David Lean

@Producer, Career and Childhood ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Sir David Lean was an Academy award-winning British film director, producer and cinematographer Cancer Celebrities British Film & Theater Personalities Directors Cinematographers T V & Movie Producers Aries Celebrities Sir David Lean was a British film director and cinematographer famous for the spectacular scenes of breathtaking locales in his epic films. He used the screen to its maximum effect which very few directors ever could. He created backdrop scenes that were fantastic like the vast expanse of grey tarmac with a single motorcycle or the scene of a huge dam from which uniformed workers looking like small ants coming out from tunnels. He rose gradually from a tea-boy to a director par excellence. He made only 16 films over a career spread over 42 years. His last five films made with American finances, are claimed to be the best British films, which speaks volumes of his talent as a great director and cinematographer. He was sometimes compared to a general leading his troops into battle when shooting any of his films irrespective of the location. He won 31 awards including ‘Academy Awards’, ‘Golden Globe Awards’, ‘BAFTA Awards’, and many other awards for the ‘Best Director’ and other achievements from various film institutions around the world and was nominated 27 times for different awards during his entire film making career.

Personal Details

Birthday: March 25, 1908 Died on: April 16, 1991 Nationality: British Famous: Film Director, Producer, Screenwater, Film & Theater Personalities, Directors, Cinematographers, T V & Movie Producers Spouses: Ann Todd (1949–1957; divorced), Isabel Lean (1930–1936; divorced), Kay Walsh (1940–1949; divorced), Leila Matkar (1960–1978; divorced), Sandra Cooke (1990–1991; his death), Sandra Hotz (1981–1984; divorced) Known as: Sir David Lean Cause of death: Cancer Information Detail Birthday March 25, 1908 Died on April 16, 1991 Nationality British Famous Film Director, Producer, Screenwater, Film & Theater Personalities, Directors, Cinematographers, T V & Movie Producers Spouses Ann Todd (1949–1957; divorced), Isabel Lean (1930–1936; divorced), Kay Walsh (1940–1949; divorced), Leila Matkar (1960–1978; divorced), Sandra Cooke (1990–1991; his death), Sandra Hotz (1981–1984; divorced) Known as Sir David Lean Cause of death Cancer Birth Place Croydon, Surrey, England Gender Male Father Francis William le Blount Lean Mother Helena Tangye Sun Sign Aries Born in Croydon, Surrey, England Famous as Film Director, Producer & Screenwater Died at Age 83

Croydon, Surrey, England

David Lean born at Unsplash Birth Place

He married his first cousin, Isabel Jean on June 28, 1930 and divorced her in 1936. He had his only son, Peter from this marriage. Unsplash Personal Life

He married actress Kay Walsh on November 23, 1940 and divorced her in 1949. Unsplash Personal Life

He married actress Ann Todd on May 21, 1949 and divorced her 1957. Unsplash Personal Life

David Lean was born in Croydon, Surrey, England on March 25, 1908. His father was Francis William le Blount Lean and his mother was Helena Tangye. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He had a younger brother named Edward Tangye. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He left the boarding school in his mid-teens in 1926 and became an apprentice at his father’s accountancy firm. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

David Lean started his career in films as teaboy at ‘Gaumont-British Studios’, then as a clapboard boy, and became the highest paid editor by the end of the 1930s. Unsplash Career

In 1938 he worked on ‘Pygmalion’ and in 1941 on ‘One of Our Aircraft is Missing’. He also worked in his first unofficial directional effort ‘Major Barbara’ in 1941. Unsplash Career

In 1942 he co-directed the film ‘In Which We Serve’ with Noel Coward and co-founded a production company named ‘Cineguild’ with Noel Coward, Ronald Neame and Anthony Havelock-Allan. Unsplash Career

His first solo directorial effort ‘This Happy Breed’ in 1944, his second film ‘Blithe Spirit’ in 1945 and the third film ‘Brief Encounter’ in 1945 were all based on Noel Coward’s plays. Unsplash Career

His next two films based on Charles Dickens’ classics were ‘Great Expectations’ in 1946 and ‘Oliver Twist’ in 1948. Unsplash Career

David Lean won the ‘AGFA Silver Condor’ and nomination for ‘New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director’ in 1942 for ‘In Which We Serve’. Unsplash Awards & Achievements

In 1945 he won the ‘Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation’ for ‘Blithe Spirit’ and ‘Academy Award’ nomination for ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’ in 1946 for ‘Brief Encounter’. Unsplash Awards & Achievements

In 1947 he received ‘Academy Award’ nomination for ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’ for ‘Great Expectations’. Unsplash Awards & Achievements

In 1948 he won the ‘Golden Lion’ and was nominated for ‘BAFTA for Best Film’ for ‘Oliver Twist’. Unsplash Awards & Achievements

In 1955 Lean received the ‘New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director’, nominations for ‘Academy Award for Best Director’ and ‘BAFTA Award for Best Film’ for ‘Summertime’. Unsplash Awards & Achievements

Information	Detail
Birthday	March 25, 1908
Died on	April 16, 1991
Nationality	British
Famous	Film Director, Producer, Screenwater, Film & Theater Personalities, Directors, Cinematographers, T V & Movie Producers
Spouses	Ann Todd (1949–1957; divorced), Isabel Lean (1930–1936; divorced), Kay Walsh (1940–1949; divorced), Leila Matkar (1960–1978; divorced), Sandra Cooke (1990–1991; his death), Sandra Hotz (1981–1984; divorced)
Known as	Sir David Lean
Cause of death	Cancer
Birth Place	Croydon, Surrey, England
Gender	Male
Father	Francis William le Blount Lean
Mother	Helena Tangye
Sun Sign	Aries
Born in	Croydon, Surrey, England
Famous as	Film Director, Producer & Screenwater
Died at Age	83

David Lean

British

Mar 25, 1908

Biography

Personal Details

Croydon, Surrey, England