Alfred James Shaughnessy

Alfred James Shaughnessy (born May 19, 1916 in London , † November 2, 2005 in Plymouth ) was an English writer and film producer .

Alfred Shaughnessy's father, an American with Irish roots, was two months before the birth of his son in the First World War . Shaughnessy grew up in Norfolk Square , Bayswater, and later at St James's Palace . He was trained at Oxford and Eton and initially started a military career, but soon discovered that this was a wrong decision.

In 1939, when his second play Fiddlesticks had just started at the Whitehall Theater , the Second World War broke out and put a temporary end to his writing career. Shaughnessy enlisted in the military and took part in the 1944 invasion of Normandy . This eventually led to his employment as an " entertainer " for the Allied troops.

After returning to England, Shaughnessy worked for Ealing Studios . He wrote a total of twelve film manuscripts, was involved in several television series and also wrote several plays and novellas. He also wrote autobiographical works and a memory book about his mother. His two sons live as actors and film producers in Los Angeles .

One of Shaughnessy's best-known works is the television series Upstairs, Downstairs from the 1970s. In the 1960s, a number of television games based on his works were made in the German-speaking area. B. Die Teekanne (1963, directed by Otto Schenk) or After the discharge (1967, directed by Edwin Zbonek)

His son Charles Shaughnessy is an actor best known for the sitcom The Nanny .

Works and productions

• Brandy for the Parson (1951)
• Loxdale Hall (1952)
• The Saint (1962), TV series
• Hadleigh (1969), TV series
• Manhunt (1971), TV series

• Both Ends of the Candle (1978), autobiography

• Holiday for Simon (play)

• Dearest Enemy (1991)
• Hugo (1993)

• A Confession in Writing (1997)

Web links

• Alfred Shaughnessy in the Internet Movie Database (English)