E.M. Smedley-Aston (1912-2006) b. Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK.

E. M. Smedley Aston was born in Edgbaston he was educated at Marlborough College. He entered the film industry as a runner at British International Pictures in 1932. Throughout the 1930s he worked as Production Assistant and Assistant Director at a variety of studios, including Gaumont British, MGM Elstree, and for more cut-price producers such as George King. During the war he joined the RAF Film Unit, and worked in Canada. After the war he worked as Production Manager for the Independent Producers group at Rank on films such as Great Expectations (1946) and The Blue Lagoon (1949). He maintained a particularly strong working relationship with Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat. He became a producer through Group 3 in the 1950s, and his later productions include Two Way Stretch (1960). He retired in 1980.