---
name: "David Tomblin"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/david-tomblin"
fi1m_id: "david-tomblin"
imdb_id: "nm0866563"
tmdb_id: 1213681
wikidata_id: "Q1176872"
roles: ["Producer","Director"]
born: "18 October 1930"
died: "20 July 2005"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 16
average_as: "producer"
average_over: 0
updated: "2026-10-04T20:14:00.597746+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# David Tomblin

## Identity

David Tomblin

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/david-tomblin
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** david-tomblin
- **IMDb ID:** nm0866563
- **TMDB ID:** 1213681
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1176872
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Tomblin, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1176872, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0866563/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1213681

Producer and director. Born 18 October 1930 in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK. Died 20 July 2005.

## Details

- **Work:** Producer, Director
- **Born:** 18 October 1930, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK
- **Died:** 20 July 2005
- **Active:** 1963–1998
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 16: 1 directing, 15 crew
- **BAFTA Film Awards:** 1 BAFTA (1 won)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1960s 84 (2), 1970s 85 (1), 1980s 75 (11), 1990s 61 (2)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Tomblin, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1176872, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0866563/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1213681

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Prisoner*](https://film.one/tv/the-prisoner.md) (84)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on David Tomblin

> David Tomblin helped make *The Prisoner* gripping, uneasy television, occasionally too solemn for its own good. His later career rewards attention to another skill: helping other directors manage complicated productions.

In *The Prisoner* (1967), the Village makes familiar surroundings feel unsafe, while Patrick McGoohan gives the mystery someone stubborn enough to hold our attention. We found that combination gripping: the setting unsettles us without weakening our interest in the man at its centre. David Tomblin co-created the series with McGoohan, produced every episode and contributed as writer and director. This is the work that makes the strongest case for taking him seriously as a creative partner, rather than simply an expert organiser.

His contributions as writer and director include the episodes *Arrival*, *Living in Harmony* and *The Girl Who Was Death*. Those credits make him an important part of its success, without making the whole programme his personal creation. We recommend the series warmly, with a reservation about its solemnity, which can become wearing. McGoohan supplies the stubborn centre it needs, but the programme sometimes asks us to tolerate more seriousness than it needs. Admiration need not mean enjoying every minute.

Further television directing followed on Gerry Anderson productions including *UFO*, *Space: 1999* and *The Protectors*. From the mid-1970s, however, his career chiefly developed through first assistant directing on large international features. He handled assistant and second-unit directing duties on *Superman* (1978), then served as first assistant director on *The Empire Strikes Back* (1980) and *Raiders of the Lost Ark* (1981). These are different responsibilities from those he held on *The Prisoner*, and we should keep the distinction clear. A familiar title alone tells us little about his decisions on set.

*Gandhi* (1982) gives us something more specific: Tomblin supervised a crowd sequence involving 250,000 participants. His repeated collaborations with Richard Attenborough, Irvin Kershner and the Lucasfilm team belong to this part of the career, built around managing complicated productions. It is work worth recognising without pretending that those films express his personal view. For the director and writer, start with *The Prisoner*, allowing for the stretches when its seriousness makes a second episode less tempting.

## Biography

David Tomblin (18 October 1930 – 20 July 2005) was an English film and television producer, assistant director and director. Born in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, he began working in the film industry as a runner at the age of 14 and became a first assistant director in 1954 after National Service in the Royal Marines.

Tomblin is best known as the producer of the 1967–1968 series *The Prisoner*, which he co-created with Patrick McGoohan. He also wrote and directed episodes of the series, including "Living in Harmony" and "The Girl Who Was Death". He directed episodes of other series such as *UFO*, *The Protectors* and *Space: 1999*.

As a first assistant director or second unit director, Tomblin worked on numerous high-profile films including *Barry Lyndon* (1975), *Superman* (1978), *The Empire Strikes Back* (1980), the Indiana Jones series, *Braveheart* (1995) and *The Man in the Iron Mask* (1998). He received an OBE and a BAFTA Michael Balcon Award for his contributions to cinema.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (16)

### Directed (1)

- *The Prisoner* (1967), Fi1m 84, Writer, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-prisoner.md)

### Crew (15)

- *The Man in the Iron Mask* (1998), Fi1m 54, First Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-man-in-the-iron-mask.md)
- *Braveheart* (1995), Fi1m 68, First Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/braveheart.md)
- *Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade* (1989), Fi1m 83, First Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/indiana-jones-and-the-last-crusade.md)
- *Cry Freedom* (1987), Fi1m 72, First Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/cry-freedom.md)
- *Empire of the Sun* (1987), Fi1m 81, First Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/empire-of-the-sun.md)
- *Out of Africa* (1985), Fi1m 54, First Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/out-of-africa.md)
- *Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom* (1984), Fi1m 65, Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/indiana-jones-and-the-temple-of-doom.md)
- *Never Say Never Again* (1983), Fi1m 64, First Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/never-say-never-again.md)
- *Return of the Jedi* (1983), Fi1m 75, First Assistant Director, Second Unit Director — [page](https://film.one/film/return-of-the-jedi.md)
- *Gandhi* (1982), Fi1m 73, First Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/gandhi.md)
- *Raiders of the Lost Ark* (1981), Fi1m 93, First Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/raiders-of-the-lost-ark.md)
- *Superman II* (1980), Fi1m 74, Second Unit Director — [page](https://film.one/film/superman-ii.md)
- *The Empire Strikes Back* (1980), Fi1m 92, First Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-empire-strikes-back.md)
- *Barry Lyndon* (1975), Fi1m 85, Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/barry-lyndon.md)
- *The Haunting* (1963), Fi1m 84, Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-haunting.md)

## Complete filmography (52)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut* (2006), Second Unit Director
- *EverAfter* (1998), Second Unit Director
- *The Man in the Iron Mask* (1998), First Assistant Director — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/the-man-in-the-iron-mask.md)
- *Hearst Castle: Building the Dream* (1996), First Assistant Director
- *Braveheart* (1995), First Assistant Director — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/braveheart.md)
- *Return of the Ewok* (1994), Director, Writer, Producer
- *The Three Musketeers* (1993), First Assistant Director
- *Chaplin* (1992), First Assistant Director
- *Havana* (1990), First Assistant Director
- *Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade* (1989), First Assistant Director — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/indiana-jones-and-the-last-crusade.md)
- *The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* (1988), Line Producer
- *Empire of the Sun* (1987), First Assistant Director — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/empire-of-the-sun.md)
- *Cry Freedom* (1987), First Assistant Director — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/cry-freedom.md)
- *Out of Africa* (1985), First Assistant Director — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/out-of-africa.md)
- *King David* (1985), First Assistant Director, Second Unit Director
- *Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom* (1984), Assistant Director — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/indiana-jones-and-the-temple-of-doom.md)
- *Never Say Never Again* (1983), First Assistant Director — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/never-say-never-again.md)
- *Return of the Jedi* (1983), Second Unit Director, First Assistant Director — Fi1m 75, [page](https://film.one/film/return-of-the-jedi.md)
- *Gandhi* (1982), First Assistant Director — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/gandhi.md)
- *Ivanhoe* (1982), Assistant Director
- *Raiders of the Lost Ark* (1981), First Assistant Director — Fi1m 93, [page](https://film.one/film/raiders-of-the-lost-ark.md)
- *Superman II* (1980), Second Unit Director — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/superman-ii.md)
- *The Empire Strikes Back* (1980), First Assistant Director — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/the-empire-strikes-back.md)
- *Invasion: UFO* (1980), Writer, Director
- *The Prisoner of Zenda* (1979), Second Unit Director
- *Zulu Dawn* (1979), Second Unit Director
- *Superman* (1978), Assistant Director, Second Unit Director
- *March or Die* (1977), Second Unit Director
- *A Bridge Too Far* (1977), First Assistant Director
- *The Omen* (1976), Assistant Director
- *Barry Lyndon* (1975), Assistant Director — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/barry-lyndon.md)
- *The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother* (1975), Assistant Director
- *Space: 1999* (1975), series, Director
- *Space: 1999* (1975), Director
- *Shaft in Africa* (1973), Second Unit Director
- *A Warm December* (1973), First Assistant Director
- *The Protectors* (1972), series, Director
- *UFO: Take Them Alive* (1972), Director, Writer
- *UFO: Red alert... Attack on Earth!* (1971), Director, Script
- *UFO* (1970), series, Director, Writer
- *The Prisoner* (1967), series, Writer, Director, Producer — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-prisoner.md)
- *The Alphabet Murders* (1965), Assistant Director
- *The Liquidator* (1965), Assistant Director
- *Murder Ahoy* (1964), Assistant Director
- *Night Must Fall* (1964), Assistant Director
- *Murder Most Foul* (1964), Assistant Director
- *The Haunting* (1963), Assistant Director — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-haunting.md)
- *I Thank a Fool* (1962), Assistant Director
- *Reach for Glory* (1962), Assistant Director
- *Taste of Fear* (1961), Assistant Director
- *Cat & Mouse* (1958), First Assistant Director
- *The Count of Monte Cristo* (1956), series, Assistant Director

## Awards

### BAFTA Film Awards — 1 won

- 2003: BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/david-tomblin