---
name: "John Dighton"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/john-dighton"
fi1m_id: "john-dighton"
imdb_id: "nm0226538"
tmdb_id: 11995
wikidata_id: "Q6229433"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "8 December 1909"
died: "16 April 1989"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 78
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-09-17T17:18:24.991684+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."
---

# John Dighton

## Identity

John Dighton

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/john-dighton
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** john-dighton
- **IMDb ID:** nm0226538
- **TMDB ID:** 11995
- **Wikidata ID:** Q6229433
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dighton, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6229433, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0226538/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11995

Writer. Born 8 December 1909 in London, England, UK. Died 16 April 1989.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 8 December 1909, London, England, UK
- **Died:** 16 April 1989
- **Active:** 1949–2026
- **Also known as:** John Gervase Dighton
- **Academy Awards:** 2 Oscar nominations
- **Average Fi1m score:** 78, as writer, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1940s 91 (1), 1950s 88 (1), 2020s 55 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 78 to 75 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Comedy 3, Crime 1, Drama 1, Romance 1, Thriller 1
- **Screen time:** 5 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $34m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dighton, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6229433, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0226538/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11995

## Streaming the US now

- **Apple TV:** [*Kind Hearts and Coronets*](https://film.one/film/kind-hearts-and-coronets.md) (91)

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

## Biography

John Gervase Dighton (8 December 1909 – 16 April 1989) was a British playwright and screenwriter. Born in London, he was educated at Charterhouse School and Caius College, Cambridge. He wrote for the stage before entering films in 1935, initially contributing to comedies starring Will Hay and George Formby, and later working at Ealing Studios from 1939.

Dighton is best known for his screenplays for Ealing comedies including *Kind Hearts and Coronets* (1949) and *The Man in the White Suit* (1951), the latter earning him an Academy Award nomination. He received a second nomination for *Roman Holiday* (1953). Other credits include *Went the Day Well?* (1942), *Nicholas Nickleby* (1947) and *The Devil's Disciple* (1959).

His stage play *The Happiest Days of Your Life* (1947) ran for more than 600 performances in the West End and was adapted for the screen by Dighton in 1950. He also adapted his play *Who Goes There!* for the 1952 film.

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

## On Fi1m (3)

- *How to Make a Killing* (2026), Fi1m 55, Original Film Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/how-to-make-a-killing.md)
- *Roman Holiday* (1953), Fi1m 88, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/roman-holiday.md)
- *Kind Hearts and Coronets* (1949), Fi1m 91, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/kind-hearts-and-coronets.md)

## Complete filmography (37)

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

- *How to Make a Killing* (2026), Original Film Writer — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/how-to-make-a-killing.md)
- *Summer of the Seventeenth Doll* (1959), Screenplay
- *The Devil's Disciple* (1959), Screenplay
- *The Barretts of Wimpole Street* (1957), Screenplay
- *The Swan* (1956), Writer
- *Roman Holiday* (1953), Screenplay — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/roman-holiday.md)
- *The Story of William Tell* (1953), Writer
- *Folly to Be Wise* (1952), Screenplay
- *Who Goes There!* (1952), Screenplay
- *Brandy for the Parson* (1952), Screenplay
- *The Man in the White Suit* (1951), Screenplay
- *The Happiest Days of Your Life* (1950), Theatre Play, Screenplay
- *Kind Hearts and Coronets* (1949), Screenplay — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/kind-hearts-and-coronets.md)
- *Saraband for Dead Lovers* (1948), Writer
- *The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby* (1947), Screenplay
- *Champagne Charlie* (1944), Screenplay
- *My Learned Friend* (1943), Screenplay
- *Undercover* (1943), Screenplay
- *Went the Day Well?* (1942), Screenplay, Story
- *The Goose Steps Out* (1942), Screenplay
- *The Foreman Went to France* (1942), Screenplay
- *The Next of Kin* (1942), Writer
- *The Black Sheep of Whitehall* (1942), Screenplay, Original Story
- *The Ghost of St. Michael's* (1941), Writer
- *Sailors Three* (1940), Screenplay
- *Saloon Bar* (1940), Writer
- *That’s The Ticket* (1940), Writer
- *The Briggs Family* (1940), Writer
- *Let George Do It!* (1940), Screenplay
- *Hoots Mon* (1940), Screenplay
- *The Good Old Days* (1939), Screenplay
- *Everything Happens to Me* (1938), Writer
- *Thank Evans* (1938), Writer
- *The Viper* (1938), Screenplay
- *The Compulsory Wife* (1937), Script
- *The Vulture* (1937), Screenplay
- *Hail and Farewell* (1936), Script

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 2 nominated

- 1954: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated), for *Roman Holiday*
- 1953: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated), for *The Man in the White Suit*

*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/john-dighton