- Born
- Died
- Birth nameWilfrid John Raymond Lee
- British director Jack Lee studied photography at Regent Street Polytechnic, and in 1938 he was hired by GPO Film as a documentary cameraman. He shot a lot of footage, at great personal risk, during the Nazi bombing campaign during World War II against London, known as "The Blitz", and began his directorial career with two wartime documentaries, The Pilot Is Safe (1941) and Ordinary People (1942). He made his first feature film in 1947, The Woman in the Hall (1947), followed by a picture about the sport of speedway racing, Maniacs on Wheels (1949). In 1950 he directed the well-received The Wooden Horse (1950), about British prisoners in a German POW camp plotting an escape.
In 1963 he moved to Australia, and shot several films there. His wife, Isabel Kidman, was a distant relative of actress Nicole Kidman.- IMDb Mini Biography By: frankfob2@yahoo.com
- SpousesIsabel Kidman(1963 - 1985) (her death)Nora Dawson(1948 - 1963) (divorced, 2 children)Nora Lee(19?? - October 15, 2002) (his death, 2 children)
- Elder brother of Laurie Lee, the author of "Cider With Rosie". He had an enduring rivalry with Laurie which eventually ended in a disagreement over a Henry Moore drawing which Laurie had given to Jack for a cash advance. When Jack left his wife Nora for Isabel Kidman Nora sold it at Sotheby's for a relatively small amount, she not knowing of the arrangement.
- Jack Lee's family continue to be involved in the Film TV and music industries. His son John Lee was for many years a film editor. His Grandson Dr, David Lee lectures at Leeds University in Film and TV documentary studies. His granddaughter Rebecca Lee is the actress and his other Grandson is the singer and musician Jamie Lee.His third cousin is the actor John Light.
- Jack Lee's Younger Brother was Laurie Lee the Author of "Cider with Rosie" his very successful autobiography. His eldest son John Lee is the Documentary Film Editor.
- As the eldest child after their father, Albert Lee, abandoned the family, he was often required to borrow sugar, milk and even, occasionally, money from their neighbours.
- His second wife, Isabel Kidman, was an Australian cattle heiress and a distant relation to actress Nicole Kidman.
- I remember seeing newspaper article referring to me as "the veteran British director". I thought, am I? I realized new talent had taken over and it was unlikely I would make another film. Although I wasn't happy about it, it was something I had to accept.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content