James Clavell

James Clavell
BornCharles Edmund Dumaresq Clavell
(1921-10-10)10 October 1921
Sydney, Australia
Died7 September 1994(1994-09-07) (aged 72)
Vevey, Switzerland
Occupation
  • Novelist
  • screenwriter
  • director
Citizenship
  • Australian
  • British
  • American
Period1958–1993
Spouse
April Stride
​
(m. 1949)​
Children
  • Michaela Clavell
  • Holly Clavell
Military career
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchBritish Army
Years of service1940–1948
RankCaptain
UnitRoyal Artillery
Battles / wars

James Clavell (born Charles Edmund Dumaresq Clavell; 10 October 1921[1][2] – 7 September 1994) was an Australian-born, British-raised and educated, naturalized-American writer, screenwriter, director, and World War II veteran and prisoner of war. Clavell is best known for his Asian Saga novels, a number of which have had television adaptations. Clavell also wrote such screenplays as those for The Fly (1958), based on the short story by George Langelaan, and The Great Escape (1963), based on the personal account of Paul Brickhill. He directed the popular 1967 film To Sir, with Love, for which he also wrote the script.

  1. ^ "James Du Maresq or Charles Edmund Clavell, California, Southern District Court (Central) Naturalization Index, 1915–1976". FamilySearch. Retrieved 26 January 2014. Date of birth often given as 10 October 1924.
  2. ^ "Births". The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 October 1921. Retrieved 26 January 2020.