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IMDbPro

Ken Annakin(1914-2009)

  • Director
  • Writer
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Ken Annakin
A former salesman and journalist, Ken Annakin got into the film industry making documentary shorts. His feature debut, Holiday Camp (1947), was a comedy about a Cockney family on vacation. It was made for the Rank Organization and was a modest success, spawning three sequels, all of which he directed. He worked steadily thereafter, mainly in light comedies. One of his more atypical films was the dark thriller Across the Bridge (1957), based on a Graham Greene story about a wealthy businessman who embezzles a million dollars from his company, kills a man who resembles him and steals his identity so he can escape to Mexico. It boasted an acclaimed performance by Rod Steiger as the villain and a distinct "noir" feel to it, unlike anything Annakin had done before (or, for that matter, since).

In the 1960s he was one of several British directors--e.g., Guy Green, John Guillermin--who specialized in turning out all-star, splashy, big-budget European/American co-productions, shot on the Continent. He was one of the directors of the epic World War II spectacle The Longest Day (1962) and went solo on Battle of the Bulge (1965), both of which were financial--if not exactly critical--successes. He also directed Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes (1965), which was less successful. His final film was Genghis Khan: The Story of a Lifetime (1992), a film that was started in 1992 under Annakin's direction but never completed. In 2009 it was restarted again and Annakin was hired to assemble the existing footage for release, but died before completing the job. Italian director Antonio Margheriti finished up and the film was released in 2010.
BornAugust 10, 1914
DiedApril 22, 2009(94)
BornAugust 10, 1914
DiedApril 22, 2009(94)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar
    • 1 win & 3 nominations total

Known for

Richard Burton, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, John Wayne, Sean Connery, Sal Mineo, Eddie Albert, Richard Beymer, Red Buttons, Jeffrey Hunter, Roddy McDowall, Rod Steiger, Robert Wagner, Paul Anka, Arletty, Mel Ferrer, Steve Forrest, Gert Fröbe, Fabian, Jean-Louis Barrault, Bourvil, Ray Danton, Irina Demick, Leo Genn, Henry Grace, John Gregson, Paul Hartmann, Werner Hinz, Curd Jürgens, Alexander Knox, Peter Lawford, Christian Marquand, Kenneth More, Edmond O'Brien, Ron Randell, Madeleine Renaud, Robert Ryan, Tommy Sands, Richard Todd, Tom Tryon, Peter van Eyck, and Stuart Whitman in The Longest Day (1962)
The Longest Day
7.7
  • Director(British exterior episodes)
  • 1962
Christopher Atkins, Kristy McNichol, Ted Hamilton, Bill Kerr, Garry McDonald, and Chuck McKinney in The Pirate Movie (1982)
The Pirate Movie
5.4
  • Director
  • 1982
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes (1965)
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes
7.0
  • Director
  • 1965
Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies (1969)
Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies
6.1
  • Director
  • 1969

Credits

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IMDbPro

Director



  • Genghis Khan: The Story of a Lifetime (1992)
    Genghis Khan: The Story of a Lifetime
    6.5
    • Director
    • 1992
  • Michael Bell, Cory Crow, Tami Erin, John Schuck, David Seaman, Dick Van Patten, and Frank Welker in The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988)
    The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking
    5.9
    • Director
    • 1988
  • Christopher Atkins, Kristy McNichol, Ted Hamilton, Bill Kerr, Garry McDonald, and Chuck McKinney in The Pirate Movie (1982)
    The Pirate Movie
    5.4
    • Director
    • 1982
  • Mac Davis in Cheaper to Keep Her (1980)
    Cheaper to Keep Her
    4.8
    • Director
    • 1980
  • The Fifth Musketeer (1979)
    The Fifth Musketeer
    5.3
    • Director
    • 1979
  • George Hamilton, Lauren Hutton, and Ray Walston in Institute for Revenge (1979)
    Institute for Revenge
    5.3
    TV Movie
    • Director
    • 1979
  • Christopher Lee, Jeff Corey, and Franco Nero in The Pirate (1978)
    The Pirate
    5.9
    TV Movie
    • Director
    • 1978
  • Murder at the Mardi Gras (1978)
    Murder at the Mardi Gras
    6.0
    TV Movie
    • Director
    • 1978
  • David Niven, Toshirô Mifune, Irene Tsu, and Kazuhito Andô in Paper Tiger (1975)
    Paper Tiger
    5.8
    • Director
    • 1975
  • The Call of the Wild (1972)
    The Call of the Wild
    5.9
    • Director
    • 1972
  • Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies (1969)
    Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies
    6.1
    • Director
    • 1969
  • Raquel Welch in The Biggest Bundle of Them All (1968)
    The Biggest Bundle of Them All
    5.2
    • Director
    • 1968
  • Yul Brynner and Trevor Howard in The Long Duel (1967)
    The Long Duel
    5.9
    • Director
    • 1967
  • Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Dana Andrews, Pier Angeli, Telly Savalas, Robert Shaw, Ty Hardin, James MacArthur, George Montgomery, Robert Ryan, and Barbara Werle in Battle of the Bulge (1965)
    Battle of the Bulge
    6.8
    • Director
    • 1965
  • Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes (1965)
    Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes
    7.0
    • Director
    • 1965

Writer



  • Michael Bell, Cory Crow, Tami Erin, John Schuck, David Seaman, Dick Van Patten, and Frank Welker in The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988)
    The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking
    5.9
    • writer
    • 1988
  • Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies (1969)
    Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies
    6.1
    • original story and screenplay
    • 1969
  • Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes (1965)
    Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes
    7.0
    • written by
    • 1965
  • Mission in Morocco (1960)
    Mission in Morocco
    6.1
    • dialogue
    • 1960
  • English Criminal Justice
    5.6
    Short
    • Writer (uncredited)
    • 1946
  • Fenlands (1946)
    Fenlands
    6.4
    Short
    • screenplay
    • 1946

Producer



  • Michael Bell, Cory Crow, Tami Erin, John Schuck, David Seaman, Dick Van Patten, and Frank Welker in The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988)
    The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking
    5.9
    • producer
    • 1988
  • Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies (1969)
    Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies
    6.1
    • producer
    • 1969
  • Yul Brynner and Trevor Howard in The Long Duel (1967)
    The Long Duel
    5.9
    • producer
    • 1967
  • Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes (1965)
    Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes
    7.0
    • producer (uncredited)
    • 1965
  • Fenlands (1946)
    Fenlands
    6.4
    Short
    • producer
    • 1946

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Official Site
  • Alternative name
    • Kenneth Annakin
  • Born
    • August 10, 1914
    • Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK
  • Died
    • April 22, 2009
    • Beverly Hills, California, USA(natural causes)
  • Spouses
      Pauline Carter1960 - April 22, 2009 (his death, 1 child)
  • Other works
    Book: "So You Wanna Be a Director?". Sheffield (UK): Tomahawk Press. ISBN 0953192652
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 2 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Was close friends with James MacArthur, who co-starred in several pictures he directed. In 2008 MacArthur and Annakin hosted a special screening of Swiss Family Robinson (1960)--directed by Annakin and starring MacArthur--for a large family gathering at a film festival involving over 900 children. MacArthur visited Annakin frequently after Annakin suffered a heart attack and stroke in February 2008.

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