Anthony Simmons

Anthony Simmons

Anthony Simmons (16 December 1922 – 22 January 2016) was a British writer and film director. He was associated with, though separate from, the Free Cinema movement; he said he was greatly influenced by Humphrey Jennings and by Michelangelo Antonioni’s movie Il Grido (1957). Simmons was born in West Ham, then in Essex, now part of the London Borough of Newham, the fourth of five children – three boys and two girls – to parents of Polish-Jewish extraction, Miriam (née Corb) and Joseph Simmons (originally Anzulowsky), from a family of market traders. He was named Isidore but adopted the forename Anthony in his teens. After attending West Ham Grammar School, Simmons gained a law degree from the London School of Economics, where his course was interrupted by wartime service. Simmons asserted: "I wasn’t aiming to be a film director. I was a lawyer aiming to be a writer. But I felt that if I wrote films it was more immediate. It’s quicker. You haven’t got to spell out the words, you just make the image and tell the story." His documentary Sunday by the Sea (1951) won the Grand Prix at the Venice Film Festival. Four in the Morning (1965), his second feature film as director, did not gain a circuit release although it won awards at several international film festivals, and a BAFTA for Judi Dench as the 'Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles'. For several years Simmons worked in radio and made television commercials until his next feature The Optimists of Nine Elms (1973) starring Peter Sellers. His feature movie Black Joy (1977) was entered into the Cannes Film Festival. His television drama On Giant's Shoulders (1979) about Terry Wiles won an Emmy Award. He also directed episodes of British television series including The Professionals, Supergran, Inspector Morse, Van Der Valk, A Touch of Frost and C.A.T.S. Eyes.

  • Title: Anthony Simmons
  • Popularity: 0.641
  • Known For: Directing
  • Birthday: 1922-12-16
  • Place of Birth: West Ham, London, England, UK
  • Homepage:
  • Also Known As:
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Anthony Simmons Movies

  • 1973
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    The Big Screen

    The Big Screen

    1 1973 HD

    Two of Britain's leading film directors - John Schlesinger and Gerald Thomas - share the anxiety, hopes and risks experienced by those involved with...

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  • 1960
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    Dispute

    Dispute

    1 1960 HD

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  • 1957
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    Time Without Pity

    Time Without Pity

    6.605 1957 HD

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  • 1965
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    Four in the Morning

    Four in the Morning

    6.2 1965 HD

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  • 1965
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    Four in the Morning

    Four in the Morning

    6.2 1965 HD

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  • 1977
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    Black Joy

    Black Joy

    6.4 1977 HD

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  • 1973
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    The Optimists of Nine Elms

    The Optimists of Nine Elms

    6.4 1973 HD

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  • 1973
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    The Optimists of Nine Elms

    The Optimists of Nine Elms

    6.4 1973 HD

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  • 1989
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    Little Sweetheart

    Little Sweetheart

    5.4 1989 HD

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  • 1986
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    The Day After the Fair

    The Day After the Fair

    1 1986 HD

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  • 1964
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    No Short Cut

    No Short Cut

    1 1964 HD

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  • 1960
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    Your Money or Your Wife

    Your Money or Your Wife

    4 1960 HD

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  • 1953
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    Sunday by the Sea

    Sunday by the Sea

    6 1953 HD

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  • 1962
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    From First to Last

    From First to Last

    1 1962 HD

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  • 1977
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    Black Joy

    Black Joy

    6.4 1977 HD

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  • 1979
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    On Giant's Shoulders

    On Giant's Shoulders

    1 1979 HD

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  • 1979
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    On Giant's Shoulders

    On Giant's Shoulders

    1 1979 HD

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  • 1954
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    The Passing Stranger

    The Passing Stranger

    5 1954 HD

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  • 1964
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    No Short Cut

    No Short Cut

    1 1964 HD

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  • 1981
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    Stainless Steel and the Star Spies

    Stainless Steel and the Star Spies

    1 1981 HD

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  • 1954
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    Bow Bells

    Bow Bells

    1 1954 HD

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  • 1954
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    Bow Bells

    Bow Bells

    1 1954 HD

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  • 1981
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    Green Ice

    Green Ice

    5.6 1981 HD

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  • 1953
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    Sunday by the Sea

    Sunday by the Sea

    6 1953 HD

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  • 1962
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    From First to Last

    From First to Last

    1 1962 HD

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  • 1982
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    Life After Death

    Life After Death

    1 1982 HD

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  • 1965
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    Four in the Morning

    Four in the Morning

    6.2 1965 HD

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  • 1970
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    7.484 1970 HD

    Jack Frost is a gritty, dogged and unconventional detective with sympathy for the underdog and an instinct for moral justice who attracts trouble...

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  • 1970
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    7.4 1970 HD

    The lives of Bodie and Doyle, top agents for Britain's CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5), and their controller, George Cowley. The mandate of CI5 was...

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  • 1970
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    5.8 1970 HD

    Van der Valk is a British television series that was produced by Thames Television for the ITV network. It starred Barry Foster in the title role as...

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