An Australian screenwriter and novelist, born in Melbourne, Australia. He studied at Wesley College, moved to England in the 1920s to study medicine at Cambridge but dropped out before graduating and went on to work in advertising and writing. He spent most of his life in London and Hollywood, specializing in thrillers, mysteries and sex comedies. His credits include Vertigo (1958), The Captain's Paradise (1953) and Mr. Denning Drives North (1951), and plays such as I Killed the Count and The Gazebo. He died on January 22, 1972 in London, United Kingdom.