Michael Relph
Encyclopedia
Michael Relph was a British art director
and producer
. He was the son of actor George Relph
.
He began his film career in 1933 as an assistant art director
under Alfred Junge
at Gaumont British
then headed by Michael Balcon
. In 1942 Relph
began work at Ealing
as chief art director. He worked mainly on Basil Dearden
's films, and in 1949 was nominated for an Academy Award for art direction
for his work on the Stewart Granger
vehicle Saraband for Dead Lovers
(1948).
Later in his career, Relph worked as a producer. He had a 20-year partnership with Basil Dearden
beginning in 1949 and ending with Dearden's death in 1971. From 1972 to 1979, he was chairman of the British Film Institute
's Production Board.
His son, Simon Relph
, is also a film producer and former chairman of BAFTA
. His daughter, Emma Relph
, had several parts on television and in the films as an actress during the 1980s
.
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
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 was the son of actor George Relph
George Relph
George Relph was an English actor. He acted in more than a dozen movies, and also many plays. He served in the British Armed Forces in World War I, and was shot in the leg, hindering his return to acting. But Relph eventually got back on stage, and his career continued...
.
He began his film career in 1933 as an assistant art director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
under Alfred Junge
Alfred Junge
Alfred Junge was a German-born production designer.Junge had wanted to be an artist from childhood. Dabbling in theatre in his teenage years, he joined the Görlitz Stadttheater at eighteen and was involved in all areas of production. He worked in the theatre for over fifteen years...
at Gaumont British
Gaumont British
Gaumont-British Picture Corporation was the British arm of the French film company Gaumont. The company became independent of its French parent in 1922, when Isidore Ostrer acquired control of Gaumont-British....
then headed by Michael Balcon
Michael Balcon
Sir Michael Elias Balcon was an English film producer, known for his work with Ealing Studios.-Background:...
. In 1942 Relph
Relph
The English family name Relph is classified as being of personal name origin. According to scholars the oldest and most pervasive type of surname is that derived from a personal name. Such family names may be derived from a parental first name or from the front name of the grandfather, or indeed a...
began work at Ealing
Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever since...
as chief art director. He worked mainly on Basil Dearden
Basil Dearden
Basil Dearden was an English film director.-Life and career:Dearden was born at Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. He graduated from theatre direction to film, working as an assistant to Basil Dean...
's films, and in 1949 was nominated for an Academy Award for art direction
Academy Award for Best Art Direction
The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best art direction went to a film from 1999...
for his work on the Stewart Granger
Stewart Granger
Stewart Granger was an English-American film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s rising to fame through his appearances in the Gainsborough melodramas.-Early life:He was born James Lablache Stewart in Old...
vehicle Saraband for Dead Lovers
Saraband for Dead Lovers
Saraband for Dead Lovers is a 1948 British historical drama film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Stewart Granger and Joan Greenwood. It is based on the novel by Helen Simpson...
(1948).
Later in his career, Relph worked as a producer. He had a 20-year partnership with Basil Dearden
Basil Dearden
Basil Dearden was an English film director.-Life and career:Dearden was born at Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. He graduated from theatre direction to film, working as an assistant to Basil Dean...
beginning in 1949 and ending with Dearden's death in 1971. From 1972 to 1979, he was chairman of the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
's Production Board.
His son, Simon Relph
Simon Relph
Simon Relph is a British assistant film director and producer. He is the former chairman of the BAFTA Foundation Trustees. He was a member of the jury at the 41st Berlin International Film Festival.-Selected filmography:* Reds...
, is also a film producer and former chairman of BAFTA
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
. His daughter, Emma Relph
Emma Relph
Emma Relph is a British actress, best known for her role of Jo in The Day of the Triffids. She is the daughter of Michael Relph and half-sister of Simon Relph. She now works as a professional astrologer and counsellor and is an apprentice leader of Dances of Universal Peace Unicorns...
, had several parts on television and in the films as an actress during the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
.