David Hemmings
Encyclopedia
David Edward Leslie Hemmings (18 November 1941 – 3 December 2003) was an English
film, theatre and television actor as well as a film and television director
and producer
.
He is noted for his role as the photographer in the drama
mystery
-thriller film Blowup
(1966), directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
. Early in his career, Hemmings was a boy soprano
appearing in opera
tic roles. In his later acting career, he was known for his distinctive eyebrows and gravelly voice.
, Surrey
. His education at Alleyn's School
and the Glyn Grammar School (now the Glyn Technology School
) led him to start his career performing as a boy soprano
in several works by the composer Benjamin Britten
, who formed a close friendship with him at this time. Most notably, Hemmings created the role of Miles in the opera Turn of the Screw
(1954). His intimate, yet innocent, relationship with Britten is described in John Bridcut's book Britten's Children (2006). Although many commentators identified Britten's relationship with Hemmings as based on an infatuation, throughout his life Hemmings maintained categorically that Britten's conduct with him was beyond reproach at all times. Hemmings had earlier played the title role in Britten's The Little Sweep
(1952), which was part of Britten's Let's Make An Opera! children's production.
. He made his first film appearance in The Rainbow Jacket
(1954), but it was in the mid-sixties that he first became well known as a pin-up and film star.
Antonioni, who detested the "Method" way of acting
, sought to find a fresh young face for the lead in his next production, Blowup. It was then that he found Hemmings, at the time acting in small stage theatre in London.
Following Blowup, Hemmings appeared in a string of major British films, including Camelot
(1967), The Charge of the Light Brigade
(1968) and Alfred the Great
(1969) (in which he played the title role). His short stature, sleepy eyes and undershot jaw made him an unconventional leading man, but unconventional was right for the times, and he became one of the princes of the "swinging London" scene. In keeping with his standing as a 1960s icon, he also appeared in Barbarella
(1968).
Around 1967, Hemmings was briefly considered for the role of Alex in a planned film version of Anthony Burgess
's novel A Clockwork Orange
(1962), which was to be based on a screen treatment by satirist Terry Southern
and British photographer Michael Cooper
. Cooper and The Rolling Stones
rock band
were reportedly upset by the move and it was decided to return to the original plan in which Mick Jagger
, the lead vocalist of The Rolling Stones, would play Alex, with the rest of The Stones as his droog
gang; the production was shelved after Britain's chief censor, the Lord Chamberlain
, indicated that he would not permit it to be made.
Hemmings directed the film The 14
(1973), which won the Silver Bear at the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival
. An (Italian) cult
movie in which Hemmings appeared was the thriller film Profondo Rosso
(also known as Deep Red or The Hatchet Murders) (1975) directed by Dario Argento
.
He directed David Bowie
and Marlene Dietrich
in Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo
(also known as Just a Gigolo) (1978). The film was poorly received, Bowie describing it as "my 32 Elvis Presley
movies rolled into one". Hemmings directed The Survivor
(1981), based on James Herbert
's 1976 novel of the same name
, starring Robert Powell
and Jenny Agutter
.
Throughout the 1980s he also worked extensively as a director on television programmes including Quantum Leap (e.g., the series premiere), Magnum, P.I.
(in which he also played characters in several episodes), The A-Team
and Airwolf
, in which he also played the role of Doctor Charles Henry Moffet, Airwolf's twisted creator, in the pilot and the second-season episode "Moffett's Ghost" (a typographical error by the studio's titles unit). He once joked, "People thought I was dead. But I wasn't. I was just directing The A-Team." He directed the New Zealand
film Race for the Yankee Zephyr
(1981), which starred Ken Wahl
, Lesley Ann Warren
, Donald Pleasence
and George Peppard
.
Hemmings also directed the puzzle-contest video Money Hunt: The Mystery of the Missing Link
(1984). He directed the television film The Key to Rebecca (1985), an adaptation of Ken Follett
's 1980 novel of the same name
. He also briefly served as a producer on the NBC
series Stingray
.
Hemmings played a vindictive cop in the New Zealand film Beyond Reasonable Doubt
(1980) about Arthur Allan Thomas (John Hargreaves
), a New Zealand farmer jailed for the murder of Harvey and Jeanette Crewe
but later pardoned. He directed the film Dark Horse
(1992) and as an actor returned to the voyeuristic preoccupations of his Blowup character with a plum part as the Big Brother-esque villain in the season-three opener for the television series Tales From the Crypt
.
In later years, he had film roles including appearing as Cassius in Gladiator
(2000), with Russell Crowe
, as well as appearing in Last Orders
(2001) and Spy Game
(2001). He appeared as Mr. Schemerhorn in the film Gangs of New York
(2002). One of his final film appearances was a cameo appearance
in the cult film, Equilibrium
(2002), shortly before his death, as well as a cameo appearence in 2003's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, with Sean Connery.
) and an album, David Hemmings Happens
, in Los Angeles
. The album featured instrumental backing by several members of The Byrds
, and was produced by Byrds mentor Jim Dickson
.
In the 1970s Hemmings was jointly credited with former Easybeats members Harry Vanda
and George Young
as a co-composer of the song "Pasadena". The original 1973 recording of this song - the first Australian hit for singer John Paul Young
- was produced by Simon Napier-Bell
, in whose SNB Records label Hemmings was a partner at the time.
Hemmings also later provided the narration for Rick Wakeman
's progressive-rock
album Journey to the Centre of the Earth
(1974) – an adaptation of Jules Verne
's science-fiction
novel A Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) – which was recorded live.
He starred as Bertie Wooster
in the short-lived Andrew Lloyd Webber
musical, Jeeves (1975).
Blow Up... and Other Exaggerations – The Autobiography of David Hemmings (2004).
, in Bucharest
, Romania
, on the film set of Blessed (working title: Samantha's Child) after playing his scenes for the day.
His funeral was held in Calne
, Wiltshire
, where he had made his home for several years.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
film, theatre and television actor as well as a film and television director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
.
He is noted for his role as the photographer in the drama
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
mystery
Mystery film
Mystery film is a sub-genre of the more general category of crime film and at times the thriller genre. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of a crime by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction.The...
-thriller film Blowup
Blowup
Blowup is a 1966 film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, his first English-language film.It tells of a British photographer's accidental involvement with a murder, inspired by Julio Cortázar's short story, "Las babas del diablo" or "The Devil's Drool" , translated also as Blow-Up, and by the life...
(1966), directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian modernist film director, screenwriter, editor and short story writer.- Personal life :...
. Early in his career, Hemmings was a boy soprano
Boy soprano
A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range. Although a treble, or choirboy, may also be considered to be a boy soprano, the more colloquial term boy soprano is generally only used for boys who sing, perform, or record as soloists, and who may not necessarily...
appearing in opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic roles. In his later acting career, he was known for his distinctive eyebrows and gravelly voice.
Early performances
Hemmings was born in GuildfordGuildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. His education at Alleyn's School
Alleyn's School
Alleyn's School is an independent, fee-paying co-educational day school situated in Dulwich, south London, England. It is a registered charity and was originally part of the historic Alleyn's College of God's Gift charitable foundation, which also included James Allen's Girls' School , Dulwich...
and the Glyn Grammar School (now the Glyn Technology School
Glyn Technology School
Glyn School is a boys' comprehensive secondary school – with a partially co-educational sixth form – situated in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in the English county of Surrey....
) led him to start his career performing as a boy soprano
Boy soprano
A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range. Although a treble, or choirboy, may also be considered to be a boy soprano, the more colloquial term boy soprano is generally only used for boys who sing, perform, or record as soloists, and who may not necessarily...
in several works by the composer Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
, who formed a close friendship with him at this time. Most notably, Hemmings created the role of Miles in the opera Turn of the Screw
The Turn of the Screw (opera)
The Turn of the Screw is a 20th century English chamber opera composed by Benjamin Britten with a libretto by Myfanwy Piper, "wife of the artist John Piper, who had been a friend of the composer since 1935 and had provided designs for several of the operas". The libretto is based on the novella...
(1954). His intimate, yet innocent, relationship with Britten is described in John Bridcut's book Britten's Children (2006). Although many commentators identified Britten's relationship with Hemmings as based on an infatuation, throughout his life Hemmings maintained categorically that Britten's conduct with him was beyond reproach at all times. Hemmings had earlier played the title role in Britten's The Little Sweep
The Little Sweep
The Little Sweep is an opera for children in three scenes by the English composer Benjamin Britten, with a libretto by Eric Crozier.- Let's Make an Opera! :...
(1952), which was part of Britten's Let's Make An Opera! children's production.
Film and television work
Hemmings then moved on to acting and directing in the cinemaFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
. He made his first film appearance in The Rainbow Jacket
The Rainbow Jacket
The Rainbow Jacket is a 1954 British drama film directed by Basil Dearden, and featuring Robert Morley, Kay Walsh, Bill Owen, Honor Blackman and Sid James.-Cast:* Robert Morley as Lord Logan* Kay Walsh as Barbara Crain...
(1954), but it was in the mid-sixties that he first became well known as a pin-up and film star.
Antonioni, who detested the "Method" way of acting
Method acting
Method acting is a phrase that loosely refers to a family of techniques used by actors to create in themselves the thoughts and emotions of their characters, so as to develop lifelike performances...
, sought to find a fresh young face for the lead in his next production, Blowup. It was then that he found Hemmings, at the time acting in small stage theatre in London.
Following Blowup, Hemmings appeared in a string of major British films, including Camelot
Camelot (film)
Camelot is a 1967 film adaptation of the musical of the same name. Richard Harris stars as Arthur, Vanessa Redgrave as Guinevere, and Franco Nero as Lancelot. The film was directed by Joshua Logan.-Plot:...
(1967), The Charge of the Light Brigade
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968 film)
The Charge of the Light Brigade is a 1968 British war film made by Woodfall Film Productions and distributed by United Artists . It was directed by Tony Richardson and produced by Neil Hartley....
(1968) and Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great (film)
Alfred the Great is a 1969 epic film which portrayed Alfred the Great's struggle to rid Wessex of the invading Danes, in the 870s AD. It starred David Hemmings in the title role.-Plot:...
(1969) (in which he played the title role). His short stature, sleepy eyes and undershot jaw made him an unconventional leading man, but unconventional was right for the times, and he became one of the princes of the "swinging London" scene. In keeping with his standing as a 1960s icon, he also appeared in Barbarella
Barbarella (film)
Barbarella is a 1968 Franco-Italian science fiction film based on Jean-Claude Forrest's French Barbarella comics. The film was directed by Roger Vadim and stars Jane Fonda, who was Vadim's wife at the time.-Plot:...
(1968).
Around 1967, Hemmings was briefly considered for the role of Alex in a planned film version of Anthony Burgess
Anthony Burgess
John Burgess Wilson – who published under the pen name Anthony Burgess – was an English author, poet, playwright, composer, linguist, translator and critic. The dystopian satire A Clockwork Orange is Burgess's most famous novel, though he dismissed it as one of his lesser works...
's novel A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange is a 1962 dystopian novella by Anthony Burgess. The novel contains an experiment in language: the characters often use an argot called "Nadsat", derived from Russian....
(1962), which was to be based on a screen treatment by satirist Terry Southern
Terry Southern
Terry Southern was an American author, essayist, screenwriter and university lecturer, noted for his distinctive satirical style...
and British photographer Michael Cooper
Michael Cooper (photographer)
Michael Cooper was a British photographer who is remembered for his photographs of leading rock musicians of the 1960s and early 1970s, most notably the many photos he took of The Rolling Stones in the mid-1960s....
. Cooper and The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
rock band
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
were reportedly upset by the move and it was decided to return to the original plan in which Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
, the lead vocalist of The Rolling Stones, would play Alex, with the rest of The Stones as his droog
Nadsat
Nadsat is a fictional register or argot used by the teenagers in Anthony Burgess' novel A Clockwork Orange. In addition to being a novelist, Burgess was also a linguist and he used this background to depict his characters as speaking a form of Russian-influenced English...
gang; the production was shelved after Britain's chief censor, the Lord Chamberlain
Lord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the Great Officers of State....
, indicated that he would not permit it to be made.
Hemmings directed the film The 14
The 14
The 14 is a 1973 British film directed by David Hemmings. It was also released as Existence and, in the USA, as The Wild Little Bunch. It was entered into the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Silver Bear.-Cast:...
(1973), which won the Silver Bear at the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival
23rd Berlin International Film Festival
The 23rd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 22 to July 3, 1973.-Jury:* David Robinson * Freddy Buache* Hiram Garcia Borja* Eberhard Hauff* Harish Khanna* Paul Moor* Walter Müller-Bringmann* René Thévenet...
. An (Italian) cult
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
movie in which Hemmings appeared was the thriller film Profondo Rosso
Deep Red
Profondo Rosso is a 1975 giallo film directed and written by Dario Argento and co-written by Bernardino Zapponi. It was released on March 7, 1975 in Italy and June 11, 1976 in the United States. The film's score was composed and performed by Goblin...
(also known as Deep Red or The Hatchet Murders) (1975) directed by Dario Argento
Dario Argento
Dario Argento is an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work in the horror film genre, particularly in the subgenre known as giallo, and for his influence on modern horror and slasher movies....
.
He directed David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
and Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
in Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo
Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo
Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo is a 1978 film directed by David Hemmings and starring David Bowie. Set in post-World War I Berlin, it also featured Sydne Rome, Kim Novak and, in her last screen appearance, Marlene Dietrich...
(also known as Just a Gigolo) (1978). The film was poorly received, Bowie describing it as "my 32 Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
movies rolled into one". Hemmings directed The Survivor
The Survivor (film)
The Survivor is a 1981 movie starring Robert Powell and Jenny Agutter, based on a novel of the same name by James Herbert.The film was notable for being the first Australian film to cost more than A$1,000,000 to make...
(1981), based on James Herbert
James Herbert
James Herbert, OBE is a best-selling English horror writer who originally worked as the art director of an advertising agency. He is a full-time writer who also designs his own book covers and publicity.-Family:...
's 1976 novel of the same name
The Survivor (1976 novel)
The Survivor is a British horror novel written by James Herbert and published by the New English Library in 1976. It is the third novel by Herbert, and the second not part of a wider series....
, starring Robert Powell
Robert Powell
Robert Powell is an English television and film actor, probably most famous for his title role in Jesus of Nazareth and as the fictional secret agent Richard Hannay...
and Jenny Agutter
Jenny Agutter
Jennifer Ann "Jenny" Agutter is an English film and television actress. She began her career as a child actress in the mid 1960s, starring in the BBC television series The Railway Children and the film adaptation of the same book, before moving on to adult roles and relocating to Hollywood.She...
.
Throughout the 1980s he also worked extensively as a director on television programmes including Quantum Leap (e.g., the series premiere), Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
(in which he also played characters in several episodes), The A-Team
The A-Team
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
and Airwolf
Airwolf
Airwolf is an American television series that ran from 1984 until 1987. The program centers on a high-tech military helicopter, code named Airwolf, and its crew as they undertake various missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War theme....
, in which he also played the role of Doctor Charles Henry Moffet, Airwolf's twisted creator, in the pilot and the second-season episode "Moffett's Ghost" (a typographical error by the studio's titles unit). He once joked, "People thought I was dead. But I wasn't. I was just directing The A-Team." He directed the New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
film Race for the Yankee Zephyr
Race for the Yankee Zephyr
Race for the Yankee Zephyr is a 1981 New Zealand supense-action-thriller film directed by David Hemmings and starring Ken Wahl, Lesley Ann Warren, George Peppard and Donald Pleasence.-Plot:...
(1981), which starred Ken Wahl
Ken Wahl
Ken Wahl is an American film and television actor, popular in the 1980s and 1990s. He twice won the title of Sexiest Man on TV, earned an Emmy nomination and won a Golden Globe.-Career:...
, Lesley Ann Warren
Lesley Ann Warren
Lesley Ann Warren is an American actress and singer. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award and Emmy Awards and five times for Golden Globe, winning one....
, Donald Pleasence
Donald Pleasence
Sir Donald Henry Pleasence, OBE, was a British actor who gained more than 200 screen credits during a career which spanned over four decades...
and George Peppard
George Peppard
George Peppard, Jr. was an American film and television actor.Peppard secured a major role when he starred alongside Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's , portrayed a character based on Howard Hughes in The Carpetbaggers , and played the title role of the millionaire sleuth Thomas Banacek in...
.
Hemmings also directed the puzzle-contest video Money Hunt: The Mystery of the Missing Link
Money Hunt: The Mystery of the Missing Link
Money Hunt: The Mystery of the Missing Link was a 1984 contest video directed by David Hemmings and written by Gregory Ross. The video was a contest containing the clues necessary to solve a puzzle...
(1984). He directed the television film The Key to Rebecca (1985), an adaptation of Ken Follett
Ken Follett
Ken Follett is a Welsh author of thrillers and historical novels. He has sold more than 100 million copies of his works. Four of his books have reached the number 1 ranking on the New York Times best-seller list: The Key to Rebecca, Lie Down with Lions, Triple, and World Without End.-Early...
's 1980 novel of the same name
The Key to Rebecca
The Key to Rebecca is a novel by British author Ken Follett. Published in 1980 by Pan Books , it was a noted bestseller that achieved popularity both in the United Kingdom and worldwide...
. He also briefly served as a producer on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
series Stingray
Stingray (NBC TV series)
Stingray is an NBC television series produced by Stephen J. Cannell that ran from 1985 to 1987. It stars Nick Mancuso, who plays the mysterious character known only as Ray, whose trademark is a black 1965 Corvette Sting Ray.-Plot:...
.
Hemmings played a vindictive cop in the New Zealand film Beyond Reasonable Doubt
Beyond Reasonable Doubt (film)
Beyond Reasonable Doubt is a 1980 New Zealand docu-drama feature film about the conviction of Arthur Allan Thomas, later pardoned, for the murder of Harvey and Jeanette Crewe in 1970....
(1980) about Arthur Allan Thomas (John Hargreaves
John Hargreaves
John Hargreaves is the founder and chairman of the large UK out-of-town discount clothing and homeware chain Matalan. He went into the retail business when he was only 16, and opened the first Matalan store in Preston in 1985...
), a New Zealand farmer jailed for the murder of Harvey and Jeanette Crewe
Harvey and Jeanette Crewe
David Harvey Crewe , known as Harvey, and Jeannette Lenore Crewe were a New Zealand farming couple who died in a double murder, or possibly a murder–suicide, around 17 June 1970...
but later pardoned. He directed the film Dark Horse
Dark Horse (1992 film)
Dark Horse is a 1992 American drama film directed by David Hemmings. The screenplay by Janet Maclean was adapted from an original story by Tab Hunter.-Plot:...
(1992) and as an actor returned to the voyeuristic preoccupations of his Blowup character with a plum part as the Big Brother-esque villain in the season-three opener for the television series Tales From the Crypt
Tales from the Crypt (TV series)
Tales from the Crypt, sometimes titled HBO's Tales from the Crypt, is an American horror anthology television series that ran from 1989 to 1996 on the premium cable channel HBO...
.
In later years, he had film roles including appearing as Cassius in Gladiator
Gladiator (2000 film)
Gladiator is a 2000 historical epic film directed by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, John Shrapnel and Richard Harris. Crowe portrays the loyal Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is betrayed...
(2000), with Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe
Russell Ira Crowe is a New Zealander Australian actor , film producer and musician. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 historical epic film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, a...
, as well as appearing in Last Orders
Last Orders (film)
Last Orders is a 2001 British/German drama film written and directed by Fred Schepisi. The screenplay is based on the 1996 Booker Prize-winning novel of the same title by Graham Swift.-Synopsis:...
(2001) and Spy Game
Spy Game
Spy Game is a 2001 American spy film directed by Tony Scott and starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. The film grossed $62,362,785 in the United States and $143,049,560 worldwide.-Plot:...
(2001). He appeared as Mr. Schemerhorn in the film Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York is a 2002 historical film set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. It was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan. The film was inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 nonfiction book, The Gangs of New...
(2002). One of his final film appearances was a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in the cult film, Equilibrium
Equilibrium (film)
Equilibrium is a 2002 American science fiction action film written and directed by Kurt Wimmer. It stars Christian Bale as John Preston, a warrior-priest and enforcement officer in a future dystopia where both feelings and artistic expression are outlawed and citizens take daily injections of drugs...
(2002), shortly before his death, as well as a cameo appearence in 2003's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, with Sean Connery.
Music
In 1967 Hemmings recorded a pop single "Back Street Mirror" (written by Gene ClarkGene Clark
Gene Clark, born Harold Eugene Clark was an American singer-songwriter, and one of the founding members of the folk-rock group The Byrds....
) and an album, David Hemmings Happens
David Hemmings Happens
David Hemmings Happens is the debut studio folk-pop album by former British boy soprano and actor David Hemmings released in 1967 on MGM Records, and included 9 songs. Hemmings once sang in his early youth with the English Opera Group before becoming an actor. The album was available in both mono...
, in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The album featured instrumental backing by several members of The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, and was produced by Byrds mentor Jim Dickson
Jim Dickson
Jim Dickson is a Labour Councillor for Herne Hill on Lambeth Council, London, United Kingdom , where he also serves as Cabinet Member for Health and Well Being, having previously been the Council's Cabinet Member for Finance and also its Leader....
.
In the 1970s Hemmings was jointly credited with former Easybeats members Harry Vanda
Harry Vanda
Harry Vanda , is a Dutch-born Australian popular music singer, guitarist, songwriter and record producer.-Career:...
and George Young
George Young (musician)
George Redburn Young is a Scottish rock musician, songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of Australian 1960s band The Easybeats, the co-writer of the international hits, "Friday on My Mind" and "Love Is in the Air", and for his production of the hard rock band, AC/DC, which...
as a co-composer of the song "Pasadena". The original 1973 recording of this song - the first Australian hit for singer John Paul Young
John Paul Young
John Paul Young is an Australian pop singer who had a 1978 worldwide hit with "Love Is in the Air"...
- was produced by Simon Napier-Bell
Simon Napier-Bell
Simon Napier-Bell has undertaken many jobs in the music industry, including bandboy, manager, producer, songwriter, journalist and author and gourmet...
, in whose SNB Records label Hemmings was a partner at the time.
Hemmings also later provided the narration for Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
's progressive-rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
album Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Journey to the Centre of the Earth (album)
Journey to the Centre of the Earth is the second album from the English keyboardist and composer Rick Wakeman, released through A&M Records in May 1974. The album is a live recording from his second of two sold-out concerts on 18 January 1974 at the Royal Festival Hall in London...
(1974) – an adaptation of Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
's science-fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel A Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) – which was recorded live.
He starred as Bertie Wooster
Bertie Wooster
Bertram Wilberforce "Bertie" Wooster is a recurring fictional character in the Jeeves novels of British author P. G. Wodehouse. An English gentleman, one of the "idle rich" and a member of the Drones Club, he appears alongside his valet, Jeeves, whose genius manages to extricate Bertie or one of...
in the short-lived Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
musical, Jeeves (1975).
Autobiography
Hemmings published his autobiographyAutobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
Blow Up... and Other Exaggerations – The Autobiography of David Hemmings (2004).
Personal life
He is survived by his wife Lucy; a daughter Deborah by his first marriage to Genista Ouvry; a son Nolan by his marriage to Gayle Hunnicutt; and four children, George, Edward, Charlotte and William, by his third marriage, to Prudence J de CasembrootDeath
Hemmings died, age 62, of a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
, in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, on the film set of Blessed (working title: Samantha's Child) after playing his scenes for the day.
His funeral was held in Calne
Calne
Calne is a town in Wiltshire, southwestern England. It is situated at the northwestern extremity of the North Wessex Downs hill range, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty....
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, where he had made his home for several years.
Filmography and television works
(includes directing work)- The Rainbow JacketThe Rainbow JacketThe Rainbow Jacket is a 1954 British drama film directed by Basil Dearden, and featuring Robert Morley, Kay Walsh, Bill Owen, Honor Blackman and Sid James.-Cast:* Robert Morley as Lord Logan* Kay Walsh as Barbara Crain...
(1954) - The Heart WithinThe Heart WithinThe Heart Within is a 1957 British drama film directed by David Eady and starring James Hayter, Clifford Evans and David Hemmings. A Jamaican dockside worker goes on the run in London suspected of the murder of another Jamaican.-Cast:...
(1957) - Five Clues to FortuneFive Clues to FortuneFive Clues to Fortune is a 1957 British crime film directed by Joe Mendoza and starring David Hemmings, John Rogers and Roberta Paterson. Two children try to prevent an aristocrat's secretary from secret selling the aristocrat's country house...
(1957) - Saint Joan (1957)
- Men of Tomorrow (1959)
- No Trees in the StreetNo Trees in the StreetNo Trees in the Street is a 1959 British crime thriller directed by J. Lee Thompson.-Cast:* Sylvia Syms as Hetty* Herbert Lom as Wilkie* Melvyn Hayes as Tommy* Ronald Howard as Frank* Stanley Holloway as Kipper* Joan Miller as Jess...
(1959) - In the Wake of a StrangerIn the Wake of a StrangerIn the Wake of a Stranger is a 1959 British thriller film directed by David Eady and starring Tony Wright, Shirley Eaton and Danny Green. A group of murderers try to frame an innocent sailor for their crime.-Cast:* Tony Wright - Tom Cassidy...
(1959) - Sink the Bismarck!Sink the Bismarck!Sink the Bismarck! is a 1960 black-and-white British war film based on the book, the "Last Nine Days of the Bismarck" by C. S. Forester. It stars Kenneth More and Dana Wynter and was directed by Lewis Gilbert. To date, it is the only movie made that deals directly with the operations, chase, and...
(1960) - The Wind of ChangeThe Wind of Change (film)The Wind of Change is a 1961 British drama, directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Donald Pleasence, Johnny Briggs and Ann Lynn. Taking its title from the famous "Wind of Change" speech given by British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in South Africa in February 1960, it is one of the earliest...
(1961) - Play It CoolPlay It Cool (film)Play it Cool is a 1962 British musical film directed by Michael Winner and starring Billy Fury, Michael Anderson Jr., Dennis Price, Richard Wattis and Anna Palk....
(1962) - The Painted SmileThe Painted SmileThe Painted Smile is a 1962 British thriller film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Liz Fraser, Kenneth Griffith, Peter Reynolds and Tony Wickert...
(1962) - Some PeopleSome PeopleSome People is a 1962 film directed by Clive Donner. It stars Kenneth More and Ray Brooks.-Cast:* Kenneth More as Mr. Smith* Ray Brooks as Johnnie* Anneke Wills as Anne* David Andrews as Bill* Angela Douglas as Terry* David Hemmings as Bert...
(1962) - Live It Up!Live It Up! (film)Live It Up! is a British music-film released in 1963. It was filmed at Pinewood Film Studios in London, England and featured Gene Vincent, Jenny Moss, The Outlaws, Patsy Ann Noble, The Saints and Heinz Burt among others...
(1963) - Two Left FeetTwo Left Feet (film)Two Left Feet is a 1963 Comedy-drama film directed by Roy Ward Baker, starring Nyree Dawn Porter, Michael Crawford, David Hemmings and Julia Foster....
(1963) - West 11West 11West 11 is a 1963 British crime film directed by Michael Winner and featuring Alfred Lynch, Kathleen Breck, Eric Portman, Diana Dors and Kathleen Harrison. It is set in west London, the title taken from the postcode W11...
(1964) - The SystemThe System (film)The System is a 1964 British drama film directed by Michael Winner and starring Oliver Reed, Jane Merrow and Barbara Ferris...
(1964) - Be My GuestBe My Guest (film)Be My Guest is a 1965 British black and white musical film. It was filmed at Pinewood Film Studios, London, England. The film is notable for the appearance of Steve Marriott who started out as a child actor before giving up a promising acting career to help form successful rock groups Small Faces...
(1965) - BlowupBlowupBlowup is a 1966 film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, his first English-language film.It tells of a British photographer's accidental involvement with a murder, inspired by Julio Cortázar's short story, "Las babas del diablo" or "The Devil's Drool" , translated also as Blow-Up, and by the life...
(1966) - Eye of the DevilEye of the DevilEye of the Devil is a 1966 British film with occult and supernatural themes directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Deborah Kerr and David Niven. The film was set in rural France and filmed in England.-Plot:...
(1966) - CamelotCamelot (film)Camelot is a 1967 film adaptation of the musical of the same name. Richard Harris stars as Arthur, Vanessa Redgrave as Guinevere, and Franco Nero as Lancelot. The film was directed by Joshua Logan.-Plot:...
(1967) - The Charge of the Light BrigadeThe Charge of the Light Brigade (1968 film)The Charge of the Light Brigade is a 1968 British war film made by Woodfall Film Productions and distributed by United Artists . It was directed by Tony Richardson and produced by Neil Hartley....
(1968) - The Long Day's DyingThe Long Day's DyingThe Long Day's Dying is a 1968 war film directed by Peter Collinson and starring David Hemmings. It was listed to compete at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival, but the festival was cancelled due to the events of May 1968 in France.-Cast:...
(1968) - BarbarellaBarbarella (film)Barbarella is a 1968 Franco-Italian science fiction film based on Jean-Claude Forrest's French Barbarella comics. The film was directed by Roger Vadim and stars Jane Fonda, who was Vadim's wife at the time.-Plot:...
(1968) - Only When I LarfOnly When I Larf (film)Only When I Larf is a 1968 British comedy film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Richard Attenborough, David Hemmings and Alexandra Stewart...
(1968) - Alfred The GreatAlfred the Great (film)Alfred the Great is a 1969 epic film which portrayed Alfred the Great's struggle to rid Wessex of the invading Danes, in the 870s AD. It starred David Hemmings in the title role.-Plot:...
(1969) - The Best House in LondonThe Best House in LondonThe Best House in London is a 1969 British comedy film directed by Philip Saville and starring David Hemmings, Joanna Pettet, George Sanders, Warren Mitchell, John Bird, Maurice Denham and Bill Fraser.-Cast:...
(1969) - Simon, SimonSimon, SimonSimon, Simon is a 1970 Sound Effect comedy short film directed by Graham Stark.-Synopsis:Two handymen, cause chaos on a new crane while haphazardly trying to accomplish jobs for their ever more frustrated boss...
(1970) - The Walking StickThe Walking StickThe Walking Stick is a 1970 film directed by Eric Till and starring David Hemmings and Samantha Eggar. It is based on the novel of the same name written by Winston Graham...
(1970) - Fragment of FearFragment of FearFragment of Fear is a 1970 British thriller film starring David Hemmings, Gayle Hunnicutt, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Roland Culver, Flora Robson and Arthur Lowe. -Plot:...
(1970) - Unman, Wittering and ZigoUnman, Wittering and Zigo (film)Unman, Wittering and Zigo is a 1971 British thriller film directed by John Mackenzie and starring David Hemmings, Douglas Wilmer and Tony Haygarth. It is adapted from the 1950s radio play Unman, Wittering and Zigo...
(1971) - The Love MachineThe Love Machine (film)The Love Machine is a 1971 film adaptation of the Jacqueline Susann novel The Love Machine. Written by Samuel A. Taylor and directed by Jack Haley, Jr., it starred John Phillip Law, Dyan Cannon, Robert Ryan, Jackie Cooper, and David Hemmings.-Plot:...
(1971) - VoicesVoices (1973 film)Voices is a 1973 British horror film directed by Kevin Billington and starring David Hemmings, Gayle Hunnicutt and Lynn Farleigh.-Plot:After her young son accidentally drowns, a woman has a breakdown and is finally placed in a mental hospital. After her release, her husband takes her for a weekend...
(1973) - The 14The 14The 14 is a 1973 British film directed by David Hemmings. It was also released as Existence and, in the USA, as The Wild Little Bunch. It was entered into the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Silver Bear.-Cast:...
(1973; director) - LolaLola (1974 film)Lola is a 1974 Spanish drama film directed by José María Forqué and starring David Hemmings, Alida Valli and Francisco Rabal. A dissolute young hacienda-owner makes many enemies through his behaviour...
(1974) - JuggernautJuggernaut (film)Juggernaut is a 1974 British thriller film. It was produced by David V. Picker Productions and released in 1974 by United Artists. The film was directed by Richard Lester, who took over after directors Bryan Forbes and Don Medford each left the project in pre-production.On taking over the film,...
(1974) - Deep RedDeep RedProfondo Rosso is a 1975 giallo film directed and written by Dario Argento and co-written by Bernardino Zapponi. It was released on March 7, 1975 in Italy and June 11, 1976 in the United States. The film's score was composed and performed by Goblin...
(1975) - The Old Curiosity ShopThe Old Curiosity Shop (1975 film)The Old Curiosity Shop is a 1975 British musical film directed by Michael Tuchner and starring Anthony Newley, David Hemmings and Jill Bennett...
(1975) - Squadra antitruffaSquadra antitruffaSquadra antitruffa is a 1977 Italian crime film directed by Bruno Corbucci and starring David Hemmings, Tomas Milian and Anna Cardini.-Main cast:* Tomas Milian - Nico Giraldi* David Hemmings - Robert Clayton* Anna Cardini - The Girl...
(1977) - Islands in the StreamIslands in the Stream (film)Islands in the Stream is a 1977 American drama film, an adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's novel of the same name. The film was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starred George C...
(1977) - Crossed SwordsCrossed Swords (film)Crossed Swords is a 1977 action adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer, based on The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain...
(UK title: The Prince and the Pauper) (1977) - La via della drogaLa via della drogaLa via della droga is a 1977 Italian crime film directed by Enzo G. Castellari and starring Fabio Testi, David Hemmings and Sherry Buchanan.-Main cast:* Fabio Testi - Fabio* David Hemmings - Mike Hamilton* Sherry Buchanan - Vera...
(1977) - The DisappearanceThe DisappearanceThe Disappearance is a 1977 British-Canadian thriller film directed by Stuart Cooper and starring Donald Sutherland, Francine Racette and David Hemmings.-Cast:* Donald Sutherland - Jay Mallory* Francine Racette - Celandine* David Hemmings - Edward...
(1977) - The Squeeze (1977)
- Blood RelativesBlood RelativesBlood Relatives is a 1978 French film directed by Claude Chabrol....
(1978) - Power PlayPower Play (1978 film)Power Play is a 1978 British-Canadian thriller film starring Peter O'Toole and David Hemmings, based on the non-fiction strategy book Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook by Edward N. Luttwak....
(1978) - Just a GigoloSchöner Gigolo, armer GigoloSchöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo is a 1978 film directed by David Hemmings and starring David Bowie. Set in post-World War I Berlin, it also featured Sydne Rome, Kim Novak and, in her last screen appearance, Marlene Dietrich...
(1978) - Murder by DecreeMurder by DecreeMurder by Decree is an Anglo-Canadian thriller film involving Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson in the case of the serial murderer Jack the Ripper...
(1979) - ThirstThirst (1979 film)Thirst is a 1979 Australian film by Rod Hardy. It stars Australian actors Chantal Contouri and Max Phipps and British actor David Hemmings...
(1979) - Charlie MuffinCharlie MuffinCharlie Muffin is a 1979 made-for-TV film based on the novel Charlie M by Brian Freemantle. In the U.S., the picture was later re-released under the title A Deadly Game....
(US title: A Deadly Game) (1979) - Beyond Reasonable DoubtBeyond Reasonable Doubt (film)Beyond Reasonable Doubt is a 1980 New Zealand docu-drama feature film about the conviction of Arthur Allan Thomas, later pardoned, for the murder of Harvey and Jeanette Crewe in 1970....
(1980) - HarlequinHarlequin (film)Harlequin, known as Dark Forces in the USA, is a 1980 Australian film starring Robert Powell, Carmen Duncan, David Hemmings and Broderick Crawford...
(1980) - PrisonersPrisoners (film)Prisoners is a 1981 American-New Zealand drama film directed by Peter Werner and starring Tatum O'Neal, Colin Friels and David Hemmings. An American moves his family to New Zealand where he takes charge of a prison in Wellington. His young daughter begins to have a love affair with one of the...
(1981) - Swan Lake (1981)
- Man, Woman and Child (1983)
- The RainbowThe Rainbow (film)The Rainbow is a 1989 drama film directed by Ken Russell. The story, adapted from the D. H. Lawrence novel, is a prequel to Lawrence's Women in Love, which was also made into a film by Russell in 1969....
(1989) - Northern Exposure (1992)
- GladiatorGladiator (2000 film)Gladiator is a 2000 historical epic film directed by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, John Shrapnel and Richard Harris. Crowe portrays the loyal Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is betrayed...
(2000) - Last OrdersLast Orders (film)Last Orders is a 2001 British/German drama film written and directed by Fred Schepisi. The screenplay is based on the 1996 Booker Prize-winning novel of the same title by Graham Swift.-Synopsis:...
(2000) - Mean Machine (2001)
- Spy GameSpy GameSpy Game is a 2001 American spy film directed by Tony Scott and starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. The film grossed $62,362,785 in the United States and $143,049,560 worldwide.-Plot:...
(2001) - EquilibriumEquilibrium (film)Equilibrium is a 2002 American science fiction action film written and directed by Kurt Wimmer. It stars Christian Bale as John Preston, a warrior-priest and enforcement officer in a future dystopia where both feelings and artistic expression are outlawed and citizens take daily injections of drugs...
(2002) - Gangs of New YorkGangs of New YorkGangs of New York is a 2002 historical film set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. It was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan. The film was inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 nonfiction book, The Gangs of New...
(2002) - Slap Shot 2 (2002)
- The League of Extraordinary GentlemenThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (film)The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a 2003 superhero film adaptation loosely based on characters from the comic book limited series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore, who is also famous for Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell. It was released on July 11, 2003, in the...
(2003) - Blessed (2004)
- Romantik (2007)
External links
- A collection of pictures taken on the set of Blowup
- Pulleine, Tim (5 December 2005). "David Hemmings – Gifted Actor, Director and Producer Who Successfully Outgrew His Iconic 60s Image in Antonioni's Blow Up". The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...