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IMDbPro

James Clavell(1921-1994)

  • Writer
  • Director
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
James Clavell
James Clavell was born on October 10, 1921, in Sydney, New South Wales, as Charles Edmund Dumaresq Clavell. He was a film and TV writer and producer. During World War II, he was a British soldier and a Japanese prisoner on Java and in Singapore, which led to his great interest in things East Asian and Japanese, and the experiences of prisoners of war. Clavell is very well-known for "The Great Escape" (1963), "The Satan Bug" (1965), "King Rat" (1965), "To Sir, with Love" (1967), "Tai-Pan" (1986), "Noble House" (1988), and especially "Shogun" (1980). Shogun won the Golden Globe Award for Best TV-Series - Drama and the Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series: James Clavell (executive producer).

Clavell was married to April Stride, and they were parents of two children. He died on September 7, 1994, in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland.
BornOctober 10, 1921
DiedSeptember 7, 1994(72)
BornOctober 10, 1921
DiedSeptember 7, 1994(72)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
    • 1 win & 3 nominations total

Known for

Richard Attenborough, Steve McQueen, and James Garner in La grande évasion (1963)
La grande évasion
8.2
  • Writer
  • 1963
David Hedison and Patricia Owens in La Mouche noire (1958)
La Mouche noire
7.1
  • Writer
  • 1958
Sidney Poitier in Les anges aux poings serrés (1967)
Les anges aux poings serrés
7.6
  • Writer
  • 1967
La vallée perdue (1971)
La vallée perdue
7.0
  • Writer
  • 1971

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Writer



  • Hiroyuki Sanada in Shōgun (2024)
    Shōgun
    8.6
    TV Series
    • based on the novel by
    • 2024
  • La Noble maison (1988)
    La Noble maison
    7.6
    TV Mini Series
    • novel
    • 1988
  • James Clavell's Shogun
    Video Game
    • based on novel by
    • 1986
  • Tai-Pan (1986)
    Tai-Pan
    5.6
    • novel
    • 1986
  • The Children's Story (1982)
    The Children's Story
    8.0
    TV Movie
    • novel
    • 1982
  • Richard Chamberlain and Yôko Shimada in Shogun (1980)
    Shogun
    8.1
    TV Mini Series
    • novel
    • 1980
  • Richard Chamberlain, Toshirô Mifune, and Yôko Shimada in Shogun (1980)
    Shogun
    7.8
    TV Movie
    • novel
    • 1980
  • Král Krysa
    TV Movie
    • novel "King Rat"
    • 1979
  • To Sir, with Love
    7.8
    TV Movie
    • screenplay
    • 1974
  • La vallée perdue (1971)
    La vallée perdue
    7.0
    • written for the screen by
    • 1971
  • The Sweet and the Bitter (1967)
    The Sweet and the Bitter
    6.4
    • Writer
    • 1967
  • Sidney Poitier in Les anges aux poings serrés (1967)
    Les anges aux poings serrés
    7.6
    • written for the screen by
    • 1967
  • Un Caïd (1965)
    Un Caïd
    7.5
    • novel
    • 1965
  • Station 3: Ultra secret (1965)
    Station 3: Ultra secret
    6.1
    • screenplay
    • 1965
  • George Chakiris, Maria Perschy, and Cliff Robertson in Mission 633 (1964)
    Mission 633
    6.4
    • screen play by
    • 1964

Director



  • The Children's Story (1982)
    The Children's Story
    8.0
    TV Movie
    • Director
    • 1982
  • La vallée perdue (1971)
    La vallée perdue
    7.0
    • Director
    • 1971
  • Stanley Baker, Fiona Lewis, and Tommy Steele in Les Bas-fonds de Londres (1969)
    Les Bas-fonds de Londres
    6.5
    • Director
    • 1969
  • The Sweet and the Bitter (1967)
    The Sweet and the Bitter
    6.4
    • Director
    • 1967
  • Sidney Poitier in Les anges aux poings serrés (1967)
    Les anges aux poings serrés
    7.6
    • Director (directed by)
    • 1967
  • Les hommes volants (1961)
    Les hommes volants
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1961–1962
  • The only authorized DVD edition of all episodes in  Season One.
    L'homme à la carabine
    8.3
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1960–1961
  • The Detectives (1959)
    The Detectives
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1961
  • Jack Lord, Nobu McCarthy, James Shigeta, and Mel Tormé in J'ai acheté une Chinoise (1960)
    J'ai acheté une Chinoise
    6.6
    • Director
    • 1960
  • L'enfer du Viêt-Nam (1959)
    L'enfer du Viêt-Nam
    5.8
    • Director
    • 1959

Producer



  • La Noble maison (1988)
    La Noble maison
    7.6
    TV Mini Series
    • executive producer
    • 1988
  • The Children's Story (1982)
    The Children's Story
    8.0
    TV Movie
    • producer
    • 1982
  • Richard Chamberlain and Yôko Shimada in Shogun (1980)
    Shogun
    8.1
    TV Mini Series
    • executive producer
    • 1980
  • Richard Chamberlain, Toshirô Mifune, and Yôko Shimada in Shogun (1980)
    Shogun
    7.8
    TV Movie
    • executive producer
    • 1980
  • La vallée perdue (1971)
    La vallée perdue
    7.0
    • producer
    • 1971
  • Stanley Baker, Fiona Lewis, and Tommy Steele in Les Bas-fonds de Londres (1969)
    Les Bas-fonds de Londres
    6.5
    • producer
    • 1969
  • The Sweet and the Bitter (1967)
    The Sweet and the Bitter
    6.4
    • producer
    • 1967
  • Sidney Poitier in Les anges aux poings serrés (1967)
    Les anges aux poings serrés
    7.6
    • producer
    • 1967
  • Richard Attenborough, Steve McQueen, and James Garner in La grande évasion (1963)
    La grande évasion
    8.2
    • producer (uncredited)
    • 1963
  • Jack Lord, Nobu McCarthy, James Shigeta, and Mel Tormé in J'ai acheté une Chinoise (1960)
    J'ai acheté une Chinoise
    6.6
    • producer
    • 1960
  • L'enfer du Viêt-Nam (1959)
    L'enfer du Viêt-Nam
    5.8
    • producer
    • 1959

Personal details

Edit
  • Born
    • October 10, 1921
    • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  • Died
    • September 7, 1994
    • Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland(cancer)
  • Spouse
    • April StrideFebruary 26, 1949 - September 7, 1994 (his death, 2 children)
  • Children
      Michaela Clavell
  • Parents
      Richard Clavell
  • Other works
    Best known for his "Asian Saga" novels: King Rat, Tai-Pan, Shogun, Noble House, Whirlwind and Gai-Jin. Also wrote The Children's Story.

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    During the Second World War, he joined the Royal Artillery. Aged eighteen, he was captured by the Japanese on the island of Java in 1942, and subsequently imprisoned in the notorious Changi jail. Changi became the setting of his first novel, "King Rat".
  • Quotes
    I'm not a novelist, but a storyteller. I'm not a literary figure at all.

FAQ

Powered by Alexa
  • When did James Clavell die?
    September 7, 1994
  • How did James Clavell die?
    Cancer
  • How old was James Clavell when he died?
    72 years old
  • Where did James Clavell die?
    Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland
  • When was James Clavell born?
    October 10, 1921

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