Peter Proud (born Ralph Priestman Proud, 6 May 1913,Glasgow – 1989,London) was a British film art director.[1] He made a major contribution towartime camouflage and deception operations in the Western Desert, especially in the siege ofTobruk.
In 1928, Proud left school at age 15 and started work at the Elstree film studios onAlfred Hitchcock films includingMurder! (1930) andRich and Strange.[2] In 1932 he joined Gaumont British as assistant designer toAlfred Junge. The British Film Institute'sRaymond Durgnat described him as an "ace production designer".[3]
In 1935 he moved toGainsborough Pictures,[4] and in 1936 he became an art director atWarner Bros., where he worked on Michael Powell's filmSomething Always Happens.[1][2]
Proud worked as acamouflage officer underGeoffrey Barkas in the Western Desert in the Second World War, and was responsible for effectivecamouflage anddeception in theSiege of Tobruk.[5][6] WithSteven Sykes, he created the dummy port at Ras al Hilal to divert enemy attention from the Eighth Army's vital supply ports.[7] He was a creative camoufleur, inventing the "Net Gun Pit", a quickly-erected structure of netting and canvas, that from the air closely resembled an anti-aircraft gun in a sandbagged pit.[2][8]
After the war, Proud ran his own production company. He worked on the TV seriesThe Buccaneers andThe Adventures of Robin Hood at Nettlefold Studios.[2][9][10]
Proud worked, mainly as art director, on films including:[1]
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