Philip David Charles Leacock (8 October 1917 – 14 July 1990) was an English

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

and producer. His brother was documentary filmmaker

Richard Leacock Richard Leacock (18 July 192123 March 2011)
The Telegraph (Lon ...

Career

Born in London, England, Leacock spent his childhood in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

. He began his career directing documentaries and later turned to fiction films. He was known for his films about children, particularly ''

The Kidnappers ''The Kidnappers'' (US: ''The Little Kidnappers'') is a 1953 British film, directed by Philip Leacock and written by Neil Paterson. Plot In the early 1900s, two young orphaned brothers, eight-year-old Harry (Jon Whiteley) and five-year-old ...

'' (US: ''The Little Kidnappers'', 1953), which gained Honorary Juvenile Acting Oscars for two of its performers, and '' The Spanish Gardener'' (1956) starring Dirk Bogarde. He also directed ''

Innocent Sinners ''Innocent Sinners'' is a 1958 British black and white film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Flora Robson. It was based on the 1955 novel '' An Episode of Sparrows'' by Rumer Godden. Plot Olivia Chesney is too sick to leave home, som ...

'' (1958) with

Flora Robson Dame Flora McKenzie Robson (28 March 19027 July 1984) was an English actress and star of the theatrical stage and cinema, particularly renowned for her performances in plays demanding dramatic and emotional intensity. Her range extended from q ...

, ''

The Rabbit Trap ''The Rabbit Trap'' is a 1959 American drama film directed by Philip Leacock based on a 1955 ''Goodyear Television Playhouse'' teleplay by JP Miller Ernest Borgnine Ernest Borgnine (; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perfor ...

, and ''

The War Lover ''The War Lover'' is a 1962 British war film directed by Philip Leacock and written by Howard Koch loosely based on the 1959 novel by John Hersey, altering the names of characters and events but retaining its basic framework. It stars Steve Mc ...

'' (1962) with Steve McQueen, based on John Hersey's novel about a World War II pilot. He began to work mainly in Hollywood, where he made ''

Take a Giant Step ''Take a Giant Step'' is a 1959 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Philip Leacock. The plot concerns a black teenager living in a predominantly white environment and having trouble coping as he reaches an age at which the realities of ...

'' (1959) about a black youth's encounter with racism and ''

Let No Man Write My Epitaph ''Let No Man Write My Epitaph'' is a 1960 American crime drama film about the son of an executed criminal who aspires to escape his impoverished, crime-ridden neighborhood with the help of his mother and a group of concerned neighbors. The film wa ...

'' (1960) about an aspiring young pianist whose mother is a drug addict. Around this time, he began to work in television, directing episodes of '' Gunsmoke'', '' Route 66'', ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book '' Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 fil ...

'', '' The Defenders'', and ''

The New Land ''The New Land'' ( sv, Nybyggarna) is a 1972 Swedish film directed and co-written by Jan Troell and starring Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Eddie Axberg, Allan Edwall, Monica Zetterlund, and Pierre Lindstedt. It and its 1971 predecessor, ''The Emi ...

''. He also directed many segments of the American series ''

Eight Is Enough ''Eight Is Enough'' is an American television comedy-drama series that ran on ABC from March 15, 1977, until May 23, 1981. The show was modeled on the life of syndicated newspaper columnist Tom Braden, a real-life parent with eight children, who ...

'' (1977–1981). He retired in 1987 after directing a three-part television drama about the Salem witch hunts titled ''Three Sovereigns for Sister Sarah'', which starred

Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, tw ...

. Leacock died while on vacation with his family in London on 14 July 1990.

Selected filmography

Feature films: * ''Island People'' (1940) * ''Riders of the New Forest'' (1948) * ''

Life in Her Hands ''Life in Her Hands'' is a 1951 drama film sponsored by the British Ministry of Labour with the aim of recruiting women to the nursing profession. It was produced in response to addressing the short supply of qualified nurses in Britain after the ...

'' (1951) * ''

The Brave Don't Cry ''The Brave Don't Cry'' is a 1952 British drama film directed by Philip Leacock and starring John Gregson, Meg Buchanan and John Rae. The film depicts the events of September 1950 at the Knockshinnoch Castle colliery in Scotland, where 129 men ...

'' (1952) * ''

Appointment in London ''Appointment in London'' (known as ''Raiders in the Sky'' in the U.S.) is a 1953 British war film set during the Second World War and starring Dirk Bogarde. The film was directed by Philip Leacock and based on a story by John Wooldridge, who ...

'' (1952) ** ''Raiders in the Sky'' - American title * ''

'' (1953) ** ''The Little Kidnappers'' - American title * '' Escapade'' (1955) * '' The Spanish Gardener'' (1956) * ''

High Tide at Noon ''High Tide at Noon'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by Philip Leacock. It was entered into the 1957 Cannes Film Festival. ''High Tide at Noon'' was based on the first of a series of novels by Elisabeth Ogilvie, set in Maine. Location w ...

'' (1957) * ''

'' (1958) * ''

'' (1959) * ''

The Rabbit Trap ''The Rabbit Trap'' is a 1959 American drama film directed by Philip Leacock based on a 1955 ''Goodyear Television Playhouse'' teleplay by JP MillerHand in Hand'' (1960) * ''

'' (1960) * '' 13 West Street'' (1962) * ''

Reach for Glory ''Reach for Glory'' is a 1962 British film adaptation of John Rae's 1961 novel, '' The Custard Boys'', directed by Philip Leacock. It received a United Nations Award. Plot A group of boys, evacuated during World War II from London to a coas ...

'' (1962) * ''

Tamahine ''Tamahine'' is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Nancy Kwan, Dennis Price and John Fraser. It is a film about a Polynesian woman who believes she can change the culture of Hallow School, a British boys' boardin ...

'' (1963) * ''

Adam's Woman ''Adam's Woman'' is a 1970 Australian-American historical drama film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Beau Bridges, Jane Merrow and John Mills. It has been called a "convict Western". Plot In the 1840s, an American sailor ashore in Liv ...

'' (1970) * '' Three Sovereigns for Sarah '' (1985) TV movies: * ''

The Birdmen ''The Birdmen'', also known as ''Escape of the Birdmen'' and ''Colditz: Escape of the Birdmen'', is a 1971 television film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Doug McClure and René Auberjonois. It was a fictionalized account based on a prop ...

'' (1971) * ''

When Michael Calls ''When Michael Calls'' is a 1972 American made-for-television mystery- horror-thriller film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Elizabeth Ashley, Ben Gazzara and Michael Douglas. It was adapted from John Farris' 1967 novel of the same name. P ...

'' (1972) * ''

The Great Man's Whiskers ''The Great Man's Whiskers'' is a 1972 American made-for-television drama film about Abraham Lincoln, directed by Philip Leacock. It was based on a play by Adrian Scott. The film featured a number of well known theatre and television character ac ...

'' (1972) * ''

The Daughters of Joshua Cabe ''The Daughters of Joshua Cabe'' is a 1972 American made-for-television Western film directed by Philip Leacock. The story is about an aging homesteader in the Old West who needs children to help him establish his claim on his property. With his ...

'' (1972) * '' Baffled!'' (1973) * '' Dying Room Only'' (1973) * ''

Key West Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...

'' (1973) * ''The Thanksgiving Story'' (1973) * ''Killer on Board'' (1978) * ''

Wild and Wooly ''Wild and Wooly'' is a 1978 comedy/Western (genre), Western television film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Charles Siebert, David Doyle (actor), David Doyle, Elyssa Davalos, Vic Morrow, and Doug McClure. The screenplay concerns four ...

'' (1978) * '' The Curse of King Tut's Tomb'' (1980) * ''Angel City'' (1980) * ''The Two Lives of Carol Letner'' (1981) * ''

The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch ''The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch'' is a 1982 American made-for-television Western romantic comedy film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Priscilla Barnes, Lee Horsley, Joan Collins, Donny Osmond, Morgan Brittany, and Lisa Whelche ...

'' (1982)

References

External links

* Th
Philip Leacock papers
at th
American Heritage Center

External links

Philip Leacock papers
at the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

–

American Heritage Center The American Heritage Center is the University of Wyoming's repository of manuscripts, rare books, and the university archives. Its collections focus on Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United ...

* * *Interview https://web.archive.org/web/20101129015325/http://thecolumnists.com/bawden/bawden6.html English film producers English television directors English television producers English documentary filmmakers Film directors from London 1917 births 1990 deaths 20th-century English businesspeople {{UK-film-director-stub