Jimmy Sangster
| Jimmy Sangster | |
|---|---|
 Discussing his script for Intent to Kill (1958) | |
| Born |
James Henry Kinmel Sangster[1] 2 December 1927 Kinmel Bay, Denbighshire, Wales, UK |
| Died |
19 August 2011 (aged 83) London, England, UK |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Screenwriter |
| Years active | 1955-2000 |
| Spouse(s) |
Monica Hustler (1950-1968) (divorced) (1 child) Mary Peach (?-2011) (his death) (1 child)[1] |
| Children | Mark James Sangster |
James Henry Kinmel "Jimmy" Sangster (2 December 1927 – 19 August 2011) was a British screenwriter and director, known for his work for horror film producers Hammer Film Productions, including scripts for The Curse of Frankenstein (the first British horror film to be shot in colour) and Dracula (US: Horror of Dracula).[2]
Career
Sangster originally worked as a production assistant at Hammer Studios, as well as assistant director, second unit director and production manager. After Hammer Films Productions' success with The Quatermass Xperiment, Sangster was approached to write The Curse of Frankenstein, to which he said, "I'm not a writer. I'm a production manager." According to Sangster, Hammer Films' response was, "Well, you come up with a couple of ideas and if we like it, we'll pay you. If we don't like it, we won't pay you. You're being paid as a production manager, so you can't complain."[3] He later turned to direction with The Horror of Frankenstein and Lust for a Vampire (both 1970) for the studio, but with far less success. His third (and last) film as director was 1972's Fear in the Night, which resurrected the psychological woman-in-peril thriller Sangster had begun with his script for Taste of Fear in 1961. All three of these films featured actor Ralph Bates, one of Hammer's best-known actors of the latter period of the company.
Sangster scripted and produced two films for Bette Davis, The Nanny (1965) and The Anniversary (1968).
Other scriptwriting credits included The Siege of Sidney Street (1960) which starred Donald Sinden and in which Sangster appeared as Winston Churchill.
He died on 19 August 2011. He is survived by his third wife, the actress Mary Peach and by a son from an earlier marriage, Mark James Sangster[2] and two grandchildren, Claire and Ian Sangster.
Filmography
- As a director
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | The Horror of Frankenstein | Also co-writer |
| 1971 | Lust for a Vampire | |
| 1972 | Fear in the Night | Also writer |
- As a screenwriter
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | A Man on the Beach | |
| 1956 | X: The Unknown | |
| 1957 | The Curse of Frankenstein | |
| 1958 | Horror of Dracula | |
| 1958 | The Revenge of Frankenstein | |
| 1958 | Intent to Kill | |
| 1958 | The Snorkel | |
| 1958 | Blood of the Vampire | |
| 1958 | The Crawling Eye | |
| 1959 | Jack the Ripper | |
| 1959 | The Man Who Could Cheat Death | |
| 1959 | The Mummy | |
| 1960 | The Brides of Dracula | |
| 1960 | The Siege of Sidney Street | |
| 1961 | The Hellfire Club | |
| 1961 | The Terror of the Tongs | |
| 1961 | Scream of Fear | |
| 1962 | The Pirates of Blood River | |
| 1962 | Paranoiac | |
| 1963 | The Maniac | |
| 1964 | Nightmare | |
| 1964 | The Devil-Ship Pirates | |
| 1964 | Traitor's Gate | |
| 1965 | Hysteria | |
| 1965 | The Nanny | |
| 1966 | Dracula: Prince of Darkness | As John Samson |
| 1967 | Deadlier Than the Male | |
| 1968 | The Anniversary | |
| 1969 | The Spy Killer | Television film |
| 1970 | Foreign Exchange | Television film |
| 1970 | Crescendo | |
| 1970 | The Horror of Frankenstein | Also co-writer |
| 1971 | A Taste of Evil | Television film |
| 1972 | Fear in the Night | Also writer |
| 1972 | Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? | |
| 1973 | Scream, Pretty Peggy | Television film |
| 1973 | Maneater | Television film |
| 1977 | Good Against Evil | Television film |
| 1979 | The Legacy | |
| 1979 | The Country Western Murders | Television film |
| 1979 | The Billion Dollar Threat | Television film |
| 1979 | Ebony, Ivory and Jade | Television film |
| 1980 | Phobia | |
| 1980 | Once Upon a Spy | Television film |
| 1981 | No Place to Hide | Television film |
| 1981 | The Devil and Max Devlin | |
| 1984 | The Toughest Man in the World | Television film |
| 1985 | North Beach and Rawhide | Television film |
References
- 1 2 Newman, Kim Obituary: Jimmy Sangster, The Guardian, 21 August 2011
- 1 2 The Telegraph
- ↑ Svehla, A. Susan (Director) (2009-07-28). Fanex Files: Hammer Films (DVD). Alpha Video. Event occurs at 12:20.
External links
- Jimmy Sangster at the Internet Movie Database
- Jimmy Sangster at Find a Grave
- Jimmy Sangster at CinemaRetro.com