Born in Boston in 1912 to Scottish parents, Alexander Mackendrick grew up in Glasgow and began in advertising and animation. At Ealing Studios he directed four of its best-loved comedies, Whisky Galore!, The Man in the White Suit, Mandy and The Ladykillers, combining satire with a dark undertone. He then went to Hollywood to make Sweet Smell of Success (1957), a bitter portrait of a gossip columnist and a press agent in New York. From 1969 he headed the film programme at CalArts, where he taught a generation of directors.
Filmography
- Whisky Galore! (1949)
- The Man in the White Suit (1951)
- Mandy (1952)
- The Maggie (1954)
- The Ladykillers (1955)
- Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
- Sammy Going South (1963)
- A High Wind in Jamaica (1965)