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Ronald Neame

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Filmmaker

The Resume

    (April 23, 1911-June 16, 2010)
    Born in London, United Kingdom
    Camera operator/cinematographer/screenwriter/director
    Cinematographer for 'Happy' (1933), 'Invitation to the Waltz' (1935), 'Member of the Jury' (1937), 'The Secret Four' (1939), 'To Hell with Hitler' (1940), 'Major Barbara' (1941), 'One of Our Aircraft Is Missing' (1942), 'In Which We Serve' (1942), 'This Happy Breed' (1944) and 'Blithe Spirit' (1945)
    Wrote screenplays for 'This Happy Breed' (1944), 'Blithe Spirit' (1945), 'Brief Encounter' (1945), 'Great Expectations' (1946), 'Golden Salamander' (1950) and 'The Magic Balloon' (1990)
    Directed 'Take My Life' (1947), 'The Golden Salamander' (1950), 'The Million Pound Note' (1954), 'The Man Who Never Was' (1956), 'The Horse's Mouth' (1958), 'I Could Go On Singing' (1963), 'The Chalk Garden' (1964), 'A Man Could Get Killed' (1966), 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' (1969), 'The Poseidon Adventure' (1972), 'The Odessa File' (1974), 'Meteor' (1979), 'First Monday in October' (1981) and 'The Magic Balloon' (1990)
    Named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1996)
    Died at 99 of complications from surgery for a broken leg

Why he might be annoying:

    He got his first movie job, as a studio gofer, thanks to the influence of his mother, a silent film actress.
    He seemed to have trouble reigning in his stars, resulting in a lot of overacting in his films.
    He said what he enjoyed most about filming 'The Poseidon Adventure' was 'putting [the cast] through the misery of having to be sprayed by oil every morning.'
    He made his only on-screen acting appearance in his disaster film flop 'Meteor.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was nominated for three Oscars: two as a screenwriter, and one for best special effects for 'One of Our Aircraft Is Missing.'
    He said about his low profile reputation, 'Now directors draw attention to themselves, which I find reprehensible. I want to draw attention to the actor.'
    He would test stunts himself before asking actors to try them, for example climbing a Christmas tree in 'The Poseidon Adventure' before having Shelley Winters do it.
    Asked for the secret to his longevity, he replied, 'I say the honest answer is two large vodkas at lunchtime and three large scotches in the evening. All my doctors have said to me, 'Ronnie, if you would drink less, you'd live a lot longer.' But, they're all dead, and I'm still here at 95.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 13 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 8 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 99 Votes: 59.60% Annoying