Anthony Kimmins

Anthony Martin Kimmins, OBE (10 November 1901 – 19 May 1964) was an English director, playwright, screenwriter, producer and actor.

Anthony Martin Kimmins

OBE
Photo by Anthony Buckley
Born(1901-11-10)10 November 1901
Harrow, London, England
Died19 May 1964 (aged 62)
Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex, England
OccupationFilm director/producer, playwright, screenwriter, 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.[1] In 1932 he wrote the comedy play While Parents Sleep which had a long run in the West End.[2] In 1935 another of his plays Chase the Ace was staged.[3]

His first directorial assignment was Keep Fit (1937). with George Formby. Kimmins wrote and directed many of Formby's best comedies.[4] 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 bordem, according to John Durnford-Slater. He would later run the British Pacific Fleet newspaper in Sydney during the Pacific war.[5] Kimmins received the OBE in 1946.[4]

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).[6] In the 1950s, Kimmins work included the Sir Alec Guinness comedy The Captain's Paradise and the children's Smiley series of films. 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).[7][8]

He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1961 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the BBC Television Theatre.[9] His son, Simon Kimmins, played first-class cricket in the 1950s, primarily for Kent County Cricket Club.[10]

He died in 1964, at his home in Hurstpierpoint in West Sussex, at the age of 62.[11]

Filmography
Still from the 1943 stage production of While Parents Sleep

Select Theatre Credits

References
  1. "Anthony Kimmins - Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos". AllMovie.
  2. Wearing, J. P. (15 May 2014). The London Stage 1930-1939: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780810893047 – via Google Books.
  3. Wearing, J. P. (15 May 2014). The London Stage 1930-1939: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780810893047 – via Google Books.
  4. McFarlane, Brian (16 May 2016). The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9781526111975 – via Google Books.
  5. "FORMER RAAF FLIER IN FILMS AND RADIO". The Mirror. Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 31 May 1947. p. 15. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  6. "Anthony Kimmins". BFI.
  7. "Anthony Kimmins - TV Guide". TVGuide.com.
  8. "The Amorous Prawn". Variety. 1 January 1962.
  9. "Anthony Kimmins". www.bigredbook.info.
  10. "Simon Kimmins". Cricinfo.
  11. "ANTHONY KIMMINS, PLAYWRIGHT, DIES; Film Producer and Wartime Broadcaster Was 62". 20 May 1964 – via NYTimes.com.
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