Jimmy Sangster

Early life The son of an estate agent, Sangster was born in Kimmel Bay, North Wales and was educated at Ewell Castle School in Surrey, and Llandaff Cathedral School in Cardiff. He began his film career, aged 16, as a clapper-boy. Sangster later turned to direction with The Horror of Frankenstein and Lust for a Vampire (both 1970) for the studio, but with far less success. His third (and last) film as director was Fear in the Night (1972), which resurrected the psychological woman-in-peril thriller he had begun with his script for Taste of Fear (1961). All three of the films he directed featured actor Ralph Bates, a friend of Sangster's and one of Hammer's better-known performers for the company during the 1970s.

Sangster scripted and produced two films for Bette Davis, The Nanny (1965) and The Anniversary (1968). His other scriptwriting credits included The Siege of Sidney Street (1960), which starred Donald Sinden and in which Sangster appeared as Winston Churchill. His many television screenwriting credits include Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Movin' On, The Magician, B. J. and the Bear, Most Wanted, Ironside, McCloud, The Six Million Dollar Man and Wonder Woman.

He is also the author of the novels Touchfeather; Touchfeather, Too; Foreign Exchange; Private I ( The Spy Killer); Snowball; Hardball; and Blackball; all of which have been republished by Brash Books. His other books include the novel Your Friendly Neighborhood Death Peddler, the non-fiction memoir Do You Want it Good or Tuesday? and the 2003 screenwriting manual, Screenwriting: Techniques for Success. In 2019, Brash Books announced the discovery of an unpublished Sangster novel, Fireball, which they released in 2020.

Personal life Sangster died at his home in Kensington, London on 19 August 2011. He was survived by his third wife, actress Mary Peach; a son from an earlier marriage, Mark James Sangster; and two grandchildren, Claire and Ian Sangster.

Filmography As a director Year TitleNotes 1970 The Horror of Frankenstein Also producer and co-writer 1971 Lust for a Vampire 1972 Fear in the Night Also producer and writer

As a screenwriter Year TitleNotes 1955 A Man on the Beach 1956 X the Unknown 1957 The Curse of Frankenstein 1958 Dracula 1958 The Revenge of Frankenstein 1958 Intent to Kill 1958 The Snorkel 1958 Blood of the Vampire 1958 The Crawling Eye 1959 Jack the Ripper 1959 The Man Who Could Cheat Death 1959 The Mummy 1960 The Brides of Dracula 1960 The Siege of Sidney Street 1961 The Hellfire Club 1961 The Terror of the Tongs 1961 Scream of Fear 1962 The Pirates of Blood River 1962 Paranoiac 1963 Maniac 1964 Nightmare 1964 The Devil-Ship Pirates 1964 Traitor's Gate 1965 Hysteria 1965 The Nanny 1966 Dracula: Prince of Darkness As John Sansom 1967 Deadlier Than the Male 1968 The Anniversary 1969 The Spy Killer Television film 1970 Foreign Exchange Television film 1970 Crescendo 1970 The Horror of Frankenstein Co-writer; also director and producer 1971 A Taste of Evil Television film 1972 Fear in the Night Also director and producer 1972 Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? 1973 Scream, Pretty Peggy Television film 1973 Maneater Television film 1977 Good Against Evil Television film 1978 The Legacy 1979 The Country Western Murders Television film 1979 The Billion Dollar Threat Television film 1979 Ebony, Ivory and Jade Television film 1980 Phobia 1980 Once Upon a Spy Television film 1981 No Place to Hide Television film 1981 The Devil and Max Devlin 1984 The Toughest Man in the World Television film 1985 North Beach and Rawhide Television film