Bryan Forbes made his film-acting debut in The Small Back Room(1948). He continued as a performer and screenwriter until 1961, when he made his directorial bow in Whistle Down The Wind(1961). He subsequently directed (and sometimes produced and/or wrote) such critical and audience favourites as The L Shaped Room (1962) ,Seance On A Wet Afternoon(1964), King Rat(1965), The Whisperers(1966), The Wrong Box (1966) The Stepford Wives (1975) and Hopscotch (1980). From 1969 until 1971, he was chief of production/managing director of EMI Studios. Bryan was married to actresses Constance Smith and Nanette Newman respectively, the latter appearing prominently in many of his films of the 1960s. He was the father of Emma Forbes (actor & TV presenter) & Sarah Standing (journalist) He was named a Commander of the British Empire in 2004 for his services to the arts.
