Michael Relph was the son of leading West End actor George Relph. Educated
at Bembridge School, he became an apprentice under Alfred Junge at Gaumont-British
Studios in 1932. Relph remained a theatrical designer and art director
throughout the 1930's, often for Michael Balcon. From 1942 he was chief art director at
Ealing. He graduated to
producer and occasional writer in 1946, establishing a regular partnership
with Basil Dearden which survived Ealing's demise. In some
cases the pair were jointly credited at Ealing with 'production and
direction', but Davy (1957) was still regarded
as Relph's debut as director. Later, he again directed occasionally,
with Dearden as producer; Rockets Galore (1958). Later in his career,
Relph specialised as a producer only, forming Allied Filmmakers in the
early 1960s. He subsequently occupied Balcon's old position as Chairman
of the B.F.I. Production Board formerly Experimental Film Fund.
