Michael Joseph Anderson (30 January 1920 – 25 April 2018) was an English film director, best known for directing the World War II film '' The Dam Busters'' (1955), the epic ''

Around the World in 80 Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employ ...

'' (1956) and the dystopian sci-fi film ''

Logan's Run ''Logan's Run'' is a science fiction novel by American writers William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. Published in 1967, the novel depicts a dystopic Malthusianism future society in which both population and the consumption of resou ...

'' (1976).

Early life and education

Anderson was born in London, United Kingdom, to a theatrical family. His parents were the actors Lawrence (1893–1939) and Beatrice Anderson (1893–1977). His great-aunt was Mary Anderson of

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana borde ...

, who became one of the first US Shakespearean actresses; the Mary Anderson Theatre in Louisville was dedicated to her. He began working in the industry as an actor during the 1930s. By 1938, he had graduated to working behind the camera as an assistant director. During World War II, while serving in the British Army's Royal Signals Corps, he met

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...

and subsequently assisted him on two films.Michael Anderson Dies: Oscar-Nominated Film Director Was 98.
'' Deadline''. Retrieved February 23, 2020.Michael Anderson obituary
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

''. Retrieved February 23, 2020.

Career

Actor and assistant director

Anderson appeared in two films as an actor: as Oily Boyd in '' Housemaster'' (1938); and as Marine Albert Fosdick 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), Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combina ...

's '' In Which We Serve'' (1942). He joined Elstree Studios as a production runner in 1936 and became an assistant director by 1938. His credits as assistant director include '' Spy for a Day'' (1940), '' Freedom Radio'' (1940), '' Quiet Wedding'' (1941), '' Cottage to Let'' (1941) and '' Jeannie'' (1941). He was unit manager as well as actor on ''In Which We Serve'' (1942) and was assistant director on '' Unpublished Story'' (1942). Anderson served with the

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield commun ...

during the Second World War, during which time he met

. On demobilisation, Anderson returned to the film industry working as an assistant director on Ustinov's films '' School for Secrets'' (1946) and ''

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'' (1947). He was also an assistant director on '' Fame is the Spur'' (1947), '' One Night with You'' (1947) and '' Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill'' (1948).

Director

Anderson and Ustinov then wrote and directed a feature together, ''

Private Angelo ''Private Angelo'' was written by Scottish author Eric Linklater and first published in 1946. It was made into a 1949 film of the same name by Pilgrim Pictures, produced by and starring Peter Ustinov, as well as adapted for the stage by Mike M ...

'' (1949). Anderson made his solo directorial debut with a B film, '' Waterfront'' (1950) with

Robert Newton Robert Guy Newton (1 June 1905 – 25 March 1956) was an English actor. Along with Errol Flynn, Newton was one of the more popular actors among the male juvenile audience of the 1940s and early 1950s, especially with British boys. Known for h ...

. The ''Telegraph'' critic announced, "I can only burn my boats and prophesy that young Michael Anderson is possibly the most promising discovery since

Carol Reed Sir Carol Reed (30 December 1906 – 25 April 1976) was an English film director and producer, best known for '' Odd Man Out'' (1947), '' The Fallen Idol'' (1948), '' The Third Man'' (1949), and '' Oliver!'' (1968), for which he was awarded th ...

and

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics '' The Bridge on the Rive ...

." Anderson followed his first at bat with some more B movies: '' Hell Is Sold Out'' (1951); '' Night Was Our Friend'' (1952) and ''

Dial 17 Dial may refer to: Mechanical device *Rotary dial, a device for the input of number(s) in telephones and similar devices * Dialling, usually means to make a telephone call by turning the rotary dial or pressing the buttons *Dial (measurement), a ...

'' (1952).

Associated British Picture Corporation

Anderson then signed a contract with

Associated British Picture Corporation Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), originally British International Pictures (BIP), was a British film production, distribution and exhibition company active from 1927 until 1970 when it was absorbed into EMI. ABPC also owned appr ...

(ABPC) for whom he wound up making five films. The first was a comedy, '' Will Any Gentleman...?'' (1953). It was followed by '' The House of the Arrow'' (1953). The third was the

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about naval, air, or land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle scenes means that wa ...

'' The Dam Busters'' (1955), starring

Richard Todd Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd (11 June 19193 December 2009) was an Irish-British actor known for his leading man roles of the 1950s. He received a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male, and an Academy Award for Best Actor ...

. It was the most popular movie at the British box office in 1955. Anderson followed this with the first cinema adaptation of

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalita ...

's ''

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast As ...

'' (1956), co-financed by American interests. It was a commercial failure, despite shooting a "happier" ending for the United States release.

''Around the World in 80 Days''

Anderson was then called in to direct ''

'' (1956), after original director

John Farrow John Villiers Farrow, KGCHS (10 February 190427 January 1963) was an Australian film director, producer, and screenwriter. Spending a considerable amount of his career in the United States, in 1942 he was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...

had a falling out with producer Mike Todd. Todd reportedly hired him on the strength of ''The Dam Busters'' and the recommendation of

. The film was a huge hit and Anderson was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

(the film won Best Picture) and a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for his direction. Todd signed Anderson to a two-picture contract but Todd died in a plane crash in 1958. Anderson was reunited with Richard Todd for another war film '' Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst'' (1957) for producer

Herbert Wilcox Herbert Sydney Wilcox CBE (19 April 1890 – 15 May 1977) was a British film producer and director. He was one of the most successful British filmmakers from the 1920s to the 1950s. He is best known for the films he made with his third wife ...

but it was not as popular as ''The Dam Busters''. He made a third film with Richard Todd, a thriller, '' Chase a Crooked Shadow'' (1958); this was his fifth and last movie for Associated British.

International director

In Ireland Anderson made a thriller about the IRA with

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

, ''

Shake Hands with the Devil ''Shake Hands with the Devil'' may refer to: * ''Shake Hands with the Devil'' (1959 film), American drama set in 1921 Ireland * ''Shake Hands with the Devil'' (album), Kris Kristofferson 1979 release on Monument Records * ''Shake Hands with the ...

'' (1959). It was made for Pennebaker, the company of Marlon Brando and provided an early role to

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in '' This Sporting ...

. Anderson then took over a project at MGM originally planned as an

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

project, ''

The Wreck of the Mary Deare ''The Wreck of the Mary Deare'' (in the UK published as ''The Mary Deare'') is a 1956 novel written by British author Hammond Innes, which was later adapted as a film starring Gary Cooper released in 1959 by MGM. According to Jack Adrian, th ...

'' (1959), with

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...

and

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film '' The Ten ...

. Anderson later recalled in 1986, "The magic I remember most is walking on to stage 30 in

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most d ...

at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was the biggest stage in the world and I remember looking at it and thinking I'll be here in a couple of weeks and they'll have built a ship and I'll be directing Gary Cooper and Charlton Heston – it's all going to be mine. It gave me such a feeling of astonishment and it's never quite left me."JOHN, HASLETT C. "Veteran Film Director Finds New Role in Toronto." ''The Globe and Mail'', Nov 28, 1986 MGM also financed Anderson's next film, the melodrama '' All the Fine Young Cannibals'' (1960) with

Natalie Wood Natalie Wood ( Zacharenko; July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was an American actress who began her career in film as a child and successfully transitioned to young adult roles. Wood started acting at age four and was given a co-starring r ...

and Robert Wagner. Anderson was reunited with Cooper in '' The Naked Edge'' (1961) which turned out to be Cooper's last film.

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that span ...

wrote '' The Servant'' for Anderson but the director was unable to secure finance so he sold it to Joseph Losey. Anderson made some films for Harold Hecht: ''

Flight from Ashiya ''Flight from Ashiya'' (aka ''Ashiya Kara no hiko'') is a 1964 film about the U.S. Air Force's Air Rescue Service, flying from Ashiya Air Base, Japan. In this fictionalized American-Japanese co-production film set in the early 1960s, a flight c ...

'' (1964), an adventure tale, and '' Wild and Wonderful'' (1964), a comedy with

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...

. For MGM and Carlo Ponti he directed the war time thriller ''

Operation Crossbow ''Crossbow'' was the code name in World War II for Anglo-American operations against the German long range reprisal weapons (V-weapons) programme. The main V-weapons were the V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket – these were launched against Brita ...

'' (1965). Anderson made a spy thriller '' The Quiller Memorandum'' (1966), starring

George Segal George Segal Jr. (February 13, 1934 – March 23, 2021) was an American actor. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. After first rising to prominence with roles in acclaimed films such as '' Ship ...

and

Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including '' Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (1 ...

. He was meant to direct '' Eye of the Devil'' but fell ill. For MGM he directed the film '' The Shoes of the Fisherman'' (1968), stepping in for Anthony Asquith at the last moment; the film was a flop. He was meant to direct the big screen adaptation of

James Clavell James Clavell (born Charles Edmund Dumaresq Clavell; 10 October 1921 – 7 September 1994) was an Australian-born British (later naturalized American) writer, screenwriter, director, and World War II veteran and prisoner of war. Clavell is best ...

's ''

Tai Pan A taipan (,Andrew J. Moody, "Transmission Languages and Source Languages of Chinese Borrowings in English", ''American Speech'', Vol. 71, No. 4 (Winter, 1996), pp. 414–415. literally "top class"汉英词典 — ''A Chinese-English Dictionary ...

'' starring

Patrick McGoohan Patrick Joseph McGoohan (; March 19, 1928 – January 13, 2009) was an Irish-American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television. Born in the United States to Irish emigrant parents, he was raised in Ireland and Engla ...

but the film was not made due to high costs.

1970s

Anderson went for a few years without making a film before returning with '' Pope Joan'' (1972) and ''

The Devil's Impostor ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' (1972). For

George Pal George Pal (born György Pál Marczincsak; ; February 1, 1908 – May 2, 1980) was a Hungarian-American animator, film director and producer, principally associated with the fantasy and science-fiction genres. He became an American citizen afte ...

he made '' Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze'' (1975) then did ''

Conduct Unbecoming Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman (or conduct unbecoming for short) is an offense that is subject to court martial in the armed forces of some nations. Use in the United Kingdom The phrase was used as a charge in courts martial of ...

'' (1975). ''

'' (1976), about a futuristic society where humanity is imprisoned in a death trap sealed dome controlled by a computer, was an expensive box-office success, earning $50 million worldwide and boosting sales for its distributor, Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Anderson then directed ''

Orca The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white ...

'' (1977) and ''

Dominique "Dominique" is a 1963 French language popular song, written and performed by the Belgian female singer Jeannine Deckers, better known as Sœur Sourire ("Sister Smile" in French) or The Singing Nun. The song is about Saint Dominic, a Spanish-bor ...

'' (1978).

Later work

In 1981, Anderson moved to Canada, where his then-wife was from, and became a Canadian citizen. "It's the best move I ever made", he said in 1986. "There's so much talent, it's exciting, clean, young, fresh and it's been very good to me." His later work was mostly made-for-television miniseries, including ''

The Martian Chronicles ''The Martian Chronicles'' is a science fiction fix-up novel, published in 1950, by American writer Ray Bradbury that chronicles the exploration and settlement of Mars, the home of indigenous Martians, by Americans leaving a troubled Earth tha ...

'' (1980), ''

Sword of Gideon ''Sword of Gideon'' is a 1986 Canadian television film about Mossad agents hunting down terrorists associated with the 1972 Munich massacre. It was first shown on the CTV Television Network in Canada as a four-hour miniseries and later on HBO in ...

'' (1986), '' Young Catherine'' (1991), '' The Sea Wolf'' (1993), ''Rugged Gold'' (1994), ''Captain's Courageous'' (1996) and ''

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' (french: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers) is a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. The novel was originally serialized from March 1869 through June 1870 in Pierre-Ju ...

'' (1997). His feature work in Canada included, '' Murder by Phone'' (1982), the New Zealand film, '' Second Time Lucky'' (1984), ''Separate Vacations'' (1986), ''

Summer of the Monkeys ''Summer of the Monkeys'' is a 1976 children's story written by Wilson Rawls. It was published by Doubleday (later released by Yearling Books) and was the winner of the William Allen White Book Award and the California Young Reader Medal.

'' (1998), and ''

Millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannus, kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...

'' (1989) and ''

The Grand Defiance ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' (1993). He directed ''

Bottega dell'orefice ''The Jeweller's Shop'' ( it, La bottega dell'orefice) is a 1988 Italian-Austrian-Canadian-German drama film based on '' The Jeweler's Shop'', a play written by Karol Józef Wojtyła ( Pope John Paul II) and scripted by Jeff Andrus, starring Bur ...

'' (''The Jeweler's Shop'', 1988), based on the 1960 play written by Karol Wojtyła, who, by the time the film was made, had become

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. In 1998, he said "I honestly feel like a teenager", and had no intention of retiring. Despite this statement, his last film credit before his retirement would end up being '' The New Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1999). In 2012, Michael Anderson received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the

Directors Guild of Canada The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) is a Canadian labour union representing more than 5,500 professionals from 48 different occupations in the Canadian film and television industry. Founded in 1962, the DGC represents directors, editors, assist ...

. At the time of his death, Anderson was the oldest living nominee for an

Academy Award for Best Director The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibit ...

, and the only surviving director whose film won a Best Picture award in the 1950s.

Personal life

Anderson was married three times: # Betty Jordan (1923–2008) married in 1939; five children # Vera Carlisle (born 1935) married in 1969; one child # Actress

Adrienne Ellis Adrianne Ellis (born March 8, 1941) is a Canadian-born American actress. Early life Adrianne Ellis was born in Canada and raised in California, where she attended Van Nuys High School, where she was president of her Honors Drama Society. She wen ...

(born 1944); two stepchildren; stepfather of actress Laurie Holden (''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...

'', '' Silent Hill'', '' The Mist'', '' The Walking Dead'') and Christopher Holden. His son Michael Anderson Jr., is an actor who appeared in ''Logan's Run'' and ''The Martian Chronicles''; another son, David Anderson, is a film producer. Anderson died on 25 April 2018 at the age of 98, from

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, ...

Filmography

* ''

'' (1949) * '' Waterfront Women'' (1950) * '' Hell Is Sold Out'' (1951) * '' Night Was Our Friend'' (1951) * '' Will Any Gentleman...?'' (1953) * '' The House of the Arrow'' (1953) * '' The Dam Busters'' (1955) * ''

'' (1956) * ''

'' (1956) * '' Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst'' (1957) * '' Chase a Crooked Shadow'' (1958) * ''

'' (1959) * ''

'' (1959) * '' All the Fine Young Cannibals'' (1960) * '' The Naked Edge'' (1961) * ''

'' (1964) * '' Wild and Wonderful'' (1964) * ''

'' (1965) * '' The Quiller Memorandum'' (1966) * '' The Shoes of the Fisherman'' (1968) * '' Pope Joan'' (1972) * '' Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze'' (1975) * ''

'' (1975) * ''

'' (1976) * ''

'' (1977) * '' Nessie'' (1977) was to be a co-production between Hammer Films and Toho Company Ltd. The project was cancelled during pre-production after promotional material was printed and published in trade magazines such as ''Variety''. * ''

'' (1979) * ''

'' (1980) (TV) * '' Murder by Phone'' (1982) * '' Second Time Lucky'' (1984) * '' Separate Vacations'' (1986) * ''

'' (1986) (TV) * '' The Jeweller's Shop'' (1989) * ''

'' (1989) * '' Young Catherine'' (1991) (TV) * '' The Sea Wolf'' (1993) (TV) * ''Rugged Gold'' (1994) (TV) * ''

Captains Courageous ''Captains Courageous: A Story of the Grand Banks'' is an 1897 novel by Rudyard Kipling that follows the adventures of fifteen-year-old Harvey Cheyne Jr., the spoiled son of a railroad tycoon, after he is saved from drowning by a Portuguese f ...

'' (1996) (TV) * ''

'' (1997) (TV) * ''

'' (1998) * '' The New Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1999)

References

External links

* *
Michael Anderson biography at BFI ScreenonlineObituary
at ''Variety''
Obituary
at ''The Telegraph''

at

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Michael 1920 births 2018 deaths British Army personnel of World War II English emigrants to Canada English television directors Science fiction film directors Film directors from London Royal Corps of Signals soldiers