Joseph Janni

{{Short description|Italian-born British film producer (1916–1994)}}

{{more citations needed|biography|date=November 2022}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}

{{Infobox person

| image = Joseph Janni.png

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1916|5|21|df=y}}

| birth_place = Milan, Kingdom of Italy

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1994|5|29|1916|5|21|df=y}}

| death_place = London, England

| education = Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia

| spouse = {{marriage|Stella Griffiths|1949}}

}}

Joseph Janni (21 May 1916 – 29 May 1994) was a Jewish Italian-British film producer best known for his work with John Schlesinger.{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9fd4e17a|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624170741/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9fd4e17a|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 June 2016|title=Joseph Janni|publisher=}} He was born in Milan, Italy and became interested in filmmaking while at university.

He emigrated to England in 1939, and once Italy declared war, he was briefly interned in Metropole Camp on the Isle of Man.[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0417830/bio Joseph Janni profile], IMDb.com. Accessed 24 October 2022.{{better source needed|reason=IMDb not a reliable source|date=November 2022}} Returning to London, he worked with John Corfield.{{cite book |last1=Burton |first1=Alan |last2=Chibnall |first2=Steve |title=Historical Dictionary of British Cinema |date=11 July 2013 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-8026-9 |page=239 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q8SRjwJqwukC&pg=PA239 |language=en}}

Janni's success with The Glass Mountain brought him work with the Rank Organisation.{{cite book |last1=Mann |first1=William J. |title=Edge of Midnight: The Life of John Schlesinger |date=2005 |publisher=Arrow |isbn=978-0-09-945188-4 |page=180 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zY57_2_UK7kC&pg=PA180 |language=en}} Janni made the popular Town Like Alice with Jack Lee and Peter Finch and the three men were reunited on Robbery Under Arms.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/wrecking-australian-stores-the-1957-film-version-of-robbery-under-arms/|date=7 March 2025|access-date=7 March 2025|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|title=Wrecking Australian stores: the 1957 film version of Robbery Under Arms|magazine=Filmink}}

Janni went on to produce the first films of John Schlesinger and Ken Loach.David Shipman. [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-joseph-janni-1419866.html Joseph Janni obituary], The Independent, 2 June 1994. Many of these were financed by Nat Cohen.{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-british-moguls-nat-cohen-part-three-1962-68/|date=21 January 2025|access-date=21 January 2025|title=Forgotten British Moguls: Nat Cohen – Part Three (1962-68)}}