[1] Willman's films included The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Across the Bridge (1957), Carve Her Name with Pride (1958), The Kiss of the Vampire (1963), Doctor Zhivago (1965), The Reptile (1966), and The Odessa File (1974).

[2] He was also a theatre director and actor, and won a Tony Award in 1962 for his direction of the original Broadway production of Robert Bolt's A Man For All Seasons.

[3] According to Bolt, he was instrumental in many aspects of the play's development, including the casting of Paul Scofield as Thomas More.

[6][7] Willman studied for the stage at the London Theatre Studio, which had been set up by Michel Saint-Denis and George Devine in 1936.

Working as stage manager for John Gielgud's touring production of The Beggar's Opera, he took over the role of Macheath at short notice from Michael Redgrave, who had fallen ill and whose usual understudy had suffered a bout of laryngitis.