Ronald Neame facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ronald Neame CBE BSC
Neame and Judy Garland on the set of I Could Go On Singing
Born	(1911-04-23)23 April 1911 London, England, U.K.
Died	16 June 2010(2010-06-16) (aged 99) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Citizenship	United Kingdom United States
Education	Hurstpierpoint College
Alma mater	University College School
Occupation	Director, cinematographer, producer, screenwriter
Years active	1939–1991
Spouse(s)	Beryl Yolanda Warburton Heanly (m. 1933 – div. 1992) Donna Friedberg (m. 1993)
Children	Christopher Neame
Parent(s)	Ivy Close Elwin Neame

Ronald Neame (CBE, BSC) was an English filmmaker. He was born on April 23, 1911, and passed away on June 16, 2010. Ronald Neame worked as a director, producer, cinematographer (camera expert), and screenwriter (writer of film scripts).

He started his career as a cinematographer. He even received an Academy Award nomination for Best Special Effects for his work on the British war film One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1943). Later, he teamed up with director David Lean. Together, they created famous movies like Brief Encounter (1945), Great Expectations (1946), and Oliver Twist (1948). Neame was nominated for two Academy Awards for his writing during this time.

Ronald Neame then became a director. Some of his well-known films include The Man Who Never Was (1956), which was about a British spy mission in World War II. He also directed The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), which helped Maggie Smith win her first Oscar. Another big film he directed was the disaster movie The Poseidon Adventure (1972). He also directed I Could Go On Singing (1963), which was Judy Garland's last film, and Scrooge (1970), starring Albert Finney.

For all his amazing work in movies, Neame was honored in 1996. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). He also received the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award. This is the highest award given by the British Film Academy to a filmmaker.

Ronald Neame's Early Career in Film

Ronald Neame was born in Hendon, London. His father, Elwin Neame, was a photographer, and his mother, Ivy Close, was an actress. He went to school at University College School and Hurstpierpoint College.

After his father died in 1923, Neame started working as an office boy for an oil company. Later, thanks to his mother's connections in the British film world, he got a job at Elstree Studios. He began there as a messenger boy.

Becoming a Cinematographer

Neame was lucky to become an assistant cameraman on Blackmail (1929). This was the first British "talkie" (a movie with sound). It was directed by a young Alfred Hitchcock. Neame's own career as a cinematographer began with the musical comedy Happy (1933). For several years, he worked on many films, improving his camera skills.

As a cinematographer, he worked on films like Major Barbara (1941), In Which We Serve (1942), and One of Our Aircraft Is Missing. For One of Our Aircraft Is Missing, he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Special Effects.

Ronald Neame as a Producer and Writer

After the success of In Which We Serve, Ronald Neame joined director David Lean and producer Anthony Havelock-Allan. They started a new movie company called Cineguild. This company made nine films between 1944 and 1950. It helped Lean and Neame become directors and Havelock-Allan become a producer.

Working with David Lean

Their first three films were based on plays by Noël Coward: This Happy Breed, Blithe Spirit, and Brief Encounter. David Lean directed these films, Neame was the cinematographer, and Havelock-Allan produced them. All three also helped write the scripts. Brief Encounter earned all three of them an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay nomination.

After these successes, the trio decided to adapt books by Charles Dickens. Their script for Great Expectations earned them another Oscar nomination. This film was important for Neame because it was the first time he wasn't the cinematographer. Instead, he worked as a producer. The next year, he directed his first film, Take My Life.

Later Productions

Cineguild's next film was Oliver Twist. Neame produced one more film for Cineguild, Lean's The Passionate Friends. After this, Neame left to write, produce, and direct Golden Salamander.

After Cineguild closed, Neame produced The Magic Box (1951). This film was about the British camera inventor William Friese-Greene.

Ronald Neame as a Director

Ronald Neame directed his first film, Take My Life (1947), while working with Cineguild. He started to work more in the American film industry.

Directing Alec Guinness

He worked with actor Alec Guinness (who was in Great Expectations and Oliver Twist) on three films: The Card (1952), The Horse's Mouth (1958), and Tunes of Glory (1960). Neame said Tunes of Glory was the film he was most proud of. He received two BAFTA Award nominations for it. Neame and Guinness also worked together on the musical Scrooge (1970).

Other Notable Films

Neame also directed I Could Go On Singing (1963), which was Judy Garland's last film. He also directed The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), which helped Maggie Smith win her first Oscar.

He was asked to direct The Poseidon Adventure (1972). He later called this his "favorite film" because it helped him earn enough money to retire comfortably. He was good friends with actor Walter Matthau, whom he directed in two later films: Hopscotch (1980) and First Monday in October (1981).

Neame's last full-length film was Foreign Body, a comedy released in 1986.

Ronald Neame's Personal Life

Ronald Neame married Beryl Heanly in 1933. They had one son, Christopher, who also became a writer and producer. Ronald's grandson, Gareth Neame, is a successful television producer. This means four generations of the Neame family have worked in the film industry!

Ronald Neame married his second wife, Donna Bernice Friedberg, in 1993. She is a film researcher and television producer.

In 1996, Neame received the CBE honor and the BAFTA Fellowship for his contributions to movies. He lived in California, USA. In 2003, he wrote a book about his life called Straight from the Horse's Mouth. (ISBN: 978-0810844902)

Death of Ronald Neame

Ronald Neame passed away on June 16, 2010. He had broken his leg and had surgery, but he never fully recovered.

In an interview in 2006, when he was 95 years old, he joked about living a long life. He said, "When people ask me about the secret to my longevity, I say the honest answer is two large vodkas at lunchtime and three large scotches in the evening. All my doctors have said to me, 'Ronnie, if you would drink less, you'd live a lot longer.' But, they're all dead, and I'm still here at 95."

Selected Films by Ronald Neame

Images for kids

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  Neame and Judy Garland on the set of I Could Go On Singing

See also

In Spanish: Ronald Neame para niños