Roy William Neill

Biography

Roy William Neill (4 September 1887 – 14 December 1946) was a film director best known today for directing several of the Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, made between 1943 and 1946 and released by Universal Studios. With his father as the captain, Neill was born on a ship off the coast of Ireland named Roland de Gostrie. He began directing silent movies in 1917 and went on to helm 107 films, 40 of them silent. Although most of Neill's films were for the most part low-budget B-movies, he was known for directing films with meticulously lit scenes with carefully layered shadows that would become the style of film noir in the late 1940s. In fact, his last film, Black Angel (1946), is considered a film noir. He was also credited in some works as R. William Neill, Roy W. Neill, and Roy Neill. Neill lived in the United States for most of his career and was a U.S. citizen. He did go to London from 1935 until 1940 where better opportunities existed for American directors. During this period, British film producer Edward Black hired Neill to direct The Lady Vanishes. However, due to delays in production, Black hired Alfred Hitchcock to direct instead. Neill …

Directed

1. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) — Director
2. Terror by Night (1946) — Director
3. The Woman in Green (1945) — Director
4. Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942) — Director
5. Dressed to Kill (1946) — Director
6. The House of Fear (1945) — Director
7. The Scarlet Claw (1944) — Director
8. The Spider Woman (1943) — Director
9. The Pearl of Death (1944) — Director
10. Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943) — Director
11. Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943) — Director
12. Pursuit to Algiers (1945) — Director
13. The Black Room (1935) — Director
14. Black Angel (1946) — Director
15. Black Moon (1934) — Director
16. The 9th Guest (1934) — Director
17. The Viking (1928) — Director
18. Whirlpool (1934) — Director
19. The Circus Queen Murder (1933) — Director
20. The Lone Wolf Returns (1935) — Director
21. Doctor Syn (1937) — Director
22. Eyes of the Underworld (1942) — Director
23. The Menace (1932) — Director
24. Gypsy Wildcat (1944) — Director
25. Cock o' the Walk (1930) — Director
26. The Avenger (1931) — Director
27. The Good Bad Girl (1931) — Director
28. Just Like Heaven (1930) — Director
29. Jealousy (1934) — Director
30. Black Paradise (1926) — Director
31. Hoots Mon (1940) — Director
32. Good References (1920) — Director
33. Yes or No (1920) — Director
34. Fifty Fathoms Deep (1931) — Director
35. The Melody Man (1930) — Director
36. Vive la France! (1918) — Director
37. Above the Clouds (1933) — Director
38. Blind Date (1934) — Director
39. Love Me (1918) — Director
40. Eight Bells (1935) — Director

Also appeared in

1. A Corner in Colleens (1916) — Dan Allen