Neil Paterson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | James Edmund Neil Paterson (1915-12-31)31 December 1915 Greenock, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 19 April 1995(1995-04-19) (aged 79) Crieff, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pen name | John Kovack | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, journalist, footballer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Scottish | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Citizenship | British | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Period | 1946–1990 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable works | Room at the Top (screenplay for 1959 film version) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable awards | Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay 1959Room at the Top | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
James Edmund Neil Paterson (31 December 1915 – 19 April 1995)[1][2] was a Scottishwriter of novels, short stories and screenplays. He won the 1959Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay forRoom at the Top. Before his success as a writer, he worked in journalism and had a brief career as an amateurfootballer, playing forBuckie Thistle,Leith Athletic andDundee United in theScottish Football League.
Born inGreenock,Renfrewshire (now part ofInverclyde), Paterson was the older of two children of James D Paterson (1880–1947) and Nicholas K Kerr (1892–1956). He graduated from theUniversity of Edinburgh and had a brief career in seniorfootball, playing as aninside left. He played forEdinburgh University, forBuckie Thistle in theHighland League and forScottish League teamsLeith Athletic andDundee United, becoming captain of the latter in the1936–37 season.[3] Despite his success in football – he scored 9 goals from 26 league appearances for Dundee United, including a hat-trick – he remained an amateur player, spurning the opportunity to go professional.[1] As an amateur he was automatically released at the end of the season, although he played one further game for the club in an emergency.[4]
After his football career finished he became a writer, initially as a sports journalist forD.C. Thomson and after the Second World War as an author, penning a number of well received novels and short stories. Paterson won the Atlantic Award for Literature in 1946.[5]
He adapted his own short storyThe Kidnappers for acinema version released in 1953.[nb 1] Subsequently, he wrote a number of other screenplays, includingThe Woman for Joe[6] and the first screen version ofJohn Braine's novelRoom at the Top (1959) which later won theAcademy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Paterson served as a governor for theBritish Film Institute,National Film School and theArts Council of Great Britain and as an executive forGrampian Television.
He died in 1995 atCrieff,Tayside (now part ofPerth and Kinross).
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
