THE distinguished film director Lewis Gilbert, who has died aged 97, had family in Dorset and was an honorary fellow of Arts University Bournemouth.

His credits included three James Bond films, the landmark Michael Caine movie Alfie, Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine.

The director spoke to the Echo in 2006, at the home of his son John, at Steeple in Wareham. He was in Dorset to attend his granddaughter’s wedding and receive his honorary fellowship from what was then called the Arts Institute.

He talked then of turning down The Godfather and surviving a run-in with Orson Welles – and said his main advice to aspiring directors was “be lucky”.

Gilbert had passed up a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art to take a junior job on Alfred Hitchcock’s Jamaica Inn. His incessant questions prompted the director to ask, after one take: “Was that all right for you, Mr Gilbert?”

He had his first experience of directing when he joined the US Army Air Forces film unit in London in World War Two. His first feature was the children’s film The Little Ballerina in 1947 and he directed a succession of war movies including Albert RN, The Sea Shall Not Have Them, Reach for the Sky, Sink the Bismarck! and HMS Defiant.

He had an unhappy time making Ferry to Hong Kong, because of Orson Welles’ dislike for co-star Curt Jurgens.

Gilbert told the Echo: “That is etched on my soul because I lost my temper with him as he was being pretty nasty to one of the leading actors. I had broken my ankle playing football and had to ride around the set on a horse.”

The huge success of Alfie in 1966 led to three Bond films – You Only Live Twice (1967) with Sean Connery and two starring Roger Moore, The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979).

Between Bonds, he rejected the chance to make The Godfather. “I said no because I did not know enough about the American-Italian connection and it did not feel right and thank goodness because Coppola did it superbly,” he told the Echo.

Educating Rita in 1983 reunited him with Michael Caine, while Shirley Valentine, starring Pauline Collins, was another commercial and critical success.

When interviewed by the Echo in 2006, he was grieving his wife of 60 years, Hylda, who had died the year before.

“I was really quite ill but fortunately I have got two wonderful boys and five wonderful grandchildren who got me through it,” he said.

Stuart Bartholomew, vice-chancellor Arts University Bournemouth, was among the many paying tribute following Gilbert’s death in Monaco.

He said: “With a career starting as an apprentice to Alexander Korda, and shortly after with Alfred Hitchcock, his film-making spans 60 years.”

He added: “Lewis gave a number of master classes to film production students which were enthusiastically received. A modest man, his life in films ranks amongst the most significant in the history of British cinema.”