John Van Eyssen

John van Eyssen (1922-1995) John van Eyssen wore several hats during his long professional career -- including that of Shakespearean thespian, movie actor, literary agent, producer and studio executive. Born and raised in South Africa, van Eyssen did not come to Great Britain until after WW II. Once in London, he studied drama at the Central School of Speech and Drama and, before graduation, joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. At the RSC, van Eyssen performed the major classical leads and also played Cassio in Orson Welles' production of Othello. As Lucifer in the York Cycle of Mystery Plays, van Eyssen inspired Dame Judi Dench, a teenager at the time, to pursue a career in acting. From there, van Eyssen branched out into radio, television and, beginning with The Angel with the Trumpet (1950), films, and went on to appear in a number of British movies of the period including Joseph Losey's Blind Date, Cockleshell Heroes and Carlton Browne of the F.O. In 1958, he appeared as Jonathan Harker in Hammer Films' cult classic, The Horror of Dracula. Van Eyssen abandoned acting in 1961 to become a literary agent for London Management. He proved to have a knack for the job and was quickly promoted to helm the literary department. He became so important that, when the company merged with London Artists, he was in charge of handling Franco Zeffirelli, Tennessee Williams, and Arthur Miller. Van Eyssen left the management business in 1965 to work at Columbia Pictures' UK division. Two years after his hiring, van Eyssen became the UK studio's Managing Director and was behind some of the studio's most popular British films, including Romeo and Juliet, To Sir With Love (1967), Born Free (1966), Georgy Girl (1966), Oliver! and A Man For All Seasons (1969). In 1969, he was promoted to Worldwide Head of Production (ex-US) and moved to New York. He left the studio in 1974 to work as an independent producer, and in 1981, produced Sidney Lumet's Daniel. Van Eyssen returned to England in 1991 and became an instrumental part of establishing Britain's premiere showcase for talented young filmmakers, the Chelsea Film Festival.