Director Ronald Neame dies aged 99

Director, producer writer and cinematographer Ronald Neame died on Friday 18th June, at the age of 99.

Born in 1911, Ronald’s career in film spanned over seven decades, and saw him work with some of the most famous names in cinema history. His father, Elwin Neame, was a film director, and his mother, Ivy Close, starred in films such as Abel Gance's La Roue. Ronald started his employment in cinema at Britain’s famous Elstree Studios in the 1920s, where he worked a number of jobs before becoming assistant cameraman to Alfred Hitchcock on the first British “talkie”, Blackmail.

Ronald then moved into cinematography in the 1930s, going on to work with Powell and Pressburger on One of Our Aircraft is Missing (for which he received one of his three Oscar nominations) and Noel Coward and David Lean (For Which We Serve). He maintained a working relationship with Lean for a few years, co-writing and co-producing two of Lean’s most revered and renowned works, Great Expectations and Brief Encounters, before the two fell out after Lean replaced him as director on The Passionate Friend.

Ronald Neame began directing in 1947 with Take My Life, and was prolific in this role throughout the 1950s and 60s. As a director he worked with several acting greats, including Alec Guinness on numerous occasions, Gregory Peck (The Million Pound Note), John Mills (Tunes of Glory), Judy Garland (I Could Go On Singing), David Niven (Prudence and the Pill), and many more besides.

His direction on The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie earned Maggie Smith an Oscar win (1969), whilst his version of Scrooge won Albert Finney a Golden Globe (1970). However, he is perhaps best known for directing the disaster movie The Poseidon Adventure, which was a box office smash in 1973, making twice as much money as the second highest-grossing film that year (Deliverance).

He was formerly married to Beryl Heanley from 1932 until they divorced in 1973. They had one son together, producer Christopher Neame. Since 1993, Ronald had been married to Donna Friedberg. He was awarded the Commander of the British Empire in 1996.