Murder'' is a 1985 British comedy television film, directed by Joseph McGrath and starring Morecambe and Wise. It was the last work that Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise worked on together before Morecambe's death in 1984 (the come ...

'' (1983, TV)

References

External links

* 1928 births Living people British television directors British television producers Film people from Glasgow Scottish film directors Scottish screenwriters Comedy film directors {{UK-film-director-stub