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Leo Marks
British cryptographer, playwright and screenwriter (1920-2001) · United Kingdom · On the map · Writers · Died at 80
Leopold Samuel Marks was an English writer, screenwriter, and cryptographer. During the Second World War he headed the codes office supporting resistance agents in occupied Europe for the secret Special Operations Executive organisation.
Leo Marks is read about 54 times a day, in 8 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 13 June 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 60 days, one point a day.
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Close ties
Michael Powell Directed Peeping Tom (1960)
Roy Boulting Directed Twisted Nerve (1968)
Martin Scorsese Directed The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)- John Guillermin Directed Guns at Batasi (1964)
Timothy West Leo wrote Soft Beds, Hard Battles (1974)
Nigel Davenport Leo wrote Peeping Tom (1961)
David Greene Directed Sebastian (1968)- Don Chaffey Directed The Webster Boy (1962)
- Basil Dignam Also in Twisted Nerve (1968)
Gerry Fisher Produced Sebastian (1968)
John Boulting Produced Twisted Nerve (1968)- George H. Brown Produced Guns at Batasi (1964)
- Herbert Brodkin Produced Sebastian (1968)
Also in Français
Media & music
About this person
After the war, Marks became a playwright and screenwriter, writing scripts that frequently utilised his war-time cryptographic experiences. He wrote the script for Peeping Tom, the controversial film directed by Michael Powell that had a disastrous effect on Powell's career, but was later described by Martin Scorsese as a masterpiece. In 1998, towards the end of his life, Marks published a personal history of his experiences during the war, Between Silk and Cyanide, which was critical of the leadership of SOE.
