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{{short description|British film and television director|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Short description|British film and television director (1926–2021)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox person
[[File:Desmond Davis 2018.jpg|thumb|Davis in 2018]]
| image = Desmond Davis 2018.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Davis in 2018
| name =
| birth_name = Desmond Stanley Tracey Davis
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1926|5|24|df=yes}}
| birth_place = London, England
| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|7|3|1926|5|24|df=yes}}
| death_place = London, England
| death_cause =
| restingplace =
| othername =
| occupation = Film director, camera operator, producer
| yearsactive = 1958–2010
| education =
| alma mater =
| known_for = {{hlist|''[[Clash of the Titans (1981 film)|Clash of the Titans]]''|''[[Girl with Green Eyes]]''|''[[I Was Happy Here]]''|''[[Smashing Time]]''|''[[Ordeal by Innocence]]''}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Shirley Smith|1959|reason=div.}}
| children = 1
}}

'''Desmond Stanley Tracey Davis''' (24 May 1926 – 3 July 2021) was a British film and television director, best known for his 1981 version of ''[[Clash of the Titans (1981 film)|Clash of the Titans]]''.
'''Desmond Stanley Tracey Davis''' (24 May 1926 – 3 July 2021) was a British film and television director, best known for his 1981 version of ''[[Clash of the Titans (1981 film)|Clash of the Titans]]''.


==Early life and career==
==Early life and career==
Desmond Davis was born in [[Wandsworth]], southwest of [[South London|London]]. His parents were Dorothy (nee Newbold) and Isaac (known as William) Davis, director of optical lens manufacturer Newbold & Co.<ref name=Hayward>{{cite news|last=Hayward|first=Anthony|title=Desmond Davis obituary|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/aug/02/desmond-davis-obituary|newspaper=The Guardian|date=2 August 2021}}</ref> While a student at the Regent Street Polytechnic (now [[University of Westminster]]), Davis studied photography and cinematography.<ref name=Hayward />
Desmond Davis joined the British Army film unit serving at the end of the Second World War at age 18. He travelled extensively and the footage of his work can be seen in the Imperial War Museum. After serving his apprenticeship as a clapper boy in the 1940s, working on classic movies such as ''[[The African Queen (film)|The African Queen]]'', Davis worked his way up to first camera operator in low-budget British films of the 1950s. In the 1960s, Davis worked as a camera operator on such internationally acclaimed films as ''[[A Taste of Honey (film)|A Taste of Honey]]'', ''[[The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (film)|The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner]]'', ''[[Freud: The Secret Passion]]'' (directed by [[John Huston]]) and ''[[Tom Jones (1963 film)|Tom Jones]]'', which won the [[Academy Award]] for Best Picture.

In 1944 Davis joined [[Riverside Studios]] as a [[clapper loader]]. While there, he worked on two comedies, ''[[Don't Take It to Heart]]'' (directed by [[Jeffrey Dell]]) and ''[[It's in the Bag! (1945 film)|It's in the Bag]]'' (directed by [[Richard Wallace (director)|Richard Wallace]]).<ref name=Hayward />

Davis was then drafted to join the British [[Army Film and Photographic Unit]], serving at the end of the Second World War at age 18. He was a sergeant in the army's [[South East Asia Command]] from 1945-49. He traveled extensively and the footage of his work can be seen in the [[Imperial War Museum]].<ref name=Hayward />

After serving his apprenticeship as a clapper boy in the 1940s and finishing his army service, Davis worked as a clapper loader on classic movies such as ''[[The Happiest Days of Your Life (film)|The Happiest Days of Your Life ]]'' (directed by [[Frank Launder]]) and ''[[The African Queen (film)|The African Queen]]'' (directed by [[John Huston]]).<ref name=Hayward /> Davis worked his way up to first [[camera operator]] in low-budget British films of the 1950s. Davis worked for social-realist film director [[Tony Richardson]]. In the 1960s, Davis worked as a camera operator on such internationally acclaimed films as ''[[A Taste of Honey (film)|A Taste of Honey]]'' (directed by Richardson), ''[[The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (film)|The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner]]'', ''[[Freud: The Secret Passion]]'' (directed by Huston) and ''[[Tom Jones (1963 film)|Tom Jones]]'' (also directed by Richardson).<ref name=Hayward /><ref name=Monahan>{{cite news|last=Monahan|first=Mark|title=Film-makers on film: Desmond Davis|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3588368/Film-makers-on-film-Desmond-Davis.html|newspaper=Telegraph|date=11 January 2003}}</ref> ''Tom Jones'' won four [[Academy Award|Oscars]], including Academy Award for Best Picture, at the [[36th Academy Awards]].<ref name=Hayward /> He was the camera operator on [[Seth Holt]]’s suspense thriller for [[Hammer Films]], 1961’s [[Taste of Fear]] with cinematographer [[Douglas Slocombe]]. Later on, he worked with Slocombe again only this time, Davis was directing, a role reversal he admitted to finding “embarrassing”. <ref>Taste of Fear Blu-ray extras, 2019, Indicator release</ref>


==Director==
==Director==
Davis made his directorial debut in 1964 with ''[[Girl with Green Eyes]]'', written by [[Edna O’Brien]] adapting her novel ''The Lonely Girl'' from her trilogy ''[[The Country Girls]]''.<ref name=Hayward /><ref name=Monahan /> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote, "Davis is imaginative, prepared to take chances and has the sympathy to draw perceptive performances from his cast."<ref name=Hayward /> ''Girl with Green Eyes'' won the United States [[National Board of Review Award for Best Director]] that year. It also won a 1965 [[Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Award]] in the US for best English language foreign film.<ref name=Hayward /><ref>{{cite web|title=Girl with Green Eyes|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/girl-green-eyes|work=Golden Globe Awards|access-date=23 September 2023}}</ref>
Davis made his directorial debut in 1964 with ''[[Girl with Green Eyes]]'' winning the US [[National Board of Review]] award for Best Director.


At the 1966 [[San Sebastian International Film Festival]], Davis won the [[Golden Shell]] award for ''[[I Was Happy Here]]''. The film starred [[Sarah Miles]] in another O’Brien adaptation.<ref name=Hayward /> Davis reunited with the two female stars of ''Girl with Green Eyes'', [[Rita Tushingham]] and [[Lynn Redgrave]], in ''[[Smashing Time]]'', a 1967 comedy set in [[Swinging Sixties|swinging London]].<ref name=Hayward /> ''Smashing Time'' was nominated for the best English language foreign film Golden Globe in 1968.<ref>{{cite web|title=Smashing Time|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/smashing-time|work=Golden Globe Awards|access-date=23 September 2023}}</ref> The final feature film Davis directed in the 1960s was the 1969 comedy ''[[A Nice Girl Like Me]]'' starring [[Barbara Ferris]].<ref name=Hayward />
His best known film is the 1981 version of ''[[Clash of the Titans (1981 film)|Clash of the Titans]]''.


⚫
In the 1970s Davis took a long hiatus from feature films, and turned his focus on television for work, including episodes of ''[[Follyfoot]]'' and ''[[The New Avengers (TV series)|The New Avengers]]'', as well as a 1979 adaptation of [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''Measure for Measure'' in the [[BBC Television Shakespeare]] series.<ref name=Hayward /><ref name=IMDb>{{cite web|title=Desmond Davis (1926-2021)|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0204471/|work=IMDb|access-date=23 September 2023}}</ref>
Davis reunited with the two female stars of ''Girl with Green Eyes'', [[Rita Tushingham]] and [[Lynn Redgrave]], in ''[[Smashing Time]]'' (1967), a comedy set in 1960s swinging London.


Davis' best known feature film is the 1981 version of ''[[Clash of the Titans (1981 film)|Clash of the Titans]]'', which was his first theatrical release in 12 years. Producer [[Charles H. Schneer]] selected Davis as director after being impressed with Davis' visually inventive work on ''Measure for Measure''.<ref name=Hayward /> ''Clash of the Titans''' all-star cast in this epic fantasy/mythological film included [[Laurence Olivier]] as [[Zeus]].<ref name=Hayward /><ref name=Monahan />
At the 1966 [[San Sebastian International Film Festival]], he won the Golden Seashell award for ''[[I Was Happy Here]]'', which starred [[Sarah Miles]].


In the 1980s Davis directed feature-length dramas mostly for television. Davis worked with O'Brien again to adapt ''The Country Girls'' for television in 1983. Davis also directed the 1983 television adaptation of [[Arthur Conan Doyle]]'s ''[[The Sign of Four (1983 film)|The Sign of Four]]'' with [[Ian Richardson]] as [[Sherlock Holmes]]. In 1984 Davis directed ''[[Camille (1984 film)|Camille]]'', another [[television film|feature film for television]]. This adaptation of ''[[The Lady of the Camellias]]'' starred [[Greta Scacchi]] and [[Colin Firth]]. For his next and last theatrical feature film, Davis directed the 1984 adaptation of [[Agatha Christie]]'s ''[[Ordeal by Innocence]]'' starring [[Donald Sutherland]] and [[Faye Dunaway]].<ref name=Hayward /><ref name=IMDb />
⚫
In the 1970s Davis took a long hiatus from feature films, and turned his focus on television for work, including episodes of ''[[Follyfoot]]'' and ''[[The New Avengers (TV series)|The New Avengers]]'', as well as an adaptation of [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''Measure for Measure'' in the [[BBC Television Shakespeare]] series.


Davis continued his work in television, including directing episodes for the British drama series ''[[The Chief (UK television series)|The Chief]]'' in 1991.<ref name=IMDb /> He retired from directing in 1994.<ref name=Hayward />
After directing ''[[Clash of the Titans (1981 film)|Clash of the Titans]]'', he directed the 1985 feature film adaptation of [[Agatha Christie]]'s ''[[Ordeal by Innocence]]'' starring [[Donald Sutherland]] and [[Faye Dunaway]]. Davis also directed the 1983 television adaptation of [[Arthur Conan Doyle]]'s ''[[The Sign of Four (1983 film)|The Sign of Four]]'' with [[Ian Richardson]] as [[Sherlock Holmes]].


⚫
==Personal life and death==
He continued his work in television, directing a version of ''[[Camille (1984 film)|Camille]]'' with [[Greta Scacchi]] and [[Colin Firth]] in 1984 and the British drama series ''[[The Chief (UK television series)|The Chief]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Monahan|first=Mark|title=Film-makers on film: Desmond Davis|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3588368/Film-makers-on-film-Desmond-Davis.html|newspaper=Telegraph|date=11 January 2003}}</ref>
Davis married Shirley Smith in 1959, and the couple had one son Tim before divorcing.<ref name=Hayward />


Davis died on 3 July 2021, at the age of 95.<ref name=Hayward />
⚫
==Personal life==
Davis married Shirley Smith in 1959, and the couple had one son before divorcing. He died in July 2021 at the age of 95.<ref>Anthony Hayward: [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/aug/02/desmond-davis-obituary Desmond Davis obituary] in: The Guardian, 2 August 2021</ref>


==Films Directed==
==Films directed==
*''[[Girl with Green Eyes]]'' (1964)
*''[[Girl with Green Eyes]]'' (1964)
*''[[The Uncle]]'' (1965)
*''[[The Uncle]]'' (1965)
Line 31: Line 58:
*''[[Smashing Time]]'' (1967)
*''[[Smashing Time]]'' (1967)
*''[[A Nice Girl Like Me]]'' (1969)
*''[[A Nice Girl Like Me]]'' (1969)
*''The Spirit of Adventure: Night Flight'' (1979)
*''The Man of Destiny'' (1981)
*''[[Clash of the Titans (1981 film)|Clash of the Titans]]'' (1981)
*''[[Clash of the Titans (1981 film)|Clash of the Titans]]'' (1981)
*''[[Ordeal by Innocence (film)]]'' (1984)
*''[[BBC2 Playhouse]]'': "Passing Through" (1982)
*''The Adventures of Little Lord Fauntleroy'' (1982)
*''[[The Agatha Christie Hour]]'': "In a Glass Darkly" (1982)
*''Russian Night... 1941'' (1982)
*''[[Ordeal by Innocence (film)|Ordeal by Innocence]]'' (1984)
*''[[Camille (1984 film)|Camille]]'' (1984)
*''Love with a Perfect Stranger'' (1986)
*''Freedom Fighter'' (1988)
*''The Man Who Lived at the Ritz'' (1989)
*''[[Screen One]]'': "Doggin' Around" (1994)


== References ==
== References ==

Latest revision as of 20:17, 31 March 2024

Desmond Davis
Davis in 2018
Born
Desmond Stanley Tracey Davis

(1926-05-24)24 May 1926
London, England
Died3 July 2021(2021-07-03) (aged 95)
London, England
Occupation(s)Film director, camera operator, producer
Years active1958–2010
Known for
Spouse
Shirley Smith
​
​
(m. 1959, divorced)​
Children1

Desmond Stanley Tracey Davis (24 May 1926 – 3 July 2021) was a British film and television director, best known for his 1981 version of Clash of the Titans.

Early life and career[edit]

Desmond Davis was born in Wandsworth, southwest of London. His parents were Dorothy (nee Newbold) and Isaac (known as William) Davis, director of optical lens manufacturer Newbold & Co.[1] While a student at the Regent Street Polytechnic (now University of Westminster), Davis studied photography and cinematography.[1]

In 1944 Davis joined Riverside Studios as a clapper loader. While there, he worked on two comedies, Don't Take It to Heart (directed by Jeffrey Dell) and It's in the Bag (directed by Richard Wallace).[1]

Davis was then drafted to join the British Army Film and Photographic Unit, serving at the end of the Second World War at age 18. He was a sergeant in the army's South East Asia Command from 1945-49. He traveled extensively and the footage of his work can be seen in the Imperial War Museum.[1]

After serving his apprenticeship as a clapper boy in the 1940s and finishing his army service, Davis worked as a clapper loader on classic movies such as The Happiest Days of Your Life (directed by Frank Launder) and The African Queen (directed by John Huston).[1] Davis worked his way up to first camera operator in low-budget British films of the 1950s. Davis worked for social-realist film director Tony Richardson. In the 1960s, Davis worked as a camera operator on such internationally acclaimed films as A Taste of Honey (directed by Richardson), The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Freud: The Secret Passion (directed by Huston) and Tom Jones (also directed by Richardson).[1][2] Tom Jones won four Oscars, including Academy Award for Best Picture, at the 36th Academy Awards.[1] He was the camera operator on Seth Holt’s suspense thriller for Hammer Films, 1961’s Taste of Fear with cinematographer Douglas Slocombe. Later on, he worked with Slocombe again only this time, Davis was directing, a role reversal he admitted to finding “embarrassing”. [3]

Director[edit]

Davis made his directorial debut in 1964 with Girl with Green Eyes, written by Edna O’Brien adapting her novel The Lonely Girl from her trilogy The Country Girls.[1][2] Variety wrote, "Davis is imaginative, prepared to take chances and has the sympathy to draw perceptive performances from his cast."[1] Girl with Green Eyes won the United States National Board of Review Award for Best Director that year. It also won a 1965 Golden Globe Award in the US for best English language foreign film.[1][4]

At the 1966 San Sebastian International Film Festival, Davis won the Golden Shell award for I Was Happy Here. The film starred Sarah Miles in another O’Brien adaptation.[1] Davis reunited with the two female stars of Girl with Green Eyes, Rita Tushingham and Lynn Redgrave, in Smashing Time, a 1967 comedy set in swinging London.[1] Smashing Time was nominated for the best English language foreign film Golden Globe in 1968.[5] The final feature film Davis directed in the 1960s was the 1969 comedy A Nice Girl Like Me starring Barbara Ferris.[1]

In the 1970s Davis took a long hiatus from feature films, and turned his focus on television for work, including episodes of Follyfoot and The New Avengers, as well as a 1979 adaptation of William Shakespeare's Measure for Measure in the BBC Television Shakespeare series.[1][6]

Davis' best known feature film is the 1981 version of Clash of the Titans, which was his first theatrical release in 12 years. Producer Charles H. Schneer selected Davis as director after being impressed with Davis' visually inventive work on Measure for Measure.[1] Clash of the Titans' all-star cast in this epic fantasy/mythological film included Laurence Olivier as Zeus.[1][2]

In the 1980s Davis directed feature-length dramas mostly for television. Davis worked with O'Brien again to adapt The Country Girls for television in 1983. Davis also directed the 1983 television adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Sign of Four with Ian Richardson as Sherlock Holmes. In 1984 Davis directed Camille, another feature film for television. This adaptation of The Lady of the Camellias starred Greta Scacchi and Colin Firth. For his next and last theatrical feature film, Davis directed the 1984 adaptation of Agatha Christie's Ordeal by Innocence starring Donald Sutherland and Faye Dunaway.[1][6]

Davis continued his work in television, including directing episodes for the British drama series The Chief in 1991.[6] He retired from directing in 1994.[1]

Personal life and death[edit]

Davis married Shirley Smith in 1959, and the couple had one son Tim before divorcing.[1]

Davis died on 3 July 2021, at the age of 95.[1]

Films directed[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Hayward, Anthony (2 August 2021). "Desmond Davis obituary". The Guardian.
  2. ^ a b c Monahan, Mark (11 January 2003). "Film-makers on film: Desmond Davis". Telegraph.
  3. ^ Taste of Fear Blu-ray extras, 2019, Indicator release
  4. ^ "Girl with Green Eyes". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Smashing Time". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "Desmond Davis (1926-2021)". IMDb. Retrieved 23 September 2023.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Desmond_Davis&oldid=1216570615"