Alan Caillou Movies and Career Information

Alan Caillou was the nom de plume of Alan Samuel Lyle-Smythe M.B.E., M.C. (9 November 1914 – 1 October 2006), an author, actor, screenwriter, soldier, policeman and professional hunter. Alan Lyle-Smythe was born in Surrey, England. Prior to World War II he served with the Palestine Police from 1936-1939 where he learned the Arabic language. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire in June 1938. He married Aliza Sverdova in 1939, then studied acting from 1939-1941. In January 1940, Lyle-Smyth was commissioned in the Royal Army Service Corps. Due to his linguistic skills, he transferred to the Intelligence Corps and served in the Western Desert where he used the surname "Caillou" (the French word for 'Stone') as an alias. He was captured in North Africa, imprisoned and threatened with execution in Italy, then escaped to join the British forces at Salerno. He was then posted to serve with the partisans in Yugoslavia. He wrote about his experiences in the book The World is Six Feet Square (1954). He was promoted to Captain and awarded the Military Cross in 1944. Following the War he returned to the Palestine Police from 1946-1947 then served as a Police Commissioner in British