Peter Maxwell
Peter Maxwell (23 January 1921 – 5 April 2013) born as Peter Magitai, was a British, and later Australian director and screenwriter of television and film.
Peter Maxwell
- Name
- Peter Maxwell
- Birth Name
- Peter Magitai
- Occupation
- Film and television director, scriptwriter
- Birthplace
- Vienna, Austria
- Born
- 23 January 1921
- Place of death
- Australia
- Died
- 5 April 2013
- Nationality
- United Kingdom · United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Languages
- English
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Peter Maxwell (23 January 1921 – 5 April 2013) born as Peter Magitai, was a British, and later Australian director and screenwriter of television and film.
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Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Peter Maxwell • Birth Name — Peter Magitai • Occupation — Film and television director, scriptwriter • Birthplace — Vienna, Austria • Born — 23 January 1921 • Place of death — Australia • Died — 5 April 2013 • Citizenship — United Kingdom/Australia • Years Active — United Kingdom 1949–1977, Australia 1977–1990
Biography
Biography
He was born in Vienna, Austria, to newspaper journalist Leo Magatai and wife Johanna. His family fled Vienna in the 1930s, and he changed his surname to enter the British Army. After having been posted to India, he returned to Britain to work as an assistant director to Alexander Korda in 1949. He worked briefly in Australia in the early 1960s before returning to England. In 1967 he emigrated to Australia permanently, where he directed such films as Country Town and television series including Bellbird, Rip Tide and A Country Practice.
Selected filmography
Selected filmography
• Blind Spot (1958) • The Desperate Man (1959) • The Ghost Train Murder (1959) • The Long Shadow (1961) • Serena (1962) • Dilemma (1962) • Impact (1963) • The Switch (1963) • Country Town (1971) • Boney (1972 – 1st series: 7 eps. 1973 – 2nd series: 4 eps) • Polly Me Love (1976) • Plunge Into Darkness (1977) • Bailey's Bird (1979) (TV series) • Touch and Go (1980) • The Coast Town Kids (1980) • The Mystery at Castle House (1982) • Platypus Cove (1983)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1921
Peter Maxwell born at Vienna.
2013
Peter Maxwell died at Vienna.
Citations
References
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Secondary witness
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 30 September 2026.
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