James Whale, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

James Whale

film director

Date of Birth: 22-Jul-1889

Place of Birth: Dudley, England, United Kingdom

Date of Death: 29-May-1957

Profession: screenwriter, film director, theater director

Nationality: United Kingdom

Zodiac Sign: Cancer


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About James Whale

  • James Whale (22 July 1889 – 29 May 1957) was an English film director, theater director and actor, who spent the greater part of his career in Hollywood.
  • He is best remembered for several horror films: Frankenstein (1931), The Old Dark House (1932), The Invisible Man (1933) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935), all considered classics.
  • Whale also directed films in other genres, including the 1936 film version of the musical Show Boat.
  • He became increasingly disenchanted with his association with horror, and many of his non-horror films have fallen into obscurity. Whale was born into a large family in Dudley, Worcestershire.
  • He discovered his artistic talent early on and studied art.
  • With the outbreak of World War I he enlisted in the British Army and became an officer.
  • He was captured by the Germans and during his time as a prisoner of war he realized he was interested in drama.
  • Following his release at the end of the war he became an actor, set designer and director.
  • His success directing the 1928 play Journey's End led to his move to the US, first to direct the play on Broadway and then to Hollywood, California, to direct films.
  • He lived in Hollywood for the rest of his life, most of that time with his longtime companion, producer David Lewis.
  • Apart from Journey's End (1930), which was released by Tiffany Films, and Hell's Angels (1930), released by United Artists, he directed a dozen films for Universal Pictures between 1931 and 1937, developing a style characterized by the influence of German Expressionism and a highly mobile camera. At the height of his career as a director Whale directed The Road Back (1937), a sequel to All Quiet on the Western Front.
  • Studio interference, possibly spurred by political pressure from Nazi Germany, led to the film's being altered from Whale's vision and it was a critical and commercial failure.
  • A run of similar box-office disappointments followed and, while he would make one final short film in 1950, by 1941 his film directing career was effectively over.
  • He continued to direct for the stage and also rediscovered his love for painting and travel.
  • His investments made him wealthy and he lived a comfortable retirement until suffering strokes in 1956 that robbed him of his vigor and left him in pain.
  • He committed suicide on 29 May 1957 by drowning himself in his swimming pool. Whale was openly gay throughout his career, something that was very unusual in the 1920s and 1930s.
  • As knowledge of his sexual orientation has become more common, some of his films, Bride of Frankenstein in particular, have been interpreted as having a gay subtext and it has been claimed that his refusal to remain in the closet led to the end of his career.

Read more at Wikipedia

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