- Source: Anthony Kimmins
Anthony Martin Kimmins, OBE (10 November 1901 – 19 May 1964) was an English director, playwright, screenwriter, producer and actor.
Biography
Kimmins was born in Harrow, London on 10 November 1901, the son of the social activists Charles William Kimmins and Grace Kimmins. He served in the Royal Navy, and upon leaving the navy he became an actor. In 1932, he wrote the comedy play While Parents Sleep which had a long run in the West End. In 1935, another of his plays Chase the Ace was staged.
His first directorial assignment was Keep Fit (1937). with George Formby. During World War II, he returned to the Navy achieving the rank of Commander. In 1941, he took part in Operation Claymore a successful Commando raid in Norway. During the success of the raid, Kimmins is said to have gone skiing on a nearby slope out of boredom, according to John Durnford-Slater. He later ran the British Pacific Fleet newspaper in Sydney during the Pacific War. Kimmins received the OBE in 1946.
After the war he produced an eclectic mix of films, such as the psychological thriller Mine Own Executioner (1947), Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948) and Mr. Denning Drives North (1951). In the 1950s, Kimmins work included the Alec Guinness comedy The Captain's Paradise (1953) and the children's Smiley series of films which were made in Australia.
His final film as director harked back to his early days – it was a version of his stage successThe Amorous Prawn (US: The Playgirl and the War Minister, 1962).
He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1961 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the BBC Television Theatre. His son, Simon Kimmins, played first-class cricket in the 1950s, primarily for Kent County Cricket Club.
He died in 1964, at his home in Hurstpierpoint in West Sussex, at the age of 62.
Credits
Filmography
Two Wives for Henry (1933) - writer
The Golden Cage (1933) - writer (uncredited)
The Night Club Queen (1934) - play
Bypass to Happiness (1934) - writer, director
The Diplomatic Lover (1934) aka How's Chances? - writer, director
Midshipman Easy (1935) - writer
Once in a New Moon (1935) - writer, director
While Parents Sleep (1935) - writer, play
All at Sea (1935) - writer, director
His Majesty and Company (1935) - director
Talk of the Devil (1936) - writer
Queen of Hearts (1936) - writer
Scotland Yard Commands (1936)
Laburnum Grove (1936) - writer
Three Maxims (1936) - director
Talk of the Devil (1936) - writer
Keep Your Seats, Please (1936) - writer
Lonely Road (US: Scotland Yard Commands, 1936) - writer
The Show Goes On (1937) - writer
Parisian Life (1936) - writer
Who's Your Lady Friend? (1937) - writer
Feather Your Nest (1937) - writer
Good Morning, Boys (1937) - writer
Keep Fit (1937) - writer, director
I See Ice (1938) - writer, director
George Takes the Air (1938) aka It's in the Air - writer, director
Trouble Brewing (1939) - writer, director
Come on George (1939) - writer, director
Under Your Hat (1940) - writer
Narcisse (1940) - writer
Mine Own Executioner (1947) - director, producer
Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948) - director
Mr. Denning Drives North (1951) - director, producer
Flesh and Blood (1951) - director
The Passionate Sentry (1952) - director, producer
The Captain's Paradise (1953) - director, producer
Top of the Form (1953) - writer
Aunt Clara (1954) - director, producer
Smiley (1956) - director, writer, producer
"While Parents Sleep" episode of Armchair Theatre (1957) - writer
Smiley Gets a Gun (1958) - director, writer, producer
The Amorous Prawn (US: The Playgirl and the War Minister, 1962) - director, writer (and original play)
= Select theatre credits
=While Parents Sleep (1932)
References
External links
Profile, nytimes.com; accessed July 4, 2015
Anthony Kimmins at IMDb
Anthony Kimmins at the Internet Broadway Database