Donald James

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Donald James
Donald James Wheal(1931-08-22)22 August 1931World's End, London, UK
28 April 2008(2008-04-28) (aged 76)London, UK
Thomas DresdenJames BarwickJames Taylor
Screenwriter, novelist, non‑fiction writer
Pembroke College, Cambridge
1964–2007
Inspector Vadim novels
Twin daughters

Donald James (born Donald James Wheal; 22 August 1931 – 28 April 2008) was a British screenwriter, novelist and non-fiction writer.

James was born in World's End, Chelsea. In 1944, the Wheal home was destroyed during a German bombing raid and the family moved to White City. In 1946 James visited post-war France, an experience which would influence his writing.

Educated at Sloane Grammar School and Pembroke College, Cambridge (where he read history), James completed his national service in the Parachute Regiment before returning to London to become a supply teacher. He also briefly worked in public relations and at the Daily Telegraph library. In the early 1960s, James was a television actor.

In 1964 he began a career as a screenwriter, mostly in TV, making his debut with crime drama No Hiding Place. His writing also included the TV series The Adventurer, The Avengers, The Champions, Department S, Joe 90, Mission: Impossible, The Persuaders!, The Protectors, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), The Saint, The Secret Service, Space: 1999, Terrahawks and UFO. From the 1960s to the 1980s, he penned over 250 TV scripts. He wrote for a total of 22 TV productions and films, including the Century 21 film Doppelgänger.

In the 1970s James became a thriller novelist, publishing his first title, A Spy at Evening, in 1977. His later works included The Fall of the Russian Empire (1982), Monstrum (1997), The Fortune Teller (1999), and Vadim (2000). He also wrote non-fiction, co-authoring The Penguin Dictionary of the Third Reich (1997) under pseudonym James Taylor. Other pen names included Thomas Dresden and James Barwick (originally in collaboration with Tony Barwick, a fellow writer on the TV productions of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and their company AP Films/Century 21).

His autobiographical account of London life during World War II, World's End, was published in 2005. A second volume of memoirs, White City, followed in March 2007.

James died in London on 28 April 2008. Married three times and divorced once, he was survived by twin daughters from his first marriage.

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• Donald James at IMDb