Bryan Forbes (1926-) b. London, England.

Youthful precocity developed into an all-round talent which has occasionally moved the cinema forward. As an actor Forbes was usually cast in baby-faced service roles – although when auditioning for The Cruel Sea (1953) he was told that he was not officer material.

His short tenure of office as Head of Production at Elstree gave momentary hope that an indigenous British film industry could become properly established, but regrettably the tycoons had the last word. Forbes career was divided between acting, producing, screenwriting and directing – making films as diverse as The League of Gentlemen (1960), The L-Shaped Room (1962), Only Two Can Play (1962), Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) and The Wrong Box (1966).