Angel was educated at University College School, London. He came from a family who ran a theatrical costume business, Angel's.
Angel served in Burma during World War Two, where he was a major. On waking up after an operation for appendicitis, he was told that he had contracted
polio and would never walk again. He spent two years in base hospital then was shipped to England, where he rejoined the family firm, which had become Angel's and Berman's. He learned how to move around in a wheelchair then taught himself to walk using a cane. He would walk on crutches until 1971 when he became confined to a wheelchair.[1]
In 1946 he used his army pension to buy a film camera. He wrote to
King George VI and asked permission to film the Royal stables. This resulted in a documentary, All the King's Horses which made a profit of £5,000. He used this to make a series of documentaries, including All the King's Men and All the King's Music, making a profit of £30,000. He moved into features with Murder at the Windmill (1949).[1]
In 1960, Angel, along with
John Woolf became one of the first film producers to sell his work to television. This enraged the industry and for several years his films were boycotted by distributors and cinemas.[2][4]
In 1980 Angel successfully sued actor
Kenneth More for libel over comments made in More's second autobiography.[6]
Angel retired and lived in America, Switzerland, France and, in his latter years, once more in London. His wife died two days after him. They were survived by their two daughters, both of whom are theatrical agents.[2]
Filmography
All the King's Horses (1946) (documentary) - producer
Dancing Thru (1946) (documentary) - producer
All the King's Men (1947) (documentary) - producer[7]
^
abc"PRODUCER'S SUCCESS STORY". The Sun. No. 13760. Sydney. 18 March 1954. p. 46 (LATE FINAL EXTRA). Retrieved 27 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^
abcDanny Angel: [1F Edition] The Times; London (UK) [London (UK)]17 Dec 1999: 27.
^REPORTS ON BRITAIN'S VARIED MOVIE FRONTS: Industry Shaken by Television Deal -- Stars on the Ascendant -- Awards
By STEPHEN WATTS. New York Times 24 Jan 1960: X7.
^News of the Screen: Glenda Jackson To Star With Caine
Weiler, A H. New York Times 2 June 1974: 61.
^"Why I'm living on Love." The Australian Women's Weekly (via National Library of Australia), 7 October 1981, p. 26. Retrieved: 6 May 2012.
^All the King's Men
Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 15, Iss. 169, (Jan 1, 1948): 14.