Anthony Kimmins

Anthony Martin Kimmins
Born (1901-11-10)10 November 1901
Harrow, London
Died 19 May 1964 (aged 62)
Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex
Occupation Film director/producer, playwright, screenwriter, actor

Anthony Martin Kimmins (born 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. Kimmins wrote and directed many of George Formby's best comedies. During World War II he returned to the Navy, running the British Pacific Fleet newspaper in Sydney during the Pacific war.[1]

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 Kimmin's work included the Sir Alec Guinness comedy The Captain's Paradise and the children's Smiley series of films. His final film harked back to his early days – it was The Amorous Prawn (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, aged 62, at Hurstpierpoint in West Sussex.

Filmography

Still from the 1943 stage production of While Parents Sleep

References

  1. ↑ "FORMER RAAF FLIER IN FILMS AND RADIO". The Mirror. Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 31 May 1947. p. 15. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
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