Leslie Halliwell

Who was Leslie Halliwell?

Robert James Leslie Halliwell was a British film critic and encyclopaedist who in 1965 compiled The Filmgoer's Companion, the first one-volume encyclopaedia devoted to all aspects of the cinema. He followed it a dozen years later with Halliwell's Film Guide, another monumental work of effort and devotion. In an age long before the internet, Halliwell's books were regarded as the number one source for movie information, and his name became synonymous with film knowledge and research. Times journalist Anthony Quinton wrote in 1977:

'Immersed in the enjoyment of these fine books, one should look up for a moment to admire the quite astonishing combination of industry and authority in one man which has brought them into existence.'

In his capacity as chief buyer for the ITV network, Halliwell was further responsible for bringing to British television screens some of the most popular films and shows of the 1970s and 80s, including The Six Million Dollar Man, Charlie's Angels, The Incredible Hulk, The A-Team, The Winds of War, Jaws, Star Wars and the James Bond movies.

Halliwell's promotion of the cinema through his books and seasons of 'golden oldies' on Channel 4 won him awards from the London Film Critics' Circle and the British Film Institute, as well as a posthumous BAFTA.