Film-maker Roy Boulting dies

Roy Boulting co-produced some classic British films

Film-maker Roy Boulting has died in hospital aged 87 after a long illness.

He was living in Eynsham, Oxfordshire, and had been ill for some time, a family friend said.

Boulting, with his late twin brother, John, made some of the most famous films in British cinema between the 1940s and the 1970s.

He was also the father of rock star Crispian Mills, who found fame with the band Kula Shaker.

Legacy

The international film industry owes a debt to the Boulting brothers, with films such as Brighton Rock and Lucky Jim on their roster.

Brighton Rock launched Sir Richard Attenborough's acting career, and I'm All Right, Jack propelled comic actor Peter Sellers to stardom.

The brothers set up their production company, Charter Films, in 1937.

They would go on to vary the roles of director and producer, often contributing to the screenplays they used.

Their big breakthrough came with their third film, Pastor Hall, in 1940.

It was based on the arrest and death of Pastor Niemöller at the hands of the Nazis.

During World War II, Boulting also won acclaim for his war documentaries - notably the Oscar-winning Desert Victory: Battle of El Alamein.

In the 1950s, the reunited brothers produced a series of films satirising British institutions.

Boulting satires

Private's Progress

Carleton-Browne of the FO

Heavens Above!

Brothers in Law

I'm All Right, Jack followed.

The film was boycotted by trade unionists stung by Peter Sellers's portrayal of a communist shop steward.

The Boultings went on to adapt Kingsley Amis's hugely successful comic novel Lucky Jim.

Roy Boulting married five times, the fourth time, in 1971, to actress Hayley Mills after they began an affair in 1966 during filming of The Family Way.

The relationship made the 54-year-old notorious as Mills, the star of Disney films including Pollyanna, was 20 years old at the time.

Crispian Mills is the son of Hayley Mills and Roy Boulting

The marriage produced Crispian Mills, who was estranged from his father for many years.

The pair were reportedly reconciled towards the end of Boulting's life.

Boulting continued to work with his twin brother John until his death in 1985.