Leslie Halliwell | |
---|---|
Born | Robert James Leslie Halliwell 23 February 1929 |
Died | 21 January 1989 | (aged 59)
Occupation(s) | Film critic, encyclopaedist |
Years active | 1952−1987 |
Robert James Leslie Halliwell[1] (23 February 1929 – 21 January 1989) was a British film critic, encyclopaedist and television rights buyer for ITV, the British commercial network, and Channel 4. He is best known for his reference guides, Filmgoer's Companion (1965), a single volume film-related encyclopaedia featuring biographies (with credits) and technical terms, and Halliwell's Film Guide (1977), which is dedicated to individual films.
Anthony Quinton wrote in the Times Literary Supplement: "Immersed in the enjoyment of these fine books, one should look up for a moment to admire the quite astonishing combination of industry and authority in one man which has brought them into existence."[2]
Halliwell's promotion of the cinema through his books and seasons of "golden oldies'"on Channel 4 won him awards from the London Film Critics' Circle, the British Film Institute and a posthumous BAFTA.[3][4][5]