Berthon, Simon

PERSONAL:

Male.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—Andrew Lownie Literary Agency, 36 Great Smith St., London SW1P 3BU, England.

CAREER:

Writer, historian, and television producer. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), journalist trainee, 1973, then editor of Spotlight, investigative affairs program; then investigative series World in Action, investigative series, ITV Network; 3BM Television, founding partner, 1996, then chairman. Producer and/or executive producer of histories, documentaries, and miniseries for television, including The Shape of the World, Part 3, Staking a Claim, Granada TV International in association with WNET-13, New York NY, 1991; Secret Lives: L. Ron Hubbard, 1997; Cannibal: The Real Hannibal Lecters, c. 2001; The Age of Terror: A Survey of Modern Terrorism, 2002; Kings and Queens (miniseries), 2002; and NOVA: Who Killed the Red Baron?, 2003; Ten Days to D-Day, 2004; Zero Hour—The Plot to Kill the Pope, 2005; and Nuremberg: Goering's Last Stand, 2006; Churchill v. Hitler: The Duel.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Gold Hugo, Chicago Film Festival, for work on World in Action; Gold Medal, New York Film and Television Festival, for The Shape of the World; Broadcast multi-channel award, for The Age of Terror.

WRITINGS:

NONFICTION

(With Andrew Robinson) The Shape of the World, Rand McNally (Chicago, IL), 1991.

Allies at War, HarperCollins (London, England), 2001, also published as Allies at War: The Bitter Rivalry among Churchill, Roosevelt, and De Gaulle, Carroll & Graf (London, England), 2002.

(With Joanna Potts) Warlords: The Heart of Conflict, 1939-1945, Politico (London, England), 2005, also published as Warlords: An Extraordinary Recreation of World War II through the Eyes and Minds of Hitler, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin, Perseus Books Group (New York, NY), 2006.

Also author of screenplay Allies at War.

SIDELIGHTS:

Simon Berthon is a television producer, screenplay writer, and author who has turned some of his films into books, including The Shape of the World, which focuses on how the human perception of the universe has evolved over 2,500 years. J.R. Smith, writing in the Geographical Journal, called the book "fascinating reading, as it moves from the early Greeks right through to the data acquired by earth satellites."

Allies at War: The Bitter Rivalry among Churchill, Roosevelt, and de Gaulle is a companion book to a three-part television series. In the book and series, Berthon explores the unfavorable views each of these leaders held at various times about each other. William D. Pederson, writing in the Library Journal, called the book a "fascinating account." A Publishers Weekly contributor wrote: "None of the three leaders comes off well—which may give the book a controversial edge."

Warlords: An Extraordinary Re-creation of World War II through the Eyes and Minds of Hitler, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin, written with Joanna Potts, covers ground other historians have also delved into. Nevertheless, according to Library Journal contributor Ed Goedeken, the authors "have produced something different," adding that they focus "on the day-to-day actions [of these leaders] … as they grapple with the war's events and plot strategy." A Publishers Weekly contributor commented that the authors' "cinematic style succeeds … and the scholarship is solid."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 1, 2001, Jay Freeman, review of Allies at War: The Bitter Rivalry among Churchill, Roosevelt, and De Gaulle, p. 296; March 15, 2006, Gilbert Taylor, review of Warlords: An Extraordinary Re-creation of World War II through the Eyes and Minds of Hitler, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin, p. 19.

Geographical Journal, March, 1991, J.R. Smith review of The Shape of the World, pp. 100-101.

Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2001, review of Allies at War, p. 1256; March 1, 2006, review of Warlords, p. 216.

Library Journal, September 15, 2001, William D. Pederson, review of Allies at War, p. 92; March 15, 2006, Ed Goedeken, review of Warlords, p. 81.

Publishers Weekly, October 22, 2001, review of Allies at War, p. 69; January 30, 2006, review of Warlords, p. 55.

ONLINE

Andrew Lownie Literary Agency Web site,http://www.andrewlownie.co.uk/ (October 28, 2006), profile of author and overview of Warlords.

Churchill Center Web site,http://www.winstonchurchill.org/ (October 28, 2006), Leon J. Waszak, "Trilateral Indisposition," review of Allies at War.

Internet Movie Database,http://www.imdb.com/ (October 28, 2006), information on author's television work.

New York Times "Movies" Web site,http://www.nytimes.com/pages/movies/ (October 28, 2006), information on author's television film work.

Politicos Publishing Web site,http://www.politicospublishing.co.uk/ (October 28, 2006), brief profile of author.*