Air ace, author, BBC pioneer, Oscar winner Lewis dies at 98
The Associated Press
LONDON —
Cecil Lewis, whose wide-ranging career took him from flying ace to author, and from broadcast executive to Oscar winner, has died. He was 98.
Lewis joined the Royal Flying Corps at age 17. His autobiographical account of the air war, "Sagittarius Rising," saw its fifth edition published in 1993.
After the war, Lewis went to China as manager of commercial aviation for a British company.
The Chinese government appointed him as a flying instructor, and he helped form a Chinese air force.
Lewis returned to Britain in 1922 and became program manager for the fledgling British Broadcasting Co., precursor of the British Broadcasting Corp.
Lewis left the BBC in 1926 for film and theater work. In 1938, he won an Academy Award for his screenplay adaptation of Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion."
His autobiography "Never Look Back" — one of 19 books he wrote — was published in 1974 and filmed for television in 1978.
Pacific Stars And Stripes (Tokyo, Japan) - Tuesday, February 04, 1997
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