Maurice Elvey

Regissör, Producent, Författare, Skådespelare

11 november 1887 — 28 augusti 1967 (79 år)
Maurice Elvey was born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, the oldest son of William Clarence Folkard, an inspecting engineer, and Sarah Anna Seward Folkard (formerly Pearce). He never had a formal education, and was working on the streets of London by the age of nine after having run away from home. For a time he worked as a page boy in the Hyde Park Hotel, and a lucky encounter with a wealthy American set him on the road to a career in first the theatre and then in films. It was while in New York when working as a stage producer that he saw his first film, The Flying Dutchman (1923). This made such an impression on him that when he came back to England he was determined to produce and direct films; thus began a career spanning 44 years, during which time he made over 300 feature films and innumerable shorts. Amongst the "firsts" that Maurice Elvey can claim as a director are: Gaumont's first talking film (High Treason (1929)) and the first British colour film Sons of the Sea (1939)). Carol Reed and David Lean began their distinguished careers in film by working for him, and he directed Gracie Fields in her first movie, Sally in Our Alley (1931). Maurice Elvey was the older brother of Fred V. Merrick, and during the 1920s and 1930s they worked on a number of films together. In May 1996 the world premiere of a long-lost film about David Lloyd George, directed by Elvey, took place in Cardiff more than 70 years later than scheduled. The three-hour film was suppressed on the eve of its release under circumstances that have still not been fully explained. The film was acclaimed by cinema historians as a milestone in film making, and it is believed that had it been released in 1918, as originally planned, it may well have changed the course of British cinema.

Maurice Elvey was married three times. His first marriage took place on 31st December 1910 to Adeline Maud Charlton Preston (aka actress 'Philippa Preston'. This marriage ended in divorce. He then married Florence Hill Clarke (a sculptor) on 2nd February 1916. This marriage, too, ended in divorce. On 13th January 1923 he married Isabella Reed (aka actress Isobel Elsom), but this marriage also ended in divorce. As Elvey's niece and god-daughter I was privileged to unveil a plaque in April 1997 at the Green Dragon Museum, Stockton-on-Tees as part of the Centenary of Cinema Celebrations.

Filmer och Serier på Plex

  • Fjärrskådaren
    Fjärrskådaren1935

Känd för

  • Fjärrskådaren
    Fjärrskådaren1935
  • Transatlantic Tunnel
    Transatlantic Tunnel1935
  • Late Edwina Black
    Late Edwina Black1951
  • The Phantom Fiend
    The Phantom Fiend1932
  • Räkna med mord
    Räkna med mord1953
  • I Lived with You
    I Lived with You1933
  • Kvinnor i vitt
    Kvinnor i vitt1943
  • Dry Rot
    Dry Rot1956
  • Pippi på brudar
    Pippi på brudar1953
  • The Man in the Mirror
    The Man in the Mirror1936
  • Havets söner
    Havets söner1939
  • 7 flickor
    7 flickor1943
  • The Great Game
    The Great Game1953
  • Sally in Our Alley
    Sally in Our Alley1931
  • The Gay Dog
    The Gay Dog1954
  • My Wife's Lodger
    My Wife's Lodger1952
  • What Every Woman Wants
    What Every Woman Wants1954
  • Who Goes Next?
    Who Goes Next?1938
  • Swing it spioner
    Swing it spioner1940
  • Hjärtats oro
    Hjärtats oro1946

Filmografi

2025
1957
1956
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