Born in London, Fuest served his national service in post-war Germany with the
Royal Air Force, air-lifting coal over the
Berlin Wall, after which he attended
Wimbledon and
Hornsey Schools of Art. For a period, he lectured at
Southampton College of Art. Fuest also spent time as a drummer in a warm-up band for
Chris Barber and
George Melly. In the early sixties, he designed sets for television programmes such as
ITV Play of the Week and
Armchair Theatre. It was whilst working on the first season of
The Avengers for director
Peter Hammond that Fuest developed an enthusiasm for directing. Fuest later admitted (on a DVD commentary for the
Avengers episode "Game") that Hammond's visual style proved a major influence, and opened him up to the stylistic possibilities of film and TV. In 1965, he contributed material to the
Peter Cook and
Dudley Moore comedy sketch show
Not Only... But Also. His first film was
Just Like a Woman (1967), which he also wrote, starring
Wendy Craig. His work on the film brought him to the attention of
Avengers producer
Albert Fennell, who offered him the chance to direct episodes; returning to the show, he directed seven episodes in total: "My Wildest Dream", "Game", "They Keep Killing Steed", "The Rotters", "Take Me to Your Leader", "Pandora" and "Take Over". When the series was later revived as
The New Avengers, Fuest was invited back to direct two more episodes, namely "The Midas Touch" and "The Tale of the Big Why". In further television work, Fuest handled productions on both sides of the Atlantic, including
Revenge of the Stepford Wives,
ABC Weekend Special,
ABC Afterschool Specials,
The Doombolt Chase,
C.A.T.S. Eyes, Worlds Beyond and
The Optimist Fuest's later films feature strong
black comedy elements, including
cult favorites
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971),
Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972) (which he co-wrote), and
The Final Programme (also known as
The Last Days of Man on Earth; 1973). In addition to directing
The Final Programme, he also wrote the screenplay and designed the sets. His other films include
And Soon the Darkness (1970), a suspense
thriller written by
Avengers writers
Brian Clemens and
Terry Nation, and ''
The Devil's Rain (1975), a horror film shot in Mexico. The latter movie received such scathing reviews it may have ended his career, as Fuest immediately thereafter found himself relegated to directing fairly anonymous television work. His only subsequent theatrical release was Aphrodite'' (1982), a
softcore sex movie filmed in Greece. During his retirement, he focused on his passion for painting (he had exhibited at the
Royal Academy since 1951) and also lectured at the
London International Film School. ==Selected filmography==