James Beveridge
| James Beveridge | |
|---|---|
James Beveridge c. 1950
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| Born |
August 12, 1917 Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Died | February 16, 1993 (aged 75) Toronto, Ontario |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Other names | James Alexander Beveridge |
| Alma mater | University of British Columbia |
| Occupation | Filmmaker, Teacher |
| Known for | Filmmaking, Writing |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children |
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James Beveridge (August 12, 1917 – February 16, 1993) was a Canadian filmmaker, author and educator. Beveridge was a pioneering filmmaker at the fledgling National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and rose to become Head of Production and Executive Producer at the NFB in postwar years.
James A. Beveridge was born in Vancouver and after completing his Bachelor's degree in Journalism at the University of British Columbia, he received an Imperial Relations Trust Bursary to travel to England where he wanted to write a book on the history of film. In 1939, while seeking out sponsors for his book in London, he met the famous documentary filmmaker, John Grierson who persuaded him to seek out the GPO Film Unit in London to learn about documentary filmmaking.
When the Second World War broke out, Grierson sent Beveridge to Ottawa, to help establish the National Film Board of Canada. He was initially hired as a film cutter, then as an editor. During the war, in various duties as editor, director and producer, Beveridge worked on more than 80 documentary films. Films he directed, include The Voice of Action (1942), Banshees Over Canada (1943) and Look to the North (1944).
Beveridge later became a war correspondent in the Royal Canadian Air Force, serving in Europe from 1944–1945. While working on the NFB documentary film, Inside Fighting Canada (1942), he had met fellow NFB colleague Jane Smart, also a director, scriptwriter and editor. Coming back to Canada after the Second World War, Beveridge married Jane Marsh (going by her married name, but divorced at the time), but their marriage was short-lived. According to Beveridge's daughter, he recounted that "I think Jane couldn't resist a man in an aviator's jacket. They had a brief and disastrous marriage after the war was over. When I once asked him about it, Dad told me that 'they were both too nutty' and so they went their separate ways."
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