John Boulting: Biography

The twin brother of British producer Roy Boulting, John Boulting joined his sibling at Toronto's McGill University. In the late 1930s, the Boultings formed a partnership to produce second-echelon feature films, with Roy and John alternating as producer and director; John's first feature-length directorial assignment was 1939's Trunk Crime. After attaining critical prestige via Thunder Rock (1942), the Boultings made training films and documentaries for the RAF. The brothers shared directing credit for two films: Crest of the Wave (1954) and Suspect (1960). In the 1950s, John and Roy cleaned up on the international box-office scene with a series of satirical social comedies like Brothers in Law (1958) I'm All Right Jack (1959) and Heavens Above (1963); during this period the producer/directors were instrumental in the rise to stardom of Peter Sellers. After 1965, John Boulting worked solely as producer, while brother Roy continued directing until 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide