George Anthony Armstrong Willis (1897-1976) was an Anglo-Canadian

English Canadian

An English Canadian is a Canadian of English ancestry; it is used primarily in contrast with French Canadian. Canada is an officially bilingual state, with English and French official language communities. Immigrant cultural groups ostensibly integrate into one or both of these communities, but...

 writer, dramatist and essayist. He was the son of George Hughlings Armstrong Willis, R. N. and Adela Emma Temple Frere; although his parents were both English, he was born in Esquimalt, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

 as a consequence of his father's career as a Paymaster Captain in the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

. They returned to England before his brother's birth in 1900 in Dorset. He was educated at Uppingham School

Uppingham School

Uppingham School is a co-educational independent school of the English public school tradition, situated in the small town of Uppingham in Rutland, England...

. His brother John Christopher Temple Willis (1900-1969) was Director-General of the Ordnance Survey 1953-1957, and a recognised watercolourist.

He married Frances Monica Sealy, and had three children: John Hughlings Armstrong Willis (1928-1963); Antonia Armstrong Willis (b. 1932); and Felicity Armstrong Willis (b. 1936). Antonia married the art expert and gallery owner Jeremy Maas; their son, Rupert

Rupert Maas

Rupert Maas is an English painting specialist and gallery owner.-Biography:He was born in 1960, the same year that his father Jeremy started the Maas Gallery in Mayfair, London, dealing in Pre-Raphaelite paintings. He was educated at Sherborne School in Dorset 1974 –1978, and took a ‘Desmond’ in...

, is also an art expert, notable for his appearances on the Antiques Roadshow

Antiques Roadshow

Antiques Roadshow is a British television show in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom to appraise antiques brought in by local people. It has been running since 1979...

.

Several of his works were adapted into films including The Strange Case of Mr Pelham

The Strange Case of Mr Pelham

The Strange Case of Mr Pelham is a 1957 novel by Anglo-Canadian writer Anthony Armstrong about a man involved in a serious car accident. The man recovers only to find himself being stalked by a seemingly identical version of himself...

, which was made into the 1970 film The Man Who Haunted Himself

The Man Who Haunted Himself

The Man Who Haunted Himself is a 1970 British psychological thriller film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Roger Moore. It was based on the novel The Strange Case of Mr Pelham by Anthony Armstrong....

.

Novels

• Lure of the Past (1920)
• The Love of Prince Raameses (1921)
• Wine of Death (1925)
• Patrick, Undergraduate (1926)
• The Trail of Fear (1927)
• The Secret Trail (1928)
• The Trail of the Lotto (1929)
• Apple and Percival (1931)
• The Trail of the Black King (1931)
• The Poison Trail (1932)
• Britisher On Broadway (1932)
• Easy Warriors, Etc (1932)
• Ten Minute Alibi (1934)
• Without Witness (1934)
• Cottage Into House (1936)
• The Pack of Pieces (1942)
• The End of the Road
  The End of the Road
  The End of the Road is a 1958 novel by the American writer John Barth. Its story follows Jacob Horner as he deals with an extreme case of psychological paralysis...
  
  (1943)
• When the Bells Rang (1943)
• No Higher Mountain (1951)
• He Was Found in the Road (1952)
• Spies in Amber (1956)
• The Strange Case of Mr Pelham
  The Strange Case of Mr Pelham
  The Strange Case of Mr Pelham is a 1957 novel by Anglo-Canadian writer Anthony Armstrong about a man involved in a serious car accident. The man recovers only to find himself being stalked by a seemingly identical version of himself...
  
  (1957)
• One Jump Ahead (1973)

Plays

• In the Dentist's Chair (1931)
• The Eleventh Hour (1933)
• Mile-Away Murder (1937)