Anthony Kimmins

Anthony Martin Kimmins, OBE (10 November 1901 – 19 May 1964) was an English director, playwright, screenwriter, producer, and actor.

Biography Kimmins was born in Harrow, London, on 10 November 1901, the son of the social activists Charles William Kimmins and Grace Kimmins. He served in the Royal Navy, and upon leaving the navy, he became an actor. In 1932, he wrote the comedy play While Parents Sleep, which had a long run in the West End. In 1935, another of his plays Chase the Ace was staged.

His first directorial assignment was Keep Fit (1937) with George Formby. Michael Balcon called Kimmins "a gay and stimulating character, very much beloved by the studio staff and with an exceptional capacity for getting on with people, which was just as well, for Formby was not easy. Two men could hardly have been more unlike, but Tony managed to establish a working relationship."

During World War II, he returned to the Navy achieving the rank of commander. In 1941, he took part in Operation Claymore, a successful commando raid in Norway. During the success of the raid, Kimmins is said to have gone skiing on a nearby slope out of boredom, according to John Durnford-Slater. He later ran the British Pacific Fleet newspaper in Sydney during the Pacific War. Kimmins received the OBE in 1946. In the 1950s, Kimmins work included the Alec Guinness comedy The Captain's Paradise (1953) and the children's Smiley series of films which were made in Australia.

His final film as director harked back to his early days – it was a version of his stage successThe Amorous Prawn (US: The Playgirl and the War Minister, 1962).

He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1961, when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the BBC Television Theatre. His son, Simon Kimmins, played first-class cricket in the 1950s, primarily for Kent County Cricket Club.

He died in 1964, at his home in Hurstpierpoint in West Sussex, at the age of 62.

Credits

Filmography

Two Wives for Henry (1933) – writer The Golden Cage (1933) – writer (uncredited) The Night Club Queen (1934) – play Bypass to Happiness (1934) – writer, director The Diplomatic Lover (1934) aka How's Chances? – writer, director Midshipman Easy (1935) – writer Once in a New Moon (1935) – writer, director While Parents Sleep (1935) – writer, play All at Sea (1935) – writer, director His Majesty and Company (1935) – director Talk of the Devil (1936) – writer Queen of Hearts (1936) – writer Scotland Yard Commands (1936) Laburnum Grove (1936) – writer Three Maxims (1936) – director Talk of the Devil (1936) – writer Keep Your Seats, Please (1936) – writer Lonely Road (US: Scotland Yard Commands, 1936) – writer The Show Goes On (1937) – writer Parisian Life (1936) – writer Who's Your Lady Friend? (1937) – writer Feather Your Nest (1937) – writer Good Morning, Boys (1937) – writer Keep Fit (1937) – writer, director I See Ice (1938) – writer, director George Takes the Air (1938) aka It's in the Air – writer, director Trouble Brewing (1939) – writer, director Come on George (1939) – writer, director Under Your Hat (1940) – writer Narcisse (1940) – writer Mine Own Executioner (1947) – director, producer Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948) – director Mr. Denning Drives North (1951) – director, producer Flesh and Blood (1951) – director The Passionate Sentry (1952) – director, producer The Captain's Paradise (1953) – director, producer Top of the Form (1953) – writer Aunt Clara (1954) – director, producer Smiley (1956) – director, writer, producer "While Parents Sleep" episode of Armchair Theatre (1957) – writer Smiley Gets a Gun (1958) – director, writer, producer The Amorous Prawn (US: The Playgirl and the War Minister, 1962) – director, writer (and original play)

Select theatre credits While Parents Sleep (1932)