Biography
Neil Paterson was a Scottish novelist, short story writer and screenwriter. Born in Greenock, he was educated at Banff Academy and the University of Edinburgh. Before turning to writing he played football as an amateur, appearing for Buckie Thistle, Leith Athletic and Dundee United, whom he captained in the 1936–37 season. He later worked as a journalist with D.C. Thomson in Dundee.
Paterson published novels including The China Run (1948) and short-story collections. His own short story “Scotch Settlement” formed the basis of the 1953 film The Kidnappers, for which he wrote the screenplay. He went on to write screenplays for Man on a Tightrope (1953), The Shiralee (1957), High Tide at Noon (1957) and Innocent Sinners (1958). His adaptation of John Braine’s novel Room at the Top (1959) won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He died in Crieff in 1995.
