Robert James Hamer was born in 1911 along with his twin sister Barbara, the son of Owen Dyke Hamer, a bank clerk, and his wife, Annie Grace Brickell. He was educated at Cambridge University where he wrote some poetry and was published in a collection 'Contemporaries and Their Maker', along with the spy 'Donald Maclean . He died in London on December 4, 1963, and was buried at Llandegley.
Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume One, 1890-1945". Pages 438-441. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1987.
Was married from the mid 30s to the mid 50s to the actress Joan Holt, the sister of fellow-director Seth Holt.
Chronic alcoholism ended both his marriage and his career as a director, and it eventually led to his early death. At the time he died, he was almost penniless and had only a monthly allowance from his father to support himself with.
Pre-production work on "School For Scoundrels" was marked by enormous arguments between Hamer and producer Hal E. Chester (who contrived to annoy many other people on the film, too). The creative differences continued after the start of filming, and, after five weeks work, Hamer, who had successfully remained completely teetotal up to this point, went on a massive drinking binge which made him unfit for work and caused him to be fired. The last three weeks of filming were directed by an uncredited Cyril Frankel.
He made a major contribution to the screenplay of A Jolly Bad Fellow and had hoped to return to directing with it. But due to his continued alcoholism the producers wouldnt hire him and in fact, he died aged 52 several months before the film was released.
Secondly, that of using the English language, which I love, in a more,varied, and, to me, more interesting way than I had previously had the,chance of doing in a film. Thirdly, that of making a picture which paid,no regard whatever to established, though not practiced, moral,convention. .
