Percy Nash
Percy Nash (1868-1958) was a pioneer British producer, director and screenwriter, who made some 70 films between 1912 and 1927. He was a key figure in the creation of Elstree Studios. He was born in Kensington, London.
Also recorded as P Nash
Percy Nash

G.B. Samuelson Productions / First National · Exhibitors Herald (Jun. - Sep. 1919) on the Internet Archive · Public domain
- Name
- Percy Cromwell Nash
- Born
- 5 December 1868
- Birthplace
- Kensington
- Died
- 30 April 1958
- Place of death
- Brighton
- Occupation
- Film director, screenwriter, producer
- Nationality
- United Kingdom · United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Languages
- English
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Percy Nash (1868-1958) was a pioneer British producer, director and screenwriter, who made some 70 films between 1912 and 1927. He was a key figure in the creation of Elstree Studios. He was born in Kensington, London.
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Percy Cromwell Nash • Born — 5 December 1868 • Birthplace — Kensington • Died — 30 April 1958 • Place of death — Brighton • Occupation — Film director, screenwriter, producer • Years Active — 1912 - 1932
Work
Work
Nash's prolific career as a director of fiction films, often from works by popular authors of the day, such as Hall Caine and W.P. Drury, was ended by the official condemnation of his 1921 film How Kitchener Was Betrayed. The film suggested that the vessel carrying Lord Kitchener had been sunk by enemy action rather than a mine, leading to a de facto ban on the film in Britain. After this setback, Nash worked on a number of documentary films for the Federation of British Industries on topics including the Manchester Ship Canal, Oxford University Press and the British underwear industry. His wide experience on films with naval subjects saw him work as an advisor on Walter Summers' 1927 film The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands. Up until 2007, the scarcity of information on Nash and his work has meant film historians have neglected his contributions to the development of British cinema.
Selected filmography
Selected filmography
• Black-Eyed Susan (1913) • Enoch Arden (1914) • In the Ranks (1914) • The Little Match Girl (1914) • A Rogue's Wife (1915) • Flying from Justice (1915) • Disraeli (1916) • The Elder Miss Blossom (1918) • Westward Ho! (1919) • The Flag Lieutenant (1919) • Darby and Joan (1920) • Hobson's Choice (1920) • Won by a Head (1920) • How Kitchener Was Betrayed (1921) • The Croxley Master (1921)

Advertisement for the British drama film Wanted a Wife (1919) under its alternative American title Choosing a Wife with Isobel Elsom, on page 14 of the July 19, 1919 Exhibitors Herald.
G.B. Samuelson Productions / First National · Exhibitors Herald (Jun. - Sep. 1919) on the Internet Archive

Advertisement for the British drama film Wanted a Wife (1919) under its alternate American title Choosing a Wife, for the Regent Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on page 69 of the August 30, 1919 Exhibitors Herald. The original ad was a quarter page spread.
G.B. Samuelson Productions / First National · Exhibitors Herald (Jun. - Sep. 1919) on the Internet Archive
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Murphy, Robert. Directors in British and Irish Cinema: A Reference Companion. Bloomsbury. 25 July 2019. 978-1-83871-533-5.
- 2.BFI. Percy Nash. Explore Film.
- 3.BFI. Percy Nash. Explore Film.
- 4.Ince, Bernard. 'For the Love of the Art': The life and work of Percy Nash, film producer and director of the silent era. Film History. 19. 3. 292–301. 2007. 10.2979/FIL.2007.19.3.292.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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