Alexander Walker (critic)
Encyclopedia
Alexander Walker was a film critic, born in Portadown
, Northern Ireland
. He worked for the Birmingham Post
in the 1950s, before becoming film critic of the London
Evening Standard
in 1960, a role he held until his death in 2003. He was a highly influential figure within the film industry, and also wrote a number of books including one on Stanley Kubrick
, a history of the impact made on Hollywood by the rise of the talkies (The Shattered Silents) and a biography of Elizabeth Taylor
. His most notable work is a history of British cinema, spread over three books: Hollywood England, National Heroes and Icons in the Fire.
From the early 1960s onwards he assembled a collection of more than 200 drawings and prints by modern artists, which were bequeathed to the British Museum
upon his death in 2003. In 1968, he was a member of the jury at the 18th Berlin International Film Festival
.
He is portrayed by Tim Jahn in a film, The Tony Blair Witch Project (2000).
http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/newsroom/current2004/Alexander%20Walker%20press%20release.doc
Portadown
Portadown is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 23 miles south-west of Belfast...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. He worked for the Birmingham Post
Birmingham Post
The Birmingham Post newspaper was originally published under the name Daily Post in Birmingham, England, in 1857 by John Frederick Feeney. It was the largest selling broadsheet in the West Midlands, though it faced little if any competition in this category. It changed to tabloid size in 2008...
in the 1950s, before becoming film critic of the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
in 1960, a role he held until his death in 2003. He was a highly influential figure within the film industry, and also wrote a number of books including one on Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
, a history of the impact made on Hollywood by the rise of the talkies (The Shattered Silents) and a biography of Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
. His most notable work is a history of British cinema, spread over three books: Hollywood England, National Heroes and Icons in the Fire.
From the early 1960s onwards he assembled a collection of more than 200 drawings and prints by modern artists, which were bequeathed to the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
upon his death in 2003. In 1968, he was a member of the jury at the 18th Berlin International Film Festival
18th Berlin International Film Festival
The 18th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 21 to July 2, 1968.-Jury:* Luis García Berlanga * Peter Schamoni* Alex Viany* Georges de Beauregard* Alexander Walker* Domenico Meccoli* Carl-Eric Nordberg...
.
He is portrayed by Tim Jahn in a film, The Tony Blair Witch Project (2000).
http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/newsroom/current2004/Alexander%20Walker%20press%20release.doc
Books
- Double Takes - notes and afterthoughts on the movies 1956-1976, Elm Tree Books 1977
- His history of British Film:
- Hollywood UK – The British Film Industry in the 1960s, New York, Stein and DayStein and DayStein and Day, Inc. was an American publishing company founded by Sol Stein and his wife Patricia Day in 1962. Stein was both the publisher and the editor-in-chief...
1974 - National Heros – British Cinema in the 70s and 80s, London: Harrap 1985
- Icons in the Fire – the rise and fall of almost everybody in the British film industry 1984-2000, London, Orion Books 2004
- Hollywood UK – The British Film Industry in the 1960s, New York, Stein and Day
- Stanley Kubrick - Director, Norton 1999
- Audrey - her real story, St. Martins Press 1995
- Bette Davis – a celebration, New York: Applause Theatre Books, 1998
- Dietrich, New York: Harper and Row 1984
- The Celluloid Sacrifice – aspects of sex in the movies, London: Joseph 1966
- Elizabeth - The Life of Elizabeth Taylor, Weidenfeld 1991
- Garbo - A portrait, Macmillan 1980
- Fatal Charm – The Life of Rex Harrison, St. Martins Press 1993
- Joan Crawford - the ultimate star, Harper and Row 1983
- It's only a movie, Ingrid – encounters on and off the screen, London, Headline 1988
- Peter Sellers - the authorized biography, Weidenfeld and Nicholson 1981
- Vivien - The life of Vivien Leigh, Weidenfeld and Nicholson 1987
- Rudolph Valentino, Stein and Day 1976
- Shattered Silents - how the talkies came to stay, London: Elm Tree Books 1978, New York: Morrow Quill Paperbacks, 1980
- Stanley Kubrick directs, New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich 1972
- Stardom - the Hollywood phenomenon, Stein and Day 1970