Jack Lee

Who was Jack Lee?

Jack Lee was a film director, writer, editor and producer.

Wilfred John Raymond Lee was born in the village of Slad near Stroud in Gloucestershire. Among his films are The Wooden Horse, a Second World War film; A Town Like Alice, starring Virginia McKenna and Peter Finch, based on Nevil Shute's novel; and Robbery Under Arms, a Western-style adventure set in Australia, based on the 1888 novel by "Rolf Boldrewood". He served as chairman of the South Australian Film Corporation, which started the careers of Bruce Beresford and Peter Weir.

Jack Lee was the eldest brother of Laurie Lee, author of Cider with Rosie, in childhood growing up the two were very close but in later life they fell out . They were always natural rivals with Jack getting a place at the grammar school, an advantage not granted to Laurie who went to Stroud Central School for Boys. He was married two times, in 1946 to Nora Dawson after her divorce from Adam Alexander Dawson, and in 1963 to Isabel Kidman, and had two children. He returned frequently to England but spent the rest of his life in Australia, and died in Sydney in 2002.