Guy Hamilton

Active - 1952 - 2002  |   Born - Sep 16, 1922 in Paris  |   Died - Apr 20, 2016   |   Genres - Drama, Adventure, Action

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Biography by AllMovie

Born in Paris to British parents, director Guy Hamilton began his career assisting in French films; after World War II, he became an assistant director in British films, most notably for directors Carol Reed (Fallen Idol, The Third Man) and John Huston (The African Queen). He began directing in the early '50s, doing such notable work as the POW-escape film The Colditz Story and the Shaw adaptation The Devil's Disciple. He had a mega-hit in 1964 with the James Bond film Goldfinger, and went on to direct Sean Connery's first comeback as 007, Diamonds are Forever; Hamilton also guided Roger Moore in the Bond films Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun. He also made the more serious espionage thriller Funeral in Berlin, as well as actioners (Battle of Britain, Force 10 from Navarone) and mysteries (The Mirror Crack'd, Evil Under the Sun). Hamilton mostly retired by the late 1980s; he died in 2016, at age 93.

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  • Was living in France during the Nazi occupation and actively participated in the French Resistance.
  • After the war he worked as an assistant to English film director Carol Reed.
  • Between the 1950s and 1980s he made 22 films; four of which were part of the James Bond series.
  • Was originally supposed to direct Superman: The Movie (1978) but due to complications related to his status as tax exile, the job was given to someone else.
  • Turned down the job of directing the Bond film Dr. No due to personal reasons.