Roy William Neill

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 died in London, England from a heart attack.

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man

6.2

The Woman in Green

6.4

Terror by Night

6.6

Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon

6.3

Dressed to Kill

6.5

The House of Fear

6.9

The Scarlet Claw

6.9

The Spider Woman

6.9

The Pearl of Death

7.1

Sherlock Holmes Faces Death

6.8

Sherlock Holmes in Washington

6.7

Pursuit to Algiers

6.8

The Black Room

6.4

Black Angel

6.0

Black Moon

5.2

The 9th Guest

5.7

The Viking

6.4

The Lone Wolf Returns

5.9

Doctor Syn

6.6

The Circus Queen Murder

5.0

Whirlpool

6.1

Eyes of the Underworld

4.8

The Menace

4.5

The Avenger

5.8

Gypsy Wildcat

5.7

Just Like Heaven

5.7

Cock o' the Walk

3.2

Jealousy

4.7

Vive la France!

5.0

Hoots Mon

5.0

The Good Bad Girl

5.5

Good References

5.5

Yes or No

5.5

Black Paradise

4.0

Above the Clouds

6.0

Blind Date

7.0

Love Me

1.0

Eight Bells

6.0

Marriage in Transit

5.0

Rhythm of the Islands

4.0

Madame Spy

6.0

Fifty Fathoms Deep

1.0

Wall Street

6.0

The Melody Man

1.0

Greater Than a Crown

0.0

Mills of the Gods

0.0

Fury of the Jungle

0.0

The Kaiser's Shadow

0.0

The Virgin Queen

0.0

By Divine Right

0.0

San Francisco Nights

0.0

The Iron Trail

0.0

The City

0.0

Green Eyes

0.0

The Arizona Wildcat

0.0

A Gentleman's Gentleman

0.0

The Fighting Buckaroo

0.0

My Lady's Lips

0.0

Percy

0.0

A Man Four-Square

0.0

As the Devil Commands

0.0

Lady Raffles

0.0

The Girl, Glory

0.0

The Woman Gives

0.0

Dangerous Business

0.0

Thank Evans

0.0

His Brother’s Keeper

0.0

Murder Will Out

0.0

Double or Quits

0.0

The Good Old Days

0.0

The Viper

0.0

Simply Terrific

0.0

Quiet, Please

0.0

The Inner Voice

0.0

I'll Fix It

0.0

That's My Boy

0.0

The Cowboy and the Countess

0.0

The Price Mark

0.0

Broken Laws

0.0

Love Letters

0.0

What's Wrong with the Women?

0.0

Behind Closed Doors

0.0

The Conquest of Canaan

0.0

The Man from M.A.R.S.

0.0

Cleopatra

0.0

Vanity's Price

0.0

The Career of Katherine Bush

0.0

Everything Happens to Me

0.0

Gypsy

0.0

The Olympic Hero

0.0