Wolf Mankowitz Movies and Career Information

Cyril Wolf Mankowitz (7 November 1924 – 20 May 1998) was an English writer, playwright and screenwriter of Russian Jewish descent. He was born in Fashion Street in Spitalfields in the East End of London, the heart of London's Jewish community. He was educated at Downing College, Cambridge. His background provided Mankowitz with the material for his most successful book A Kid for Two Farthings (1953). This was adapted as a film by the director Carol Reed in 1955. Mankowitz himself wrote the screenplay. In 1958 he wrote the book for the West End musical Expresso Bongo which was made into a film starring Cliff Richard the following year. His 1960 film The Millionairess, starring Sophia Loren and Peter Sellers, was nominated for a BAFTA award. Another of his screenplays at this time was a collaboration with director Val Guest on the science fiction film The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961). In 1962, Mankowitz offered to introduce friend Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, holder of the film rights to James Bond, when Broccoli mentioned he desired to make the Bond series his next film project. The two men formed a partnership and began co-producing the first Bond film, Doctor No, for