James Whale
''This is a page about the director James Whale. There is a British radio presenter, also called James Whale.
James Whale (July 22, 1896-May 29, 1957) was a film director. Born in Dudley, England, his family was too poor to afford him an extensive education and he worked in a foundry while attending evening classes in art.
He was best known for his work in the horror genre, making such films as Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Invisible Man. He was also responsible for such major films as Waterloo Bridge, Show Boat, and The Man in the Iron Mask.
Whale is the subject of the novel Father of Frankenstein by Christopher Bram, which was the basis for the 1998 film Gods and Monsters. The film, which won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, starred Ian McKellen as Whale. A good biography of Whale is written by Mark Gatiss and titled 'James Whale: a biogaphy' (or 'the would-be gentleman').
A memorial statue was erected for Whale in 2002 by the new multiplex cinema of his home town of Dudley. The statue depicts a roll of film with the face of Frankenstein's monster engraved into the cells and the names of his most famous films etched into the film-tin shaped base-stone.
Filmography