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IMDbPro

Sidney Gilliat(1908-1994)

  • Writer
  • Producer
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Sidney Gilliat, the English director, screenwriter, and producer, was born on February 15, 1908 in Edgely, Cheshire, England. He began his screen-writing career in the silent movie era, writing inter-titles, going uncredited for his contributions to Honeymoon Abroad (1928), Champagne (1928), and Week-End Wives (1929). He first entered into a working relationship with director Alfred Hitchcock on The Manxman (1929), for which he did uncredited research. Ten years later, he would help write the dialog for the director's Jamaica Inn (1939). He eventually became a credited screenwriter in the 1930s, with A Gentleman of Paris (1931).

He partnered with Frank Launder, whom he first worked with uncredited on The Greenwood Tree (1929), and together they wrote, directed and produced almost 40 movies between their first credited collaboration Facing the Music (1933) through The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery (1966), which they also co-directed. For Hitchcock, they co-wrote the classic The Lady Vanishes (1938). They also wrote Night Train to Munich (1940) for Carol Reed. Their collaboration is most famous for generating the St. Trinian's films, most notably The Belles of St. Trinian's (1954), which was directed by Launder and featured a tour de force performance by Alastair Sim. Sim was also the star of their The Green Man (1956), for which they received second straight Best British Screenplay nomination from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Sidney Gilliat died on May 31, 1994 in Wiltshire, England. He was 86 years old.
BornFebruary 15, 1908
DiedMay 31, 1994(86)
BornFebruary 15, 1908
DiedMay 31, 1994(86)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Add photos, demo reels
  • Nominated for 2 BAFTA Awards
    • 3 nominations total

Known for

The Great Manhunt (1950)
The Great Manhunt
7.0
  • Writer
  • 1950
Margaret Lockwood in The Lady Vanishes (1938)
The Lady Vanishes
7.8
  • Writer(as Sidney Gilliatt)
  • 1938
Marriage a la Mode (1955)
Marriage a la Mode
6.4
  • Writer
  • 1955
Rex Harrison in Notorious Gentleman (1945)
Notorious Gentleman
6.6
  • Writer
  • 1945

Credits

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IMDbPro

Writer

  • The Boys in Blue (1983)
    The Boys in Blue
    • original story: "Ask a Policeman"
    • 1983
  • Elliott Gould, Angela Lansbury, Cybill Shepherd, Herbert Lom, Jean Anderson, Ian Carmichael, Gerald Harper, Arthur Lowe, and Jenny Runacre in The Lady Vanishes (1979)
    The Lady Vanishes
    • based on the screenplay by
    • 1979
  • Britt Ekland, Hayley Mills, George Sanders, Hywel Bennett, and Patience Collier in Endless Night (1972)
    Endless Night
    • screenplay
    • 1972
  • Au théâtre ce soir (1966)
    Au théâtre ce soir
    • play
    • TV Series
    • 1971
  • The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery (1966)
    The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery
    • original story
    • 1966
  • Vor Nachbarn wird gewarnt
    • play "Meet a Body"
    • TV Movie
    • 1965
  • The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's (1960)
    The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's
    • Writer
    • 1960
  • Left Right and Centre (1959)
    Left Right and Centre
    • from an original story by
    • screenplay
    • 1959
  • George Cole, Joyce Grenfell, Lionel Jeffries, Sabrina, Alastair Sim, and Terry-Thomas in Blue Murder at St. Trinian's (1957)
    Blue Murder at St. Trinian's
    • Writer
    • 1957
  • She Played with Fire (1957)
    She Played with Fire
    • screenplay
    • 1957
  • The Open Window
    • libretto
    • TV Movie
    • 1956
  • The Green Man (1956)
    The Green Man
    • from their play "Meet a Body"
    • screenplay
    • 1956
  • Wee Geordie (1955)
    Wee Geordie
    • screenplay
    • 1955
  • Marriage a la Mode (1955)
    Marriage a la Mode
    • original screenplay
    • 1955
  • George Cole, Joyce Grenfell, and Alastair Sim in The Belles of St. Trinian's (1954)
    The Belles of St. Trinian's
    • screenplay
    • 1954

Producer

  • Get Charlie Tully (1972)
    Get Charlie Tully
    • executive producer
    • 1972
  • Britt Ekland, Hayley Mills, George Sanders, Hywel Bennett, and Patience Collier in Endless Night (1972)
    Endless Night
    • executive producer
    • 1972
  • Joey Boy (1965)
    Joey Boy
    • producer
    • 1965
  • Only Two Can Play (1962)
    Only Two Can Play
    • producer
    • 1962
  • The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's (1960)
    The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's
    • producer
    • 1960
  • The Bridal Path (1959)
    The Bridal Path
    • producer
    • 1959
  • Left Right and Centre (1959)
    Left Right and Centre
    • producer
    • 1959
  • George Cole, Joyce Grenfell, Lionel Jeffries, Sabrina, Alastair Sim, and Terry-Thomas in Blue Murder at St. Trinian's (1957)
    Blue Murder at St. Trinian's
    • producer
    • 1957
  • Peter Sellers, Virginia McKenna, Bernard Miles, Margaret Rutherford, and Bill Travers in Big Time Operators (1957)
    Big Time Operators
    • executive producer (uncredited)
    • 1957
  • She Played with Fire (1957)
    She Played with Fire
    • producer
    • 1957
  • The Green Man (1956)
    The Green Man
    • producer
    • 1956
  • Wee Geordie (1955)
    Wee Geordie
    • producer
    • 1955
  • Marriage a la Mode (1955)
    Marriage a la Mode
    • A Frank Launder Sidney Gilliat Production
    • 1955
  • George Cole, Joyce Grenfell, and Alastair Sim in The Belles of St. Trinian's (1954)
    The Belles of St. Trinian's
    • producer
    • 1954
  • Gilbert and Sullivan (1953)
    Gilbert and Sullivan
    • producer
    • 1953

Director

  • Britt Ekland, Hayley Mills, George Sanders, Hywel Bennett, and Patience Collier in Endless Night (1972)
    Endless Night
    • Director
    • 1972
  • The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery (1966)
    The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery
    • Director
    • 1966
  • Only Two Can Play (1962)
    Only Two Can Play
    • Director
    • 1962
  • Left Right and Centre (1959)
    Left Right and Centre
    • Director
    • 1959
  • She Played with Fire (1957)
    She Played with Fire
    • Director
    • 1957
  • Marriage a la Mode (1955)
    Marriage a la Mode
    • Director
    • 1955
  • Gilbert and Sullivan (1953)
    Gilbert and Sullivan
    • Director
    • 1953
  • The Great Manhunt (1950)
    The Great Manhunt
    • Director
    • 1950
  • Dulcimer Street (1948)
    Dulcimer Street
    • Director
    • 1948
  • Alastair Sim in Green for Danger (1946)
    Green for Danger
    • Director
    • 1946
  • Rex Harrison in Notorious Gentleman (1945)
    Notorious Gentleman
    • Director
    • 1945
  • Waterloo Road (1945)
    Waterloo Road
    • Director
    • 1945
  • Millions Like Us (1943)
    Millions Like Us
    • Director
    • 1943
  • Partners in Crime
    • Director
    • Short
    • 1942

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative names
    • S. Gilliat
  • Born
    • February 15, 1908
    • Edgeley, Stockport, Cheshire, England, UK
  • Died
    • May 31, 1994
    • Wiltshire, England, UK(undisclosed)
  • Spouse
    • Beryl Brewer193? - 1981 (her death, 2 children)
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat worked as a team (director/producer/writer) on 40+ films from 1930-66.

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