Terence Young: Biography

British filmmaker Terence Young, who was born in Shanghai, began working in the movie business as a screenwriter specializing in comedy at the age of 21 (in 1936). Shortly thereafter, he served in the military during World War II. He co-directed one documentary, Men of Arnhem (1944), during the war, and reportedly was one of Laurence Olivier's early choices to direct Henry V. But it wasn't until 1948 that he got to make his first movie, Corridor of Mirrors. He quickly became an expert at making thrillers, although he occasionally worked in other areas, including the award-winning dance film Black Tights (1960). In 1962, he suddenly emerged as a major filmmaker when he was chosen to direct Dr. No, the first James Bond movie. Its success, and that of the follow-up film From Russia With Love (1963), established the series and the hero (as well as Sean Connery), but Young pulled out of Goldfinger (1964) during pre-production when the producers refused to cut him in for a percentage of the profits. He was back for Thunderball (1965), which was the biggest-grossing Bond movie up to that time. His work on The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965) was lively, but the film failed to find the same audience as Tony Richardson's Tom Jones, on which it had been modeled. However, his chilling adaptation of the stage thriller Wait Until Dark (1967) was a hit. Young's career from this point on went into gradual decline, as he became involved in difficult international productions, big-budget flops (Mayerling), or politically disreputable films such as Inchon (1982) (financed by the Unification Church). He made his last movie, the thriller The Jigsaw Man, in 1984. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide