About Bob Smithies
Lived 1934 – 2006 (aged 72). Bob Smithies was a photographer.
Robert Smithies (4 April 1934 – 31 July 2006) was a British photographer, journalist and crossword compiler. He was born in Middleton, near Rochdale, Lancashire.
Smithies began his career from school at the Manchester Evening News as a darkroom assistant, progressing to the post of photographer there and later at the Manchester Guardian.
Smithies joined Granada Television in the mid-1970s and presented a number of television programmes between then and 2005, including the regional news programme Granada Reports and Down To Earth.
Since his first cryptic crossword was accepted by The Guardian newspaper in 1966, Smithies was a regular compiler for the newspaper, under the pseudonym Bunthorne, the name taken from the leading character in the Gilbert and Sullivan light opera Patience.
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Important facts
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Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Bob Smithies?
British journalist (1934-2006)
When was Bob Smithies born?
Bob Smithies was born on 22 April 1934.
When did Bob Smithies die?
Bob Smithies died on 31 July 2006.
What was Bob Smithies's occupation?
Bob Smithies was a photographer.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Bob Smithies. https://biography.guide/bob-smithies/
MLA: "Bob Smithies." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/bob-smithies/.
Chicago: "Bob Smithies." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/bob-smithies/.
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