Ronald Neame, the director of 1972 box-office hit, The Poseidon Adventure, died this week after being injured at a fall at his home. The 99-year-old Briton, who was nominated for three Academy Awards in his lifetime, started his career as a messenger boy at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire. Aged just 17 when he landed his first big break as an assistant cameraman, Neame was fortunate enough to work alongside Alfred Hitchcock on his 1929 feature-film (and the first British 'talkie') Blackmail.
As a producer Neame went on to form his own company, Cineguild, where he produced classics such as Brief Encounter (1945), Great Expectations (1946) and Oliver Twist (1948). It was for Brief Encounter and Great Expectations that Neame would receive his last two Academy nominations - both for Best Screenplay. But it is for directing The Poseidon Adventure that Neame will always be most remembered. Despite an overall panning by critics the film went on to smash box-office records, and was at one point the sixth highest-grossing movie in cinema history.
Starring Gene Hackman, the action followed a group of passengers fighting for survival after their ocean liner capsized. The film featured stars such as Ernest Borgnine and Shelley Winters and won two of the seven Academy Awards it was nominated for.