Michael Balcon

Influential production executive who gave Alfred Hitchcock his first solo directing job ("The Pleasure Garden" 1925) and later founded Gainsborough Pictures, which produced many of Hitchcock's early classics as well as Robert Flaherty's "Man of Aran" (1933). He also headed Gaumont-British and MGM-British during the 1930s and helmed Ealing Studios from 1937 till 1959, during which time it produced the famous postwar series of comedies including "Kind Hearts and Coronets" (1949), "Whisky Galore" (1949), "The Man in the White Suit" (1951) and "The Lavender Hill Mob" (1952). Balcon later founded Bryanston Films, and took over production at British-Lion in 1964 after a much-publicized battle. Father of former actress Jill Balcon, whose son is actor Daniel Day-Lewis.

• Also Credited As:
  Michael Balcon, Sir Michael Balcon
• Born:
  May 19, 1896 in Birmingham, England
• Died:
  October 16, 1977.
• Job Titles:
  Executive, Producer, Distributor, Author

Milestones

• 1919 First job as distributor
• 1923 First film as producer, "Woman to Woman"
• 1928 Founded Gainsborough Pictures
• 1931 Appointed head of production at Gaumont-British Studios
• 1936 Named head of production for MGM-British
• 1937 Was chief of production and director of Ealing Studios
• 1959 Founded Bryanston Films
• 1964 Took over British-Lion Pictures