A former stage director, Basil Dearden entered films as an assistant to director Basil Dean (he changed his name from Dear to avoid being confused with Dean). Dearden worked his way up the ladder and directed (with Will Hay ) his first film in 1941; two years later he directed his first film on his own. He eventually became associated with writer/producer Michael Relph , and together the two made films on themes not often tackled in British films, such as homosexuality and race relations. In the '60s Dearden embarked on a new phase of his career by directing large-scale action pictures, the best of which was Khartoum (1966), which was a critical and financial success. Not long after completing The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970), Dearden was killed in an automobile accident.

Changed his name to avoid confusion with Basil Dean when they started working together.Father of James Dearden and Torquil Dearden .In the 1940s he lived with his wife Melissa Stribling at 10, Park Village West, near Regent's Park, London. The Crown Estate owned cul-de-sac also boasted another well-known British director, Seafield Head and his wife, the actress Helen Shingler .Father-in-law of Annabel Brooks .Directed Dirk Bogarde in four features.From the 1960s to the time of his death, Basil Dearden lived at Beel House in Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire, England. Beel House was subsequently bought by Robert Kilroy-Silk , who is currently (2012) resident there.