Roy William Neill

Known for DirectingBorn 1887-09-04Died 1946-12-14Ireland, United Kingdom

Roy William Neill (4 September 1887 – 14 December 1946) was a film director best known today for directing several of the Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, made between 1943 and 1946 and released by Universal Studios. With his father as the captain, Neill was born on a ship off the coast of Ireland named Roland de Gostrie. He began directing silent movies in 1917 and went on to helm 107 films, 40 of them silent. Although most of Neill's films were for the most part low-budget B-movies, he was known for directing films with meticulously lit scenes with carefully layered shadows that would become the style of film noir in the late 1940s. In fact, his last film, Black Angel (1946), is considered a film noir. He was also credited in some works as R. William Neill, Roy W. Neill, and Roy Neill. Neill lived in the United States for most of his career and was a U.S. citizen. He did go to London from 1935 until 1940 where better opportunities existed for American directors. During this period, British film producer Edward Black hired Neill to direct The Lady Vanishes. However, due to delays in production, Black hired Alfred Hitchcock to direct instead. Neill died in London, England from a heart attack.Read more

Movies & web series

A Gentleman's Gentleman

Gypsy

The Virgin Queen

San Francisco Nights

The City

Greater Than a Crown

My Lady's Lips

Percy

A Corner in Colleens

Thank Evans

Everything Happens to Me

I'll Fix It

As the Devil Commands

The Olympic Hero

The Arizona Wildcat

A Man Four-Square

The Cowboy and the Countess

The Kiss Barrier

The Iron Trail

The Idol of the North

The Girl, Glory

His Brother’s Keeper

The Good Old Days

Simply Terrific

Mills of the Gods

Blind Date

That's My Boy

Cleopatra

Marriage

By Divine Right

Broken Laws

Vanity's Price

What's Wrong with the Women?

The Conquest of Canaan

Dangerous Business

Two Tickets to London

The Pearl of Death

The Spider Woman

The Scarlet Claw

The Viper

Quiet, Please

The House of Fear

Fury of the Jungle

Sherlock Holmes Faces Death

Pursuit to Algiers

Wall Street

Behind Closed Doors

Lady Raffles