Studied under Max Reinhardt and worked with Rene Clair and Alexander Korda before returning in 1940 to South Africa, where he produced several films for General Smuts's pro-British propaganda campaign. Cornelius also made a handful of feature films which suggested a gift for characterization and detail, and considerable flair for light comedy: his best known efforts are the deliciously whimsical "Passport to Pimlico" (1949) and the superbly outdoorsy, warmly lighthearted "Genevieve" (1953). Cornelius died abruptly during the production of the crime comedy "Law and Disorder" in 1958; the film was completed by Charles Crichton.