London-born Anthony Pelissier was the son of actress Fay Compton and producer H.G. Pelissier. He became an actor in the 1930s, but soon realized that he was more inclined to making films than appearing in them. In 1937 he got his first screenwriting credit, and remained in that field until his directorial debut in 1949. Though his career as a director was short--only five years--his films were adaptations of some of the most renowned works in British literature: The History of Mr. Polly (1949) by H.G. Wells, The Rocking Horse Winner (1949) by D.H. Lawrence, and Encore (1951) by W. Somerset Maugham. His final film was Meet Mr. Lucifer (1953), a sly satire on television. He later went to work as the head of experimental production at the BBC.