Biography
Anthony Havelock-Allan produced some of British cinema's most renowned and critically lauded films, such as In Which We Serve (1942), Brief Encounter (1945), Blithe Spirit (1945), and Great Expectations (1946). These films were commercial successes for the Two Cities and Cineguild production companies, establishing Havelock-Allan as a leading figure in the British film industry. He is also noted for two films featuring his then-wife, Valerie Hobson: the melodrama Blanche Fury (1948) and The Hideout (1948), which marked Howard Keel's screen debut.
Born at Blackwell Manor in Darlington, England, Havelock-Allan was educated at Charterhouse. After declining a military career, he worked as a stockbroker and nightclub manager before becoming a casting director. In the early 1930s, he spent two years producing "quota quickies"—low-budget, rapidly made films, often completed in six days or less—for Paramount-British to fulfill a British government mandate requiring a certain percentage of films shown in the UK to be domestically produced. Although these quickies were made on tight budgets and varied in quality, they served as valuable training for directors like Michael Powell and cameramen such as Ronald Neame, who later became a prominent director. Many featured then-unknown actors like Rex Harrison and Margaret Rutherford. In 1942, he produced the acclaimed war film In Which We Serve (1942), co-directed by Noël Coward and David Lean. This naval epic, loosely based on the maritime exploits of Lord Louis Mountbatten, featured standout performances from Bernard Miles, Celia Johnson, and John Mills. The following year, he co-founded Cineguild Productions with Noël Coward, David Lean, and Ronald Neame, which produced This Happy Breed (1944), Blithe Spirit (1945), and Brief Encounter (1945), an adaptation of Coward's play Still Life. Cineguild dissolved in 1949, after which Havelock-Allan established Constellation Films, an independent production company backed by the Rank Organisation. With Constellation, he produced Paul Gallico's Never Take No for an Answer (1951).
In 1960, Havelock-Allan partnered with Lord Brabourne to form British Home Entertainment, aiming to introduce pay-TV to Britain. The company was sold in 1969 following the closure of a trial service. His later productions included Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet (1968) and David Lean's Ryan's Daughter (1970).
