By Lee Pfeiffer
Roy Ward Baker, the esteemed British film director, has died at age 93. Baker was one of the few remaining representatives of the golden age of British filmmaking. He worked in his early years with such giants as Alfred Hitchcock and Carol Reed before embarking on a directing career of his own. He was one of the pioneers in the early use of 3-D in the 1950s and directed Marilyn Monroe in Don't Bother to Knock, a film that greatly boosted her status as a leading lady. Baker was best known for his direction of the 1958 film A Night to Remember starring Kenneth More, Honor Blackman and David McCallum. The low-budget film was shot primarily at Pinewood Studios and depicted the sinking of the Titanic. Many film historians still believe it's the most dramatic and moving depiction of the tragedy ever brought to the screen. He also directed the off-beat Western The Singer Not the Song with Dirk Bogarde and John Mills. The film became a cult favorite due to its apparent homosexual overtones. In later years, Baker gravitated to Hammer studios where he directed such films as Quatermass and the Pit, The Vampire Lovers and Scars of Dracula. The horror genre seemed to suit Baker and he went on to direct Bette Davis in The Anniversary as well as such popular successes as And Now the Screaming Starts and The Vault of Horror. Baker also directed episodes of popular British TV series such as The Saint, The Avengers, The Persuaders, The Baron and The Protectors. Click here for more.