David Rawnsley
David Rawnsley (1909–1977) was a British art director. He was born in Sevenoaks, Kent, England, and worked in film from 1931 to 1949. In his last four films he led a Rank Organisation project to streamline production, which many on the film teams ridiculed. He also developed independent frame storyboarding and back projection, two big ideas that sped up filmmaking and are still used today.
He co-founded the Chelsea Pottery with his third wife, Elaine Doran, a model and talented ceramic artist, and they had five children together. In the 1960s he moved to Capri, Italy, where he became a sculptor and artist. He died in 1977 in Capri while married to his fourth wife, Phyllis (May), leaving one son from that marriage.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:41 (CET).