My father, Stanley Dent, who has died aged 95, swapped the world of accountancy for running Adelphi Films, which produced British feature films throughout the 1950s – comedies, romances, dramas and horror, cheap and cheerful, but good entertainment, featuring stars such as Peter Sellers, Diana Dors, Sid James, Max Bygraves, Tommy Trinder and Dora Bryan.
Stanley was born in London, one of the three sons of Arthur Dent, a successful and charismatic film salesman, and his wife Hettie. He went to Kingsbury county school (now high school), and then qualified as an accountant. During the second world war, he was a gunner in Egypt and Syria. He enjoyed the outdoor desert life, where he learned to steer his jeep by the stars.
Arthur acquired Adelphi Films in 1949 and Stanley joined the company as business director, with his brother David as a producer. Their brother, Harry, had been killed during the war. Adelphi became a small but important independent production and distribution company.
But then came a difficult era for small independent companies; Adelphi from the 1960s became dormant, though remaining in the control of the Dent family. But both Stanley and David continued to believe that the Adelphi product had value, even when the films were out of fashion.
My sister, Jean, and I took over Adelphi in 2007. The British Film Institute is remastering the films, and the originals are now part of the National Film Archive. Stanley and David had great pleasure in this late success and regularly attended screenings at the BFI Southbank.
From the 1960s, Stanley ran several businesses; did maths and accountancy tuition; and in the late 70s took a degree in computer studies at Birkbeck College, London, where he was active in the students' union. He became a programmer in Cobol and Fortran and used a PC all his life. His passion was politics. He was active in CND, the Labour party, the Marx Memorial Library, the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women, the British Legion and the Gatehouse Theatre Club. He was extremely well-read, loved poetry and took part in play readings. Although not religious, he kept Yom Kippur and Passover.
Stanley remained vigorous into his 90s. He had a stroke in 2006 and lost his speech, but partially recovered through determination and therapy. After a second devastating stroke this year, he was cared for in Nightingale – a Jewish home where Arthur had been life governor.
Stanley is survived by his wife, Margaret, whom he married in 1942, by me and Jean, and by three grandchildren.