- Born
- Died
- Birth nameJohn Lee Thompson
- Nickname
- Mighty Mouse
- J. Lee Thompson was born on August 1, 1914 in Bristol, England, UK. He was a director and writer, known for The Guns of Navarone (1961), Woman in a Dressing Gown (1957) and Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972). He was married to Penny Thompson, Florence (Bill) Bailey, Lucille Kelly and Joan Henry. He died on August 30, 2002 in Sooke, British Columbia, Canada.
- SpousesPenny Thompson(c. 1962 - August 30, 2002) (his death, 2 children)Florence (Bill) Bailey(1935 - ?) (2 children)Lucille Kelly(? - present)Joan Henry (divorced)
- Gregory Peck once said there were only four directors he could trust to tell him whether or not he was faking his performance: Alfred Hitchcock, George Cukor, William Wyler and Thompson.
- He was a great fan of director Martin Scorsese. His favorite film was The King of Comedy (1982). Scorsese directed the 1991 remake of Thompson's Cape Fear (1962).
- He was originally going to direct Planet of the Apes (1968) and co-owned the rights with producer Arthur Jacobs, but had to back out as he was busy working on Mackenna's Gold (1969), a troubled production that went over budget and way over schedule. He did, however, go on to direct Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973).
- Directed David Niven in three films.
- He was nicknamed "Mighty Mouse" by Gregory Peck during the filming of The Guns of Navarone (1961). The original director was fired and Thompson was hired on short notice, but managed to smooth things out and the film was a tremendous hit.
- The knack of choosing his scripts wisely is one of the greatest assets a director can have - knowing what to discard, what to refuse. I've learned by experience that it's fatal to accept a poor script because it contains one or two good scenes which you long to shoot.
- I am a pacifist. If there was another war, I don't think I would go to it.
- The cinema is growing up very gradually, and I think this slow pace is a good thing. Many people look on the film as a great art form. It isn't. It's a great mass medium for entertainment. Too often this is forgotten, particularly by many brilliant younger directors.
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