Biography

Maurice Elvey was born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, the oldest son of William Clarence Folkard, an inspecting engineer, and Sarah Anna Seward Folkard (formerly Pearce). He never had a formal education, and was working on the streets of London by the age of nine after having run away from home. For a time he worked as a page boy in the Hyde Park Hotel, and a lucky encounter with a wealthy American set him on the road to a career in first the theatre and then in films. It was while in New York when working as a stage producer that he saw his first film, The Flying Dutchman (1923). This made such an impression on him that when he came back to England he was determined to produce and direct films; thus began a career spanning 44 years, during which time he made over 300 feature films and innumerable shorts. Amongst the "firsts" that Maurice Elvey can claim as a director are: Gaumont's first talking film (High Treason (1929)) and the first British colour film Sons of the Sea (1939)). Carol Reed and David Lean began their distinguished careers in film by working for him, and he directed Gracie Fields in her first movie, Sally in Our Alley (1931). Maurice Elvey was the older brother of Fred V. Merrick, and during the 1920s and 1930s they worked on a number of films together. In May 1996 the world premiere of a long-lost film about David Lloyd George, directed by Elvey, took place in Cardiff more than 70 years later than scheduled. The three-hour film was suppressed on the eve of its release under circumstances that have still not been fully explained. The film was acclaimed by cinema historians as a milestone in film making, and it is believed that had it been released in 1918, as originally planned, it may well have changed the course of British cinema.

Maurice Elvey was married three times. His first marriage took place on 31st December 1910 to Adeline Maud Charlton Preston (aka actress 'Philippa Preston'. This marriage ended in divorce. He then married Florence Hill Clarke (a sculptor) on 2nd February 1916. This marriage, too, ended in divorce. On 13th January 1923 he married Isabella Reed (aka actress Isobel Elsom), but this marriage also ended in divorce. As Elvey's niece and god-daughter I was privileged to unveil a plaque in April 1997 at the Green Dragon Museum, Stockton-on-Tees as part of the Centenary of Cinema Celebrations.
- IMDb mini biography by: em@veeandtee.bbmax.co.uk

Maurice Elvey was a film pioneer and the most prolific director in British film history, making some 300 feature films and innumerable shorts. His film career spanned 44 years, but to the majority of film fans his name means nothing. He was born William Seward Folkard on 11 November 1887 in Park Road Stockton and had very little education. By the age of nine, he was working in London as a street seller. Theatre fascinated him and he pursued his interest by getting bit parts in various productions. At one point, he was a member of the Byng Boys and later went to America , where he produced a number of classic plays on Broadway. While in America, he saw his first feature film, The Flying Dutchman, and his theatrical career was abandoned. In 1921, the first serious all-British series of Sherlock Holmes films were directed by Maurice, who also had a hand in the screenplays. In the same year he made a Spanish style romantic drama, The Fruitful Vine, in which the lead was played by Basil Rathbone. Amongst the firsts that Maurice can claim as director are Gaumont's first talking feature picture, High Treason, in 1929, and the first British colour film, Sons of the Sea, in 1939. Carol Reed and David Lean started their careers working for him and he directed Gracie Fields in her first film, Sally in our Alley. May 1996 saw the world premier of a long lost film he directed in about 1926 about David Lloyd George. The film had been suppressed on the eve of it*s release. All trace of it was lost, until the original print and negative was found in a lead lined casket in a barn.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tonyman 5