Known for Directing
Roy Ward Baker was an English film director born in London on 19 December 1916. His best known film is A Night to Remember which won a Golden Globe for best foreign English language film in 1959. His later career was varied, and included many horror films and television shows. Baker's early career, from 1934 to 1939, was spent working for Gainsborough Pictures, a British film production company based in Islington, North London, famous for its prestige productions. His first jobs were menial - making tea for crew members, for example - but by 1938 he had risen through the ranks to work as assistant director on Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes. He served in the army during World War II, until transferring to the Army Kinematograph Unit in 1943 in order to make better use of skills developed in his pre-war career producing documentaries and teaching materials for troops. One of his superiors at the time was novelist Eric Ambler. It was he who gave Baker his first big break directing The October Man, from an Ambler screenplay, in 1947. Ambler also adapted Walter Lord's A Night to Remember for Baker's 1958 screen version. During the early 1950s, Baker worked for three years in Hollywood where he directed Marilyn Monroe in Don't Bother to Knock (1952) and Robert Ryan in 3D film noir Inferno (1953). He returned to the UK for the latter part of the decade, but defected to television in the early 1960s. He directed episodes of The Avengers, The Saint and The Champions - all adventure series created with an eye on the American market. The low-budget ethic of television production made him well-suited to his next career move into cheaply produced but lavish-looking British horror films. He directed, amongst others, Quatermass and the Pit (1967) The Vampire Lovers (1970) and Scars of Dracula (1970) for Hammer, and Asylum (1972) for Amicus. In the latter part of the 1970s he returned to television, and throughout the 1980s continued to work in Television. He retired in 1992.
Born
December 19, 1916
Died
October 5, 2010 (age 93)
Birthplace
London, England
Filmography
53 films, 21 shows


The Masks of Death
1984 · 1h 18m
country: United Kingdom
Sherlock Holmes has retired. But when MacDonald asks him to take on another case, he says yes. There have been some mysterious murders, and there are no visible causes for the deaths. At the same time Holmes gets this case, Graf Udo Von Felseck gives him another case: find a young and missing prince to prevent war between Germany and England. But Von Felseck is not as honest as he seems...


The Monster Club
1981 · 1h 38m
country: United Kingdom
A vampire attacks a horror author on the street and then invites him to a nearby club as a gesture of gratitude, which turns out to be a meeting place for assorted creatures of the night. The vampire then regales him with three stories, each interspersed with musical performances at the club.
Death Becomes Me
Death Becomes Me
1979 · 1h 32m
country: United Kingdom
Two episodes of the TV series "The Persuaders" joined into a movie. Two playboys, Brett Sinclair (Roger Moore) and Danny Wilde (Tony Curtis), investigate crimes.


The Switch
1976 · 1h 42m
country: Unknown
Our heroes find themselves at the famed Cannes Film Festival to help foil a plot to murder a former American union boss cum government witness, Kyle Sander. Suspects include the beautiful Marissa and boyfriend, who have a few surprises in store. Lord Sinclair and Danny then travel to Switzerland, where they have to help an elderly Duchess protect her jewels by finding proof of past marriage to a prince.


The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires
1974 · 1h 29m
country: Hong Kong
Professor Van Helsing had been asked to help against the tyranny of skeletal creatures that are responsible for terror and death amongst the peasants in rural China. He is the only person qualified to deal with the cause of these phenomena, for the undead are controlled by the most diabolical force of all.... Count Dracula. But he is not alone- to aid him comes a mystical brotherhood of seven martial arts warriors.


Mission: Monte Carlo
1974 · 1h 36m
country: Unknown
Two episodes of the TV series "The Persuaders" joined into a movie. Two playboys investigate crimes along the French Riviera.


And Now the Screaming Starts!
1973 · 1h 31m
country: United Kingdom
In the late 18th century, two newlyweds move into the stately mansion of the Fengriffen family. The young bride is victim of terrifying visions and apparitions, threatening her very sanity. A London psychiatrist comes to her help and uncovers the terrible secret that haunts the estate.


The Vault of Horror
1973 · 1h 27m
country: United Kingdom
The sequel to Tales from the Crypt. Five strangers trapped in a basement vault converse about their recurring nightmares. Their stories include vampires, bodily dismemberment, east Indian mysticism, an insurance scam, and an artist who kills by painting his victims' deaths.


Asylum
1972 · 1h 28m
country: United Kingdom
A young psychiatrist applies for a job at a mental asylum and must pass a test by interviewing four patients. He must figure out which of the patients, is in fact, the doctor that he would be replacing if hired.


Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde
1971 · 1h 37m
country: United Kingdom
In foggy London Dr Jekyll experiments on newly deceased women determined to discover an elixir for immortal life. Success enables his spectacular transformation into the beautiful but psychotic Sister Hyde who stalks the dark alleys of Whitechapel for young, innocent, female victims, ensuring continuation of the bloodstained research. With each transformation Sister Hyde becomes the more dominant personality, determined to eventually suppress the frail, ineffectual Dr Jekyll forever.


Scars of Dracula
1970 · 1h 36m
country: United Kingdom
The Prince of Darkness casts his undead shadow once more over the cursed village of Kleinenberg when his ashes are splashed with bat's blood and Dracula is resurrected. And two innocent victims search for a missing loved one... loved to death by Dracula's mistress. But after they discover his blood-drained corpse in Dracula's castle necropolis, the Vampire Lord's lustful vengeance begins.


The Vampire Lovers
1970 · 1h 31m
country: United Kingdom
In the heart of Styria the Karnstein Family, even after their mortal deaths, rise from their tombs spreading evil in the countryside in their lust for fresh blood. Baron Hartog whose family are all victims of Karnstein vampirism, opens their graves and drives a stake through their diabolical hearts. One grave he cannot locate is that of the legendary beautiful Mircalla Karnstein. Years of peace follow that grisly night until Mircalla reappears to avenge her family's decimation and satisfy her desire for blood.


Foreign Exchange
1970 · 1h 15m
country: United Kingdom
A former British Secret Service agent is persuaded to negotiate a spy exchange with Russia, only to find himself drawn into political intrigues.


The Spy Killer
1969 · 1h 15m
country: United Kingdom
Spy Killer stars Robert Horton as a secret agent turned private eye. Framed for murder, Horton is released, but only after promising that he'll track down a book containing a list of government agents who are operating covertly in Red China. The reluctant spy discovers that he can't completely trust anyone in this endeavor--not even his former chief


Moon Zero Two
1969 · 1h 41m
country: United Kingdom
On the Moon in the year 2021, a former-astronaut-turned-salvager helps a millionaire space industrialist capture a 6000-ton sapphire asteroid, while also assisting a woman in finding her missing miner/prospector brother


The Fiction Makers
1968 · 1h 40m
country: United Kingdom
Simon Templar is hired by a friend in the book publishing trade to protect one of his stars, a secretive recluse named Amos Klein who writes a popular (and lucrative) series of adventure novels about a manly and suave spy.


The Anniversary
1968 · 1h 35m
country: United Kingdom
Mrs Taggart always celebrates her anniversary with her grown sons. It’s a tradition practised since the death of her husband and she is determined for it to continue. None of her three sons have dared to cross their ruthless domineering mother but this anniversary they intend to try. With cruel and brutal twists, the family get-together becomes a social nightmare beyond endurance.


Quatermass and the Pit
1967 · 1h 37m
country: United Kingdom
A mysterious artifact unearthed below a London Underground station proves to have powerful psychic effects on the people around.


Two Left Feet
1963 · 1h 33m
country: United Kingdom
Based on David Stuart Leslie's novel Two Left Feet is a story about Alan Crabbe (Michael Crawford a callow youth desperate for a date with any girl who can offer him the experience he lacks. Every time Alan tries a manful stride into the jungle of sex, his two left feet turn the attempt into a trip-and-stumble. Then he meets Eileen (Nyree Dawn Porter), the new waitress at the corner cafe, who signal unmistakable messages with her large inviting eyes.


The Valiant
1962 · 1h 40m
country: Italy
Having placed mines on the hull of a British warship whilst it is safe in harbour during the second World War , the two man crew of an Italian miniature submarine are captured and held prisoner whist the crew try and discover the nature of their mission!


Flame in the Streets
1961 · 1h 33m
country: United Kingdom
Domestic difficulties develop in a working-class family when their daughter falls in love with a Jamaican man.


The Singer Not the Song
1961 · 2h 12m
country: United Kingdom
A Roman Catholic priest defies a Mexican bandit whose gang kills villagers in alphabetical order.


A Night to Remember
1958 · 2h 3m
country: United Kingdom
The sinking of the Titanic is presented in a highly realistic fashion in this tense British drama. The disaster is portrayed largely from the perspective of the ocean liner's second officer, Charles Lightoller. Despite numerous warnings about ice, the ship sails on, with Capt. Edward John Smith keeping it going at a steady clip. When the doomed vessel finally hits an iceberg, the crew and passengers discover that they lack enough lifeboats, and tragedy follows.


The One That Got Away
1957 · 1h 51m
country: United Kingdom
Based on the true story of Oberleutnant Franz von Werra, the only German prisoner of war captured in Britain to escape back to Germany during the Second World War.


Tiger in the Smoke
1956 · 1h 34m
country: United Kingdom
In wartime, a young officer is killed during a raid to kill a German general at the house that used to belong to his grandmother. Before he dies he talks about a treasure that was hidden there. Several years later, the members of that group are still together as a street band living in a cellar. The last of the gang, who was chosen for his skills as a ruthless killer, escapes from prison in a rampage of killing and, obsessed with the treasure, takes the gang to France to recover it.


Jacqueline
1956 · 1h 29m
country: United Kingdom
Jacqueline is the daughter of Belfast shipyard worker Mike McNeil. The worker's worth is compromised by his crippling fear of heights. Dismissed from his job, he finds solace in the bottle. All seems hopeless until Jacqueline breaks through her father's self-imposed gloom and helps him to regenerate. An adaptation of the novel 'A Grand Man', by Catherine Cookson.


Passage Home
1955 · 1h 42m
country: United Kingdom
Set in 1931, the film takes place aboard a merchant ship, briefly harboured in South America. A young woman (Diane Cilento) boards the ship as a passenger, resulting in disharmony among the superstitious crew members. Virtuous seaman Anthony Steel protects the girl from the lecherous advances of captain Peter Finch.


Inferno
1953 · 1h 23m
country: United States
When selfish and arrogant millionaire Donald Carson fractures his leg during a desert vacation, his wife, Geraldine, leaves with their friend Joseph Duncan to supposedly get help. However, the two of them are really lovers who are leaving Carson to die in the heat. Slowly, Carson realizes he is on his own and vows revenge on the traitorous couple. Having had a privileged life, Carson must now use his wits to stay alive.


Night Without Sleep
1952 · 1h 17m
country: United States
Upon awaking in the morning, a man finds his thoughts clouded by the possibility that he committed a murder.


Don't Bother to Knock
1952 · 1h 16m
country: United States
An airline pilot pursues a live-in babysitter at his hotel and gradually realizes she is not as stable as perhaps she should be.


The House in the Square
1951 · 1h 30m
country: United Kingdom
Atomic scientist Peter Standish travels back in time to 1784, an era he has read about in his forefather's diaries. He falls in love with his forefather's cousin, Helen, but his contemporaries of 1784 are perplexed by his strange talk and the odd knowledge he possesses.


Highly Dangerous
1950 · 1h 30m
country: United Kingdom
A US newsman and a British entomologist spy on germ-warfare research in a mythical country.


Morning Departure
1950 · 1h 42m
country: United Kingdom
The crew of a submarine is trapped on the sea floor when it sinks. How can they be rescued before they run out of air?


Paper Orchid
1949 · 1h 26m
country: Unknown
Paper Orchid is a 1949 British crime film directed by Roy Ward Baker, with a script written by Val Guest. It featured Hugh Williams, Hy Hazell and Garry Marsh. It is perhaps most notable for an early film appearance of Sid James, later to find success through the Carry On series.


The Weaker Sex
1948 · 1h 24m
country: United Kingdom
A British housewife does her own battles against the enemy during World War II.


The October Man
1947 · 1h 35m
country: United Kingdom
Jim Ackland, who suffers from a head injury sustained in a bus crash, is the chief suspect in a murder hunt, when a girl that he has just met is found dead on the local common, and he has no alibi for the time she was killed.
What's the Next Job?
What's the Next Job?
1945 · 22m
country: Unknown
Ministry of Information dramatized vocational film on assistance in finding jobs after the Second World War.
Read All About It
Read All About It
1945 · 29m
country: United Kingdom
An account of the technique of reading the tabloid press in an intelligent manor via differing editorial techniques that leads to three styles of newspapers giving varying accounts of a strip-tease act.