Harvey, Anthony, 1931-....

Harvey was born in London and educated in prep schools. His introduction to film was as an actor, playing younger brother, Ptolemy to Vivien Leigh's Cleopatra in Caesar and Cleopatra (1945). He won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, but soon realized that acting would not be his calling. His break came at the Shepperton Studios as assistant editor and later editor for filmmakers John and Roy Boulting. By the 1960s he was editing for such directors as Bryan Forbes and Stanley Kubrick. After editing Lolita (1962) and Dr. Strangelove (1964), Kubrick asked Harvey to edit 2001: A Space Odyssey, but Harvey declined in order to direct his first film Dutchman, based on the Amiri Baraka play. The controversial film made in 1966 garnered much attention and won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival. His directorial debut also attracted the interest of actor Peter O'Toole who insisted on Harvey directing his next film The Lion in Winter (1968). Lion was a huge success earning Harvey the Directors' Guild Award, as well as Oscars for best actress for Katharine Hepburn, best screenplay, and best score. Harvey went on to direct such feature films as They Might be Giants (1971) starring George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward and The Abdication (1974) with Liv Ullmann. His television films include The Glass Menagerie (1973), again with Hepburn, The Abduction of Aimee (1976) with Faye Dunaway, and Svengali (1983) starring Peter O'Toole and Jodie Foster.

From the guide to the Harvey mss., 1928-2002, (Lilly Library (Indiana University, Bloomington))

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