Desmond Davis

Desmond Stanley Tracey Davis (24 May 1926 – 3 July 2021) was a British film and television director, best known for his 1981 version of Clash of the Titans. Early life and career Desmond Davis was born in Wandsworth, southwest of London. His parents were Dorothy (nee Newbold) and Isaac (known as William) Davis, director of optical lens manufacturer Newbold & Co. While a student at the Regent Street Polytechnic (now University of Westminster), Davis studied photography and cinematography. In 1944 Davis joined Riverside Studios as a clapper loader. While there, he worked on two comedies, Don't Take It to Heart (directed by Jeffrey Dell) and It's in the Bag (directed by Richard Wallace). Davis was then drafted to join the British Army Film and Photographic Unit, serving at the end of the Second World War at age 18. He was a sergeant in the army's South East Asia Command from 1945-49. He traveled extensively and the footage of his work can be seen in the Imperial War Museum.