Shirley Valentine (film) Shirley Valentine (film) Shirley Valentine is an award-winning 1989 British romantic comedy-drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert. The screenplay by Willy Russell is based on his 1986 one-character play of the same title, which follows middle aged Shirley Valentine in an unexpected discovery of herself, and rekindling of her childhood dreams and youthful love of life. Pauline Collins reprises the titular lead role as middle-aged housewife Shirley, which she had previously played in the stage production in London's West End and on Broadway, and Tom Conti plays Costas Dimitriades, the owner of a Greek tavern with whom she has a
The Man Who Laughs (1928 film) and Charles Puffy. The animal actor used for the role of Homo, the Wolf was a dog named Zimbo, who had previously appeared in the Fox Film's 1927 "Wolf Fangs". Following the success of Universal Pictures's 1923 adaptation of Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", the company was eager to release another film starring Lon Chaney. A treatment adapting "The Phantom of the Opera" was prepared, but rejected by the Universal executives. In its place, Chaney was offered the lead in a film version of Hugo's "The Man Who Laughs", to be produced under its French title ("L'Homme Qui