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Personal Info

Known For

Production

Known Credits

56

Gender

Male

Birthday

1898-04-26

Day of Death

1972-02-19 (74 years old)

Place of Birth

Kilmadock, Stirlingshire, Scotland, UK

Also Known As

约翰·格里尔逊

John Grierson

Biography

John Grierson (1898–1972) was a pioneering Scottish filmmaker and producer who shaped the documentary film movement, earning recognition as the father of British and Canadian documentary cinema. He famously coined the term "documentary" in 1926 and championed the idea that film should serve as a tool for social education and reform. As the driving force behind the British documentary movement, he founded the GPO Film Unit, which produced groundbreaking works like Night Mail (1936), and later played a key role in establishing the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) in 1939, turning it into one of the world's most influential documentary institutions. Grierson’s vision and advocacy for documentary as a vehicle for public service and civic engagement left a lasting legacy on global nonfiction filmmaking.

Known For

Acting

The Face of Scotland

1938

The Face of Scotland

as

John Knox (voice)

Night Mail

1936

Night Mail

as

Commentary

Rivers at Work

1958

Rivers at Work

as

Narrator

John Grierson

1959

John Grierson

as

Himself

A Return to Memory

2024

A Return to Memory

as

Self (archive sound)

Grierson

1973

Grierson

as

Self (archive footage)

Production

Crew

Directing