Noted Film Historian Dies In Britain

David Shipman, a British film historian, died of a heart attack on April 22 at his country home in Hampshire, England. He was 63.

In his encyclopedic trilogy and in “The Great Movie Stars,” “Judy Garland: The Secret Life of an American Legend” and other books, Shipman showed himself to be an assiduous researcher with a voluminous knowledge of Hollywood fact and lore.

The books became authoritative sources for others writing about film. Because of his expertise, Shipman was often called on to write obituaries of movie stars and to arrange programs of films at the National Film Theater in London.

The Times of London said that Shipman had an “elephantine memory” for movies.