John Van Eyssen
Encyclopedia
John Van Eyssen was a South Africa
n born actor, agent and executive. He moved to England following the Second World War.
Van Eyssen appeared in films from 1950 as well as on stage and perhaps achieved most of his fame as an actor when he portrayed Jonathan Harker
in the Hammer Film Productions
production Dracula
(released as Horror of Dracula in the US to avoid confusion with Tod Browning's 1931 film) in 1958.
He left acting in 1961 to become a literary agent. His subsequent clients were Franco Zeffirelli
, Tennessee Williams
, and Arthur Miller
. He left the business in 1965 to work for the UK division of Columbia Pictures
eventually becoming the managing director responsible for Romeo and Juliet
(1968), To Sir With Love (1967), Born Free
(1966), Georgy Girl
(1966), Oliver!
(1968), and A Man For All Seasons
(1966).
He later moved to New York City
and became an independent producer. Van Eyssen returned to England in 1991 and helped establish Britain's premiere showcase for talented young filmmakers, the Chelsea Film Festival. He was longtime companion to Ingrid Bergman
in the years before her death in 1982.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n born actor, agent and executive. He moved to England following the Second World War.
Van Eyssen appeared in films from 1950 as well as on stage and perhaps achieved most of his fame as an actor when he portrayed Jonathan Harker
Jonathan Harker
Jonathan Harker is one of the main protagonists in the 1897 horror novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. His journey to Transylvania and encounter with Count Dracula and the Brides of Dracula at Castle Dracula constitutes the dramatic opening scenes in the novel and most of the film adaptations.-In the...
in the Hammer Film Productions
Hammer Film Productions
Hammer Film Productions is a film production company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies and in later...
production Dracula
Dracula (1958 film)
Dracula, also known as Horror of Dracula in the United States, is a 1958 British horror film. It is the first in the series of Hammer Horror films inspired by the Bram Stoker novel Dracula. It was directed by Terence Fisher, and stars Peter Cushing, Michael Gough, Carol Marsh, Melissa Stribling and...
(released as Horror of Dracula in the US to avoid confusion with Tod Browning's 1931 film) in 1958.
He left acting in 1961 to become a literary agent. His subsequent clients were Franco Zeffirelli
Franco Zeffirelli
Franco Zeffirelli KBE is an Italian director and producer of films and television. He is also a director and designer of operas and a former senator for the Italian center-right Forza Italia party....
, Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
, and Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
. He left the business in 1965 to work for the UK division of Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
eventually becoming the managing director responsible for Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet (1968 film)
Romeo and Juliet is a 1968 British-Italian cinematic adaptation of the William Shakespeare play of the same name.The film was directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli, and stars Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. It won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design; it was also...
(1968), To Sir With Love (1967), Born Free
Born Free
Born Free is a 1966 British drama film starring Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers as Joy and George Adamson, a real-life couple who raised Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lion cub, to adulthood, and released her into the wilds of Kenya. The movie was produced by Open Road Films Ltd. and Columbia...
(1966), Georgy Girl
Georgy Girl
Georgy Girl is a 1966 British film based on a novel by Margaret Forster. The film was directed by Silvio Narizzano and starred Lynn Redgrave as Georgy, Alan Bates, James Mason, Charlotte Rampling and Bill Owen....
(1966), Oliver!
Oliver! (film)
Oliver! is a 1968 British musical film directed by Carol Reed. The film is based on the stage musical Oliver!, with book, music and lyrics written by Lionel Bart. The screenplay was written by Vernon Harris....
(1968), and A Man For All Seasons
A Man for All Seasons (1966 film)
A Man for All Seasons is a 1966 film based on Robert Bolt's play A Man for All Seasons about Sir Thomas More. It was released on December 12, 1966. Paul Scofield, who had played More in the West End stage premiere, also took the role in the film. It was directed by Fred Zinnemann, who had...
(1966).
He later moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and became an independent producer. Van Eyssen returned to England in 1991 and helped establish Britain's premiere showcase for talented young filmmakers, the Chelsea Film Festival. He was longtime companion to Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute...
in the years before her death in 1982.
Selected filmography
- Three Steps in the DarkThree Steps in the DarkThree Steps in the Dark is a 1953 British B-movie whodunit, directed by Daniel Birt and starring Greta Gynt and Hugh Sinclair.-Plot:A rich but disliked elderly man invites his relatives to a family reunion at his home. Once the gathering is complete, he announces enigmatically that he intends to...
(1953) - Four Sided TriangleFour Sided TriangleFour Sided Triangle is a 1953 British science-fiction film directed by Terence Fisher for Hammer Film Productions.The film dealt with the moral and scientific themes that were soon to put Hammer Films on the map with the same director's The Curse of Frankenstein...
(1953) - The Men of Sherwood Forest The Men of Sherwood ForestThe Men of Sherwood Forest is a 1954 British adventure film directed by Val Guest and starring Don Taylor, Reginald Beckwith, Eileen Moore and David King-Wood. The film follows the exploits of Robin Hood and his followers...
(1954) - The Cockleshell HeroesThe Cockleshell HeroesThe Cockleshell Heroes is a 1955 film with Trevor Howard, Anthony Newley, David Lodge and José Ferrer, who also directed. Set during the Second World War, it is a fictionalised account of Operation Frankton, the December 1942 raid by canoe-borne British commandos on shipping in Bordeaux Harbour...
(1955) - Brothers in LawBrothers in LawBrothers in Law is a 1955 comedy book by Henry Cecil, himself a County Court judge, about Roger Thursby — a young barrister — experiencing his first year in chambers.-Television and Film:...
(1957) - Quatermass 2Quatermass 2Quatermass 2 is a 1957 British science fiction horror film. Made by Hammer Film Productions, it is a sequel to an earlier Hammer film The Quatermass Xperiment. Like its predecessor, it is based on a BBC Television serial – Quatermass II – written by Nigel Kneale...
(1957) - The One That Got Away (1957)
- DraculaDracula (1958 film)Dracula, also known as Horror of Dracula in the United States, is a 1958 British horror film. It is the first in the series of Hammer Horror films inspired by the Bram Stoker novel Dracula. It was directed by Terence Fisher, and stars Peter Cushing, Michael Gough, Carol Marsh, Melissa Stribling and...
(1958) - The Whole TruthThe Whole Truth (1958 film)The Whole Truth is a 1958 British thriller film directed by John Guillermin and starring Stewart Granger, George Sanders, Donna Reed and Peter Dyneley.-Cast:* Stewart Granger as Max Poulton* Donna Reed as Carol Poulton* George Sanders as Carliss...
(1958) - Carry On NurseCarry On NurseCarry On Nurse is the second Carry On film, released in 1959. Of the regular team, it featured Joan Sims , Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor and Charles Hawtrey, with Hattie Jacques and Leslie Phillips. The film was written by Norman Hudis based on the play Ring For Catty by Patrick Cargill and Jack...
(1959) - Carlton-Browne of the F.O.Carlton-Browne of the F.O.Carlton-Browne of the F.O. is a 1959 British comedy film made by the Boulting Brothers.-Plot:...
(1959) - I'm All Right JackI'm All Right JackI'm All Right Jack is a 1959 British comedy film directed and produced by John and Roy Boulting from a script by Frank Harvey, John Boulting and Alan Hackney, based on the novel Private Life by Hackney...
(1959) - Blind DateBlind Date (1959 film)Blind Date is a 1959 murder mystery film. A police inspector investigates a woman's death, with her lover being the prime suspect...
(1959) - The CriminalThe CriminalThe Criminal is a 1960 British drama film produced by Nat Cohen and directed by Joseph Losey, starring Stanley Baker, Sam Wanamaker and Jill Bennett. Baker plays an ex-con who takes part in the robbery of a racetrack and is caught and sent back to prison...
(1960)