Anthony Asquith

Infobox actor
name = Anthony Asquith
birthdate = November 9, 1902
birthplace = London ENG
deathdate = February 20, 1968
deathplace = London ENG
othername =
occupation = Film director
yearsactive = 1927 - 1964
imdb_id = 0002190The Honourable Anthony Asquith (November 9, 1902 – February 20, 1968) was a respected English film director.

Born in London, he was the son of Herbert Henry Asquith, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War I, and Margot Asquith. Within his family he was known as 'Puffin'.

His first successful film was "Pygmalion" (1938) based on the George Bernard Shaw play. It featured Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller. His later films included "The Winslow Boy" (1948), "The Browning Version" (1951), and "The Importance of Being Earnest" (1952). The last two starred Michael Redgrave. All three were remade in subsequent years.

Asquith, a charming, gentle man and a closeted homosexual [Bourne, Stephen, "Behind the masks: Anthony Asquith and Robin Desmond Hurst" in Griffiths, Robin (ed.), "British Queer Cinema", p. 37. Routledge, Oxford, 2006.] who never married, died from lymphoma at the age of 65.

At the height of the Profumo scandal, Asquith is widely believed to have been the 'man in the mask' at an orgy attended by Stephen Ward, Christine Keeler, Mandy Rice-Davies and a host of top establishment figures. This person's theatrical display of masochism was regarded as symptomatic of the British establishment in decline and decay.

Filmography

* "Shooting Stars" (1927)
* "Underground" (1928)
* "A Cottage on Dartmoor" (1929)
* "The Runaway Princess" (1929)
* "Tell England" (1931)
* "The Lucky Number" (1932)
* "Dance Pretty Lady" (1932)
* "Unfinished Symphony" (1934)
* "Moscow Nights" (1935)
* "Pygmalion" (1938)
* "Channel Incident" (1940)
* "French Without Tears" (1940)
* "Freedom Radio" (1941)
* "Quiet Wedding" (1941)
* "Cottage to Let" (1941)
* "Rush Hour" (1941)
* "Uncensored" (1942)
* "We Dive at Dawn" (1943)
* "The Demi-Paradise" (1943)
* "Two Fathers" (1944)
* "Fanny by Gaslight" (1944)
* "The Way to the Stars" (1945)
* "While the Sun Shines" (1947)
* "The Winslow Boy" (1948)
* "The Woman in Question" (1950)
* "The Browning Version" (1951)
* "The Importance of Being Earnest" (1952)
* "The Final Test" (1953)
* "The Net" (1953)
* "The Young Lovers" (1954)
* "Carrington V.C." (1955)
* "On Such a Night" (1956)
* "Orders to Kill" (1958)
* "The Doctor's Dilemma" (1958)
* "Libel" (1959)
* "The Millionairess" (1960)
* "Two Living, One Dead" (1961)
* "Guns of Darkness" (1962)
* "The V.I.P.s" (1963)
* "The Yellow Rolls-Royce" (1964)

References

External links

*
* [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/447391/index.html Anthony Asquith biography at BFI Screenonline]

Persondata
NAME= Asquith, Anthony
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Film director
DATE OF BIRTH= November 9, 1902
PLACE OF BIRTH= London ENG
DATE OF DEATH= February 20, 1968
PLACE OF DEATH= London ENG