J. Lee Thompson was born on August 1, 1914 in Bristol, England as John Lee Thompson. He was a director and writer, known for The Guns of Navarone (1961), Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) and Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972). He was married to Lucille Kelly, Penny Thompson, Florence (Bill) Bailey and Joan Henry. He died on August ...
The knack of choosing his scripts wisely is one of the greatest assets a director can have - knowing what to discard, what to refuse. I've learned by experience that it's fatal to accept a poor script because it contains one or two good scenes which you long to shoot.
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Fact
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The Thompson-directed Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987) was the most critically praised of all the "Death Wish" sequels.
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Was Charles Bronson's director of choice for his pictures. Bronson liked his fast, no-frills method of shooting.
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Born into a theatrical family. Studied at Dover College. Wrote his first play while still at school. Acted with the Nottingham Repertory Company and subsequently on the West End stage. Signed in 1934 as a screenwriter by British International Pictures. Served in the RAF during World War II as a tail-gunner and wireless operator. Post-war, returned to writing film scripts at Elstree, making his directorial debut in 1950. His films often depicted ordinary people caught in extraordinary or desperate circumstances. Did his best work on action subjects and thrillers, notably Ice Cold in Alex (1958), The Guns of Navarone (1961) and Cape Fear (1962).
He was nicknamed "Mighty Mouse" by Gregory Peck during the filming of The Guns of Navarone (1961). The original director was fired and Thompson was hired on short notice, but managed to smooth things out and the film was a tremendous hit.
$250,000
