Roy Neill was a film director best known today for directing several of the Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, made between 1943 and 1946 and released by Universal Studios.
With his father as the captain, Neill was born on a ship off the coast of Ireland. His birth name was Roland de Gostrie. Neill began directing silent movies in 1917 and went on to helm 107 films, 40 of them silent. Although most of Neill's films were low-budget B-movies, he was known for directing films with meticulously lit scenes with carefully layered shadows that would become the style of film noir in the late 1940s. In fact, his last film, Black Angel (1946), is considered a film noir.
He was also credited in some works as R. William Neill, Roy W. Neill, and Roy Neill. Neill lived in the United States for most of his career and was a U.S. citizen. He did go to London from 1935 until 1940 where better opportunities existed for American directors. During this period, British film producer Edward Black hired Neill to direct The Lady Vanishes. However, due to delays in production, Black hired Alfred Hitchcock to direct instead.
Neill died in London, England, from a heart attack.

FILMOGRAPHY:

Director (108 titles)
1946 Black Angel

1946 Dressed to Kill

1946 Terror by Night

1945 Pursuit to Algiers

1945 The Woman in Green

1945 The House of Fear

1944 Gypsy Wildcat

1944 The Pearl of Death

1944 The Scarlet Claw

1944 The Spider Woman

1943 Sherlock Holmes Faces Death

1943 Sherlock Holmes in Washington

1943 Rhythm of the Islands

1943 Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man

1942 Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon

1942 Madame Spy

1942 Eyes of the Underworld

1940 The Good Old Days

1940 Hoots Mon

1940 Murder Will Out

1940 His Brother's Keeper

1939 A Gentleman's Gentleman

1938 Everything Happens to Me

1938 Many Tanks Mr. Atkins

1938 Thank Evans

1938 Double or Quits

1938 Simply Terrific

1938 The Viper

1938 Quiet Please

1937 Doctor Syn

1937 Gypsy

1935 The Lone Wolf Returns

1935 The Black Room (as R. William Neill)

1935 Eight Bells

1934 Mills of the Gods

1934 Jealousy

1934 I'll Fix It

1934 Blind Date

1934 Black Moon

1934 Whirlpool

1934 The Ninth Guest (as R. William Neill)

1933 Above the Clouds

1933 Fury of the Jungle

1933 As the Devil Commands

1933 The Circus Queen Murder

1932 That's My Boy

1932 American Madness (uncredited)

1932 The Menace

1931 Fifty Fathoms Deep

1931 The Good Bad Girl (as R. William Neill)

1931 The Avenger

1930 Just Like Heaven

1930 Cock o' the Walk

1930 Melody Man

1929 Wall Street (as R. William Neill)

1929 Behind Closed Doors

1928 The Viking (as R. William Neill)

1928 Lady Raffles

1928 Cleopatra (short) (as R. William Neill)

1928 The Olympic Hero (as R. William Neill)

1928 The Virgin Queen (short) (as R. William Neill)

1928 The Czarina's Secret (short) (as R. William Neill)

1928 San Francisco Nights (as R. William Neill)

1928 The Lady of Victories (short) (as R. William Neill)

1927 The Arizona Wildcat (as R. William Neill)

1927 Marriage

1926 The City (as R. William Neill)

1926 Black Paradise

1926 A Man Four-Square

1926 The Fighting Buckaroo

1926 The Cowboy and the Countess

1925 Greater Than a Crown

1925 The Kiss Barrier

1925 Marriage in Transit

1925 Percy (as R. William Neill)

1924 Broken Laws

1924 Vanity's Price (as R. William Neill)

1924 By Divine Right

1923 Toilers of the Sea

1922 Radio-Mania

1922 What's Wrong with the Women? (as R. William Neill)

1921 The Iron Trail

1921 The Conquest of Canaan

1921 The Idol of the North

1920 Something Different (as R. William Neill)

1920 Dangerous Business (as R. William Neill)

1920 Good References (as R. William Neill)

1920 Yes or No

1920 The Inner Voice

1920 The Woman Gives

1919 The Bandbox (as R. William Neill)

1919 The Career of Katherine Bush (as Roy W. Neill)

1919 Trixie from Broadway (as R. William Neill)

1919 Charge It to Me

1919 Puppy Love

1918 Vive la France! (as R. William Neill)

1918 Green Eyes (as R. William Neill)

1918 They're Off (as R. William Neill)

1918 The Kaiser's Shadow (as R. William Neill)

1918 The Mating of Marcella

1918 Tyrant Fear (as R. William Neill)

1918 Free and Equal

1918 Love Me (as R. William Neill)

1918 Flare-Up Sal

1917 Love Letters (as R. William Neill)

1917 The Price Mark (as Roy W. Neill)

1917 The Mother Instinct (as R. William Neill)

1917 The Girl, Glory

Hide Producer (16 titles)
1946 Black Angel (producer)

1946 Dressed to Kill (producer)

1946 Terror by Night (producer)

1945 Pursuit to Algiers (producer)

1945 The Woman in Green (producer)

1945 The House of Fear (producer)

1944 Destiny (associate producer)

1944 The Pearl of Death (producer)

1944 The Scarlet Claw (producer)

1944 The Spider Woman (producer)

1943 Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (producer)

1943 Sherlock Holmes in Washington (producer - uncredited)

1940 Murder Will Out (producer)

1932 That's My Boy (producer)

1927 Marriage (producer)

1923 Toilers of the Sea (producer)

Hide Writer (5 titles)
1944 The Scarlet Claw (screenplay)

1943 Two Tickets to London (story)

1940 Hoots Mon (screenplay and dialogue)

1940 Murder Will Out (story)

1940 His Brother's Keeper

Hide Actor (2 titles)
1918 Flare-Up Sal (as R.W. Neill)

1916 A Corner in Colleens
Dan Allen (as Roy Neill)