Known For
Directing
Born
Sep 04, 1887
Died
Dec 14, 1946
Place of Birth
Ireland, United Kingdom
Credits
104 titles
Roy William Neill
Biography
Roy William Neill (4 September 1887 – 14 December 1946) was a film director best known today for directing several of the Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, made between 1943 and 1946 and released by Universal Studios. With his father as the captain, Neill was born on a ship off the coast of Ireland named Roland de Gostrie. He began directing silent movies in 1917 and went on to helm 107 films, 40 of them silent. Although most of Neill's films were for the most part low-budget B-movies, he was known for directing films with meticulously lit scenes with carefully layered shadows that would become the style of film noir in the late 1940s. In fact, his last film, Black Angel (1946), is considered a film noir. He was also credited in some works as R. William Neill, Roy W. Neill, and Roy Neill. Neill lived in the United States for most of his career and was a U.S. citizen. He did go to London from 1935 until 1940 where better opportunities existed for American directors. During this period, British film producer Edward Black hired Neill to direct The Lady Vanishes. However, due to delays in production, Black hired Alfred Hitchcock to direct instead. Neill died in London, England from a heart attack.
Known For
Filmography
Black Angel
Director
Dressed to Kill
Director
Terror by Night
Director
Pursuit to Algiers
Director
The Woman in Green
Producer
The House of Fear
Director
Destiny
Associate Producer
Gypsy Wildcat
Director
The Pearl of Death
Director
The Scarlet Claw
Producer
The Spider Woman
Director
Sherlock Holmes Faces Death
Director
Two Tickets to London
Story
Rhythm of the Islands
Director
Sherlock Holmes in Washington
Director
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
Director
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon
Director
Madame Spy
Director
Eyes of the Underworld
Director
Hoots Mon
Director
His Brother’s Keeper
Director
Murder Will Out
Producer
A Gentleman's Gentleman
Director
The Good Old Days
Director
Everything Happens to Me
Director
Thank Evans
Director
Quiet, Please
Director
The Viper
Director
Double or Quits
Director
Simply Terrific
Director
Doctor Syn
Director
Gypsy
Director
The Lone Wolf Returns
Director
The Black Room
Director
Eight Bells
Director
Mills of the Gods
Director
Jealousy
Director
I'll Fix It
Director
Blind Date
Director
Black Moon
Director
Whirlpool
Director
The 9th Guest
Director
Above the Clouds
Director
Fury of the Jungle
Director
As the Devil Commands
Director
The Circus Queen Murder
Director
That's My Boy
Director
The Menace
Director
Fifty Fathoms Deep
Director
The Good Bad Girl
Director