Biography
A stage actor by the early '40s, Harvey appeared in the 1945 film
Caesar and Cleopatra, and by the end of the decade was working as an editor. Harvey cut such notable films as
John Boulting's I'm All Right, Jack,
Bryan Forbes'
The L-Shaped Room and
The Whisperers,
Stanley Kubrick's
Lolita and Dr. Strangelove, and
Martin Ritt's
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. He debuted as a director in 1967 with
Dutchman, an adaptation of LeRoi Jones' two-character play, which he also edited. Harvey had his first popular success with his second film, the historical drama
The Lion in Winter, with
Peter O'Toole and
Katharine Hepburn; he also guided Hepburn in a television film of
Tennessee Williams'
The Glass Menagerie and the black comedy
Grace Quigley (aka The Ultimate Solution of Grace Quigley). Among his other theatrical features are
They Might Be Giants and
Richard's Things; his notable television films include
The Disappearance of Aimee,
Svengali and
The Patricia Neal Story. ~ All Movie Guide