Person Biography:
Guy Hamilton was a renowned British film director, born to a diplomatic family, and spent most of his youth in France. He was enthralled with French cinema, particularly the works of Jean Renoir, and this sparked his ambition to become a director himself. Hamilton's early career began as a clapper boy, progressing to accounting and producer's assistant before World War II interrupted his work.
After the war, Hamilton continued his career as a third assistant director, eventually landing his big break as first assistant director for Carol Reed's The Fallen Idol (1948). Reed became his mentor, and Hamilton went on to work with Reed on several films, including The Third Man (1949) and Outcast of the Islands (1951). He also worked with John Huston on The African Queen (1951).
Hamilton's first film as a director was The Ringer (1952),a minor thriller based on an Edgar Wallace story. He established himself with The Colditz Story (1955),a prisoner-of-war drama with a "British" style. In the 1960s, Hamilton directed four James Bond films, including Goldfinger (1964),Diamonds Are Forever (1971),Live and Let Die (1973),and The Man with the Golden Gun (1974).
Hamilton's later work, including Force 10 from Navarone (1978) and Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985),received mixed reviews. He retired to Majorca in the mid-1980s with his second wife, actress Kerima, and passed away on April 20, 2016, at the age of 93.
