Gerald O'Hara (1 October 1924 – 9 January 2023) was a British film and television writer and director.
Life and career
O'Hara was born in
Boston, Lincolnshire
Boston is a market town and inland port in the borough of the same name in the county of Lincolnshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Lincoln, east of Nottingham and north-east of Peterborough. The town had a population of 45,339 at ...
on 1 October 1924, to James O'Hara, a bookmaker, and Jeannie O’Hara (née Beamont).
In the 1940s and 1950s he had an active and varied career as an assistant director for dozens of British films including ''
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...
'' (1955), ''
Our Man in Havana
''Our Man in Havana'' (1958) is a novel set in Cuba by the British author Graham Greene. Greene uses the novel to mock intelligence services, especially the British MI6, and their willingness to believe reports from their local informants.
Th ...
'' (1959) and ''
Tom Jones
Tom Jones may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer
*Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist
*''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...
'' (1963).
His directorial debut was ''
That Kind of Girl
''That Kind of Girl'' (U.S. title: ''Teenage Tramp'') is a 1963 British film starring Margaret Rose Keil, David Weston and Linda Marlowe. Written by Ian Reed based on a story by Jan Read, it was the directorial debut of Gerry O'Hara, and prod ...
'' (1963). He later directed episodes of ''
The Avengers
Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe
* Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes
**Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sag ...
,'' and the films ''
Amsterdam Affair
''Amsterdam Affair'' (also known as ''Love in Amsterdam'' ) is a 1968 British crime film directed by Gerry O'Hara and starring Wolfgang Kieling, William Marlowe, Catherine Schell and Pamela Ann Davy. It was written by Edward Ward based on the 1 ...
'' (1968) and ''The Brute'' (1977), the latter an exploration of domestic violence criticised for its exploitative elements. He also directed '' The Bitch'' (1979), for which he wrote the screenplay.
Later television credits include directing and writing episodes of '' The Professionals'', script editor for the ITV series '' C.A.T.S. Eyes'' and directing an episode of the children's comedy drama ''
Press Gang
Impressment, colloquially "the press" or the "press gang", is a type of conscription of people into a military force, especially a naval force, via intimidation and physical coercion, conducted by an organized group (hence "gang"). European nav ...
''.
In 2011 he published a
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
pastiche novel, ''Sherlock Holmes and The Affair in Transylvania.''
O'Hara died on 9 January 2023, at the age of 98. He was survived by his third wife, Penny.
Filmography (as director)
* ''
That Kind of Girl
''That Kind of Girl'' (U.S. title: ''Teenage Tramp'') is a 1963 British film starring Margaret Rose Keil, David Weston and Linda Marlowe. Written by Ian Reed based on a story by Jan Read, it was the directorial debut of Gerry O'Hara, and prod ...
'' (1963)
* ''
Game for Three Losers
''Game for Three Losers'' is a 1965 British drama film directed by Gerry O'Hara and starring Michael Gough, Mark Eden and Toby Robins. It was written by Roger Marshall and made at Merton Park Studios as part of the long-running series of ...
'' (1965)
* ''
The Pleasure Girls
''The Pleasure Girls'' is a 1965 British drama film directed and written by Gerry O'Hara and starring Francesca Annis, Ian McShane and Klaus Kinski.
Plot
When Sally moves to London to pursue a modelling career, she moves in with Angela and De ...
'' (1965)
* ''
Maroc 7
''Maroc 7'' is a 1967 British thriller film directed by Gerry O'Hara, starring Gene Barry, Cyd Charisse, Elsa Martinelli, Leslie Phillips and Denholm Elliott.
Plot
Louise Henderson is the editor of a respected fashion magazine, but she has a se ...
'' (1967)
* ''
Amsterdam Affair
''Amsterdam Affair'' (also known as ''Love in Amsterdam'' ) is a 1968 British crime film directed by Gerry O'Hara and starring Wolfgang Kieling, William Marlowe, Catherine Schell and Pamela Ann Davy. It was written by Edward Ward based on the 1 ...
'' (1968)
* ''
All the Right Noises
''All the Right Noises'' is a 1971 British romantic drama film written and directed by Gerry O'Hara and starring Tom Bell, Olivia Hussey, Judy Carne and John Standing.
Plot
Len Lewin is a man happily married to his wife Joy and father of two ...
'' (1971)
* ''
The Chairman's Wife
''The Chairman's Wife'' is a 1971 British short drama film directed by Gerry O'Hara and starring John Osborne, Zena Walker, Fiona Lewis and David de Keyser. The screenplay was by O'Hara and Julian Holloway.
The wife of a company's chairman s ...
Professor Popper's Problem
''Professor Popper's Problem'' is a 1975 British children's science fiction comedy film directed by Gerry O'Hara, starring Charlie Drake in the title role. Featuring a number of child actors, Todd Carty, Milo O'Shea, and Sydney Bromley also ap ...
'' (1974)
* ''
Feelings
According to the '' APA Dictionary of Psychology'', a feeling is "a self-contained phenomenal experience"; feelings are "subjective, evaluative, and independent of the sensations, thoughts, or images evoking them". The term ''feeling'' is closel ...
Fanny Hill
''Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure'' – popularly known as ''Fanny Hill'' – is an erotic novel by the English novelist John Cleland first published in London in 1748 and 1749. Written while the author was in debtors' prison in London,Wagne ...
The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre
The ''Edgar Wallace Mysteries'' is a British second-feature film series mainly produced at Merton Park Studios for Anglo-Amalgamated. There were 48 films in the series, which were released between 1960 and 1965. The series was screened as ''The ...
'', "Game for Three Losers" (1965)
* ''The Avengers'', "The Hour That Never Was" (1965), "Small Game for Big Hunters (1966)"
* ''
Man in a Suitcase
''Man in a Suitcase'' is a British television private eye thriller series produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment. It originally aired in the United Kingdom on ITV (TV network), ITV from 27 September 1967 to 17 April 1968. American Broadcast ...
'', "The Sitting Pigeon" (1967)
* ''
Journey to the Unknown
''Journey to the Unknown'' is a British anthology television series, produced by Hammer Film Productions and 20th Century Fox Television. It aired on ABC from September 26, 1968, to January 30, 1969.''The Professionals'', "A Hiding to Nothing" (1979)
* ''
Press Gang
Impressment, colloquially "the press" or the "press gang", is a type of conscription of people into a military force, especially a naval force, via intimidation and physical coercion, conducted by an organized group (hence "gang"). European nav ...