DIRECTOR
Lewis Gilbert
17 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (17)
- #001
Lewis Gilbert was appointed CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1997 Queen's Birthday Honours for his services to the film industry.
- #002
Lewis Gilbert was the brother-in-law of Sydney Tafler and the father of John Gilbert.
- #003
Lewis Gilbert directed four actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Michael Caine (Best Actor, Alfie (1966); Best Actor, Educating Rita (1983)), Vivien Merchant (Best Supporting Actress, Alfie (1966)), Julie Walters (Best Actress, Educating Rita (1983)) and Pauline Collins (Best Actress, Shirley Valentine (1989)).
- #004
During the Second World War, Lewis Gilbert was attached to the US Air Force film unit.
- #005
Lewis Gilbert was asked to direct For Your Eyes Only (1981), but declined because he was exhausted after making two Bond films back to back.
- #006
Lewis Gilbert's mother was of Jewish origin.
- #007
Lewis Gilbert first worked behind the camera in the RAF during the Second World War, where he made several short documentaries.
- #008
Lewis Gilbert was asked to direct On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), but declined.
- #009
In 1944, Lewis Gilbert was invalided out of the RAF and subsequently joined British Instructional as a documentary director.
- #010
On his appearance on Desert Island Discs, Lewis Gilbert said his greatest mistake was not directing Oliver! (1968). Lionel Bart had assured Gilbert that no one else would make the film, but Gilbert was determined to make a film for Paramount to which he was contractually bound (he has since refused to name it), which led to his withdrawal from the project.
- #011
In the 1920s and 1930s, Lewis Gilbert was the family's breadwinner as a child actor in films.
- #012
All My Flashbacks: The Autobiography of Lewis Gilbert, Sixty Years a Film Director was published by Reynolds & Hearn in 2010.
- #013
On 30 April 2001, Lewis Gilbert was awarded a BAFTA Fellowship.
- #014
Lewis Gilbert's family included several music hall performers. He was a child actor and took small roles in several films in his youth.
- #015
Lewis Gilbert died on 23 February 2018, only eleven days short of his 98th birthday.
- #016
Lewis Gilbert was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1997 Birthday Honours for his services to the film industry. In 2001 he became a Fellow of the British Film Institute, the highest honour in the British film industry.
- #017
Lewis Gilbert directed a film nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Alfie (1966).
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