David Tomblin

David Tomblin, OBE (18 October 1930 – 20 July 2005) was an English film and television producer, assistant director, and director.

As a producer, he was best known for The Prisoner TV series. As a first assistant director, he worked on a number of high-profile films, including the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series and the 1978 Superman, and with commercially and critically successful directors including Richard Attenborough, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Sydney Pollack. As a director, he was best known for work on several Gerry Anderson's productions.

Early life and career Tomblin was born in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England. He began working in film as a runner at the age of 14. He worked on numerous productions, and (with an interruption for National Service in the Royal Marines), became a First Assistant Director in 1954.

He was presented with BAFTA's Michael Balcon Award (now known as The Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award) in 2003. With Richard Attenborough, he was named as a winner of the 1982 DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for Gandhi.

Personal life Tomblin had four children, a film make-up department chief hairdresser, and Jane Tomblin, a production designer.

Filmography IMDb lists around 200 unique credits for Tomblin, but in 1982 he himself estimated he had already worked on around 500 films. Tomblin told an interviewer for a programme broadcast in 1984: "I only know that because I've just worked on a George Lucas film called Return Of The Jedi, and to get permission to work in the States I had to write down every film I'd been on. I got to 478 and then decided that was probably enough to convince them that I had a reasonable amount of experience."

Director Return of the Ewok (1982) (V) Space: 1999 (4 episodes, 1975-1976) The Protectors (1 episode, 1974) UFO (2 episodes, 1970-1971) Baleia! Baleia! (1971) The Prisoner (2 episodes, 1967-1968)

Producer The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) (line producer - though Tomblin's screen credit was 'Man of the match') Return of the Ewok (1982) (V) (producer) The Prisoner (producer)

Assistant director

Ever After (1998) (second unit director) The Man in the Iron Mask (1998/I) (first assistant director) Hearst Castle: Building the Dream (1996) (first assistant director) Braveheart (1995) (first assistant director) The Three Musketeers (1993) (first assistant director) Chaplin (1992) (first assistant director) Havana (1990/I) (first assistant director) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) (first assistant director: UK) Empire of the Sun (1987) (assistant director) Cry Freedom (1987) (first assistant director) Out of Africa (1985) (first assistant director) King David (1985) (assistant director) (second unit director) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) (assistant director: UK) Never Say Never Again (1983) (first assistant director) Return of the Jedi (1983) (first assistant director) (second unit director) Gandhi (1982) (first assistant director) Ivanhoe (1982) (TV) (assistant director) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (first assistant director) Superman II (1980) (second unit director) The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (first assistant director) The Prisoner of Zenda (1979) (second unit director) Zulu Dawn (1979) (second unit director) Superman (1978) (assistant director) (second unit director) A Bridge Too Far (1977) (first assistant director) The Omen (1976) (assistant director) Barry Lyndon (1975) (assistant director) The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975) (assistant director) Shaft in Africa (1973) (second unit director) A Warm December (1973) (first assistant director) Danger Man (assistant director) (10 episodes, 1964-1965) (second unit director) (6 episodes, 1966) The Liquidator (1965) (assistant director) The Alphabet Murders (1965) (assistant director) Murder Ahoy (1964) (assistant director) Murder Most Foul (1964) (assistant director) Night Must Fall (1964) (assistant director) The Haunting (1963/I) (assistant director) I Thank a Fool (1962) (assistant director) (as Dave Tomblin) Reach for Glory (1962) (assistant director) We Joined the Navy (1962) (assistant director) Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond (assistant director) (13 episodes, 1961) Danger Man (assistant director) (39 episodes, 1960-1961) Taste of Fear (1961) (assistant director) Invisible Man (assistant director) (21 episodes, 1959) William Tell (assistant director) (21 episodes, 1958-1959) The New Adventures of Charlie Chan (assistant director) (4 episodes, 1957-1958) Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans (assistant director) (8 episodes, 1957) The Count of Monte Cristo (assistant director) (1 episode, 1956) The Elusive Pimpernel (1950) (third assistant director) (uncredited) My Brother Jonathan (1948) (third assistant director) (uncredited)