Young, Terence (1915–1994)

British film director. He worked in Hollywood and Europe, and carved a niche in popular cinema by masterminding three of the early James Bond action films. The first of these, Dr No (1962), was quite modestly budgeted but evinced a cynical, luxurious flair that made it a box-office hit and launched a continuing tradition.

Young was born to English parents in Shanghai, China. He began his career as a screenwriter of British films in the late 1930s. After service in World War II, he graduated to directing, with the melodrama Corridor of Mirrors (1948). During the 1950s, he made several films in Britain for US companies, including The Red Beret (1953) and Safari (1956), exhibiting the theatricality that was to flourish in the Bond movies, which included From Russia with Love (1963) and Thunderball (1965).

His later projects include the suspense thriller Wait Until Dark (1967) and the period tear-jerker Mayerling (1968). His last film was the little-regarded mystery The Jigsaw Man (1984).