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Alexander Mackendrick

Gifted director whose films are marked by fine writing and acting and who is best known for his ingenious Ealing comedies. Born to Scottish parents in the US and raised in Scotland, Mackendrick worked in advertising and then made propaganda shorts during WWII. In 1946 he joined Ealing Studios, co-writing a number of Basil Dearden movies before making his directing debut with the comedy classic "Whisky Galore/Tight Little Island" (1949). It was followed by several other sharply observed, often darkly satirical comedies, such as the brilliant "The Man in the White Suit" (1951) and the equally memorable "The Ladykillers" (1955), both starring Alec Guinness and both superb examples of the dry, adult, yet farcical Ealing style.