British director Clive Donner was born in West Hampstead, London, England. By the time he was 18 years old, he had already begun his career in the film industry, working as an office clerk at Denham Studios. Over time, he progressed from his initial role to become an editor and eventually, he earned the opportunity to take on the role of a director.
After producing a series of television commercials, Donner made his theatrical directorial debut with The Secret Place in 1957. During the 1960s, he shifted his focus from smaller, more edgy black-and-white films to more commercial, contemporary productions, including Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush in 1968, What's New Pussycat in 1965, and the ill-fated Alfred the Great in 1969.
Despite experiencing a string of unsuccessful films, including The Nude Bomb in 1980 and Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen in 1981, Donner continued to work sporadically in the film industry. He primarily returned to television, where he produced some of his most critically acclaimed work, including a faithful adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel, A Christmas Carol in 1984, featuring George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge.
However, his subsequent project, Arthur the King in 1985, was met with widespread criticism and is often regarded as one of the worst films of all time.
