Harry Anthony Compton Pelissier (27 July 1912 – 2 April 1988) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

actor, screenwriter, producer and director.

Biography

Pelissier was born in Barnet and came from a theatrical family. His parents were the theatre producer

H. G. Pelissier H is the eighth letter of the Latin alphabet. H may also refer to: Musical symbols * H number, Harry Halbreich reference mechanism for music by Honegger and Martinů * H, B (musical note) * H, B major People * H. (noble) (died after 127 ...

(who presented ''Pelissier's Follies'') and the actress

Fay Compton Virginia Lilian Emmeline Compton-Mackenzie, (; 18 September 1894 – 12 December 1978), known professionally as Fay Compton, was an English actress. She appeared in several films, and made many broadcasts, but was best known for her stage per ...

. His uncle was

Compton MacKenzie Sir Edward Montague Compton Mackenzie, (17 January 1883 – 30 November 1972) was a Scottish writer of fiction, biography, histories and a memoir, as well as a cultural commentator, raconteur and lifelong Scottish nationalist. He was one of th ...

, who wrote '' Whisky Galore''. Pelissier began acting in the 1930s. In 1935 and 1936, he was featured in

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

's play cycle, ''

Tonight at 8.30 ''Tonight at 8.30'' is a cycle of ten one-act plays by Noël Coward, presented in London in 1936 and in New York in 1936–1937, with the author and Gertrude Lawrence in the leading roles. The plays are mostly comedies, but three, '' The Astoni ...

'', both in Britain and on Broadway. He also played in Coward's ''

Set to Music Set, The Set, SET or SETS may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Mathematics *Set (mathematics), a collection of elements *Category of sets, the category whose objects and morphisms are sets and total functions, respectively Electro ...

'' (1939) He began writing in 1937 and directing in 1949. He was the screenwriter and director of four popular films: '' The History of Mr Polly'' (1949), '' The Rocking Horse Winner'' (1950), ''

Night Without Stars ''Night Without Stars'' is a 1951 British black-and-white dramatic thriller film, starring David Farrar, Nadia Gray and Maurice Teynac. The screenplay was written by Winston Graham based upon his eponymous 1950 novel. The film was direct ...

'' (1951), and '' Personal Affair'' starring Gene Tierney written by Lesley Storm. He also directed ''

Encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pre ...

'' (1951). He also directed Ealing's satire on television '' Meet Mr Lucifer'' (1953). He later headed the experimental production unit at the BBC.

Personal life

Pelissier was married four times * Penelope Dudley-Ward (m. 29 December 1939 – divorced 1944); the couple had one daughter, actress Tracy Reed (1942–2012) * Margaret A Hyde (m. 1945), with whom he produced two daughters, Harriet (b. 1945) and Marie-Louise (b. 1949) * Actress Monica Grey (m. in France) with whom he had one son, Joe Pelissier (b. 1963) * Actress Ursula Howells (m. 1968 – 2 April 1988)

Death

Pelissier died in Eastbourne, England, on 2 April 1988, aged 75. He was survived by his wife, Ursula Howells, and his four children.

Selected filmography

* '' Perfect Strangers'' (1945) (writer) * '' The History of Mr Polly'' (1949) (writer and director) * '' The Rocking Horse Winner'' (1950) (writer and director) * ''

'' (1951) (writer and director) * ''

'' (1951) (director) * '' Personal Affair'' (1953) (director, credited as Anthony Pélissier) * The Man who Stroked Cats (1955) (Directed, and co-wrote, with Morley Roberts) (with

Tony Britton Anthony Edward Lowry Britton (9 June 1924 – 22 December 2019) was an English actor. He appeared in a variety of films (including ''The Day of the Jackal'') and television sitcoms (including '' Don't Wait Up'' and '' Robin's Nest'' He is the ...

and Peggy Anne Clifford)

References

External links

* * 1912 births 1988 deaths English film directors English film producers People from Chipping Barnet 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English businesspeople {{UK-film-director-stub