Paul Edward Dehn ( ; 5 November 1912 – 30 September 1976) was a British screenwriter, playwright, critic, and World War II intelligence officer.
He was known for writing the screenplays to Goldfinger (1964), the John le Carré adaptations The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965) and The Deadly Affair (1967), the Planet of the Apes films (1970–74), and the Sidney Lumet-directed adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express (1974).
He won an Academy Award for Best Story for Seven Days to Noon (1950), and the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay for Orders to Kill (1958).
Early life Dehn was born in 1912 in Manchester, to Jewish parents of German descent. He had a younger sister, author Olive Dehn. He was educated at Shrewsbury School, and attended Brasenose College, Oxford.Clifford Dyment, Roy Fuller and Montagu Slater (editors), New Poems 1952 (1952), p. 161. While at Oxford, he contributed film reviews to weekly undergraduate papers.
He began his writing career in 1936 as a film reviewer for several London newspapers. He was lead film critic for the News Chronicle until its closure in 1960 and then for the Daily Herald until 1963.advert placed by the Daily Herald in the Coventry Evening Telegraph, 31 October 1960
World War II During World War II, he was stationed at Camp X in Ontario, Canada. This was one of several training facilities operated by the British Special Operations Executive to train spies and special forces teams. He was the Political Warfare officer from 1942 to 1944 and held the rank of Major. Dehn took part in missions in France and Norway, and was for a time partnered with Kim Philby. According to John le Carré, Dehn was involved in assassination operations.
Writing career In 1949, Dehn began a collaboration with composer James Bernard. Dehn asked Bernard to collaborate with him on the original story for the Boulting Brothers film Seven Days to Noon (1950).
He narrated the 1951 documentary Waters of Time and later wrote plays, operettas and musicals for the stage. He wrote the lyrics for songs in two films, Moulin Rouge (1952) and The Innocents (1961).
Through the 1960s, Dehn concentrated on screenwriting for spy films, including Goldfinger (1964), The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), and The Deadly Affair (1967). He was recommended to the latter two projects by source material author John le Carré himself, who said Dehn knew far more about the espionage world than himself. Le Carré said of Dehn that "[he had] a pretty startling experience of the spook world, but he was a very gentle guy, lovely to work with."
Dehn wrote the screenplay for Franco Zeffirelli's 1967 film of The Taming of the Shrew, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The film was a significant box-office hit.
He later wrote the screenplays for the second, third, and fourth original Planet of the Apes movies and received the story-by credit on the fifth. He wrote the librettos for William Walton's opera The Bear and two operas by Lennox Berkeley, A Dinner Engagement and Castaway.
His last screenplay was for Sidney Lumet's all-star Murder on the Orient Express (1974), based on the Agatha Christie whodunit, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Dehn resurrected or reinvented at least three genres given up for dead at the time; the British mystery, the Shakespeare adaptation, and the spy film.
Personal life Dehn was gay, and in a long-term relationship with his oft-collaborator James Bernard.
Through his sister Olive, Dehn was uncle to actresses Kika and Petra Markham, makeup artist Sonia Markham, and poet Jehane Markham.
Death Suffering from lung cancer for the final years of his life, Dehn died on September 30, 1976 in Chelsea.
Filmography YearTitleDirectorNotes1950Seven Days to NoonJohn Boulting Roy BoultingCo-wrote story w/James Bernard1952Moulin RougeJohn HustonMusic lyricist1955I Am a CameraHenry Cornelius1956On Such a NightAnthony Asquith1958Orders to KillCo-writer w/George St. George1964GoldfingerGuy HamiltonCo-writer w/Richard Maibaum1965The Spy Who Came in from the ColdMartin RittCo-writer w/Guy Trosper1967The Deadly AffairSidney LumetThe Night of the GeneralsAnatole LitvakCo-writer w/Joseph Kessel and Gore VidalThe Taming of the ShrewFranco ZeffirelliCo-writer w/Zeffirelli and Suso Cecchi d'Amico1970Fragment of FearRichard C. SarafianBeneath the Planet of the ApesTed Post1971Escape from the Planet of the ApesDon Taylor1972Conquest of the Planet of the ApesJ. Lee Thompson1973Battle for the Planet of the ApesWrote story1974Murder on the Orient ExpressSidney Lumet
Documentary works YearTitleDirectorNotes1951Waters of TimeBasil WrightNarrator, co-writer w/Wright & Bill Launder1960A Place for GoldBasil Wright
Awards and nominations AwardYearCategoryNominated workResultAcademy Award1952Best StorySeven Days to Noon1975Best Adapted ScreenplayMurder on the Orient ExpressBAFTA Award1959Best Original ScreenplayOrders to Kill1968Best Adapted ScreenplayThe Deadly AffairEdgar Award1965Best Foreign FilmGoldfinger1966Best Motion Picture ScreenplayThe Spy Who Came in from the Cold1977Murder on the Orient ExpressWriters Guild of America1966Best Adapted ScreenplayThe Spy Who Came in from the ColdWriters' Guild of Great Britain1975Best British ScreenplayMurder on the Orient Express
References
External links
The Oscar Site The New York Times Movies Archival Material at