CAILLOU, Alan

The Verde Independent, Cottonwood, AZ October 18, 2006 Alan Caillou England-born and naturalized American author, Alan Caillou, aka Alan Lyle-Smythe, died of natural causes, Oct. 1, 2006, at 10:15 a.m. in his Sedona home, in the presence of his wife of 67 years, Aliza, and his daughter Nadia. Best known for his work as a film and television writer-actor, Alan served with the Palestine Police in the 1930s. At the outbreak of World War II, he joined the British Army as part of their Intelligence Corps, where he operated behind enemy lines in Libya and Tunisia, escaped a firing squad execution and worked with guerrillas in Yugoslavia. ("Alan Caillou" was one of Lyle-Smythe's many wartime aliases; thinking it lucky, he assumed the name.) After the war, he was a police chief in Ethiopia, a district officer in Somalia and the founder of a Shakespearian theatrical company in Dar es Salaam, Tanganyika. In the 1950s after several years acting and writing for Canadian radio, television and theater in Toronto and Vancouver he relocated to Hollywood with his family. Alan Caillou wrote over 50 published books, 10 screenplays and 80-plus teleplays. He acted in 10 films and over 80 television episodes. He also directed two films and acted, directed and produced countless stage productions.