A FILM producer from Salisbury who worked with some of the biggest names in the industry has died at the age of 65.

Tim Hampton, a former pupil of Bishop Wordsworth’s School, worked his way up from being a runner to working with directors such as George Lucas, Roman Polanski, Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, James Cameron, Francis Ford Coppola and Terry Gilliam.

Polanski said: “Desperately sad news. Tim’s warm personality, humour and just outstanding professionalism made him a joy to work alongside. We’ll all miss him.”

In the early 1970s Hampton worked as a production or location manager on films including Don’t Look Now with Donald Sutherland and The Marseilles Contract with Michael Caine.

Subsequently, he spent 18 months as line producer on the development of Bond producer Harry Saltzman's shrunken man project, The Micronauts, before acting as production supervisor on Superman and Superman II.

He was then named as associate producer on Monty Python’s Life of Brian and in 1981 produced Ridley Scott’s Academy Award-nominated fantasy adventure Legend, starring Tom Cruise.

Monty Python star Terry Jones said: “Tim is so fresh in my mind, so lively, and so concerned, and so capable.” Fellow Python Michael Palin added: “I have very fond memories of Tim. He kept a remarkably cool head amongst all the madness and he was damn good at his job to. All the Pythons liked and respected him.”

In the 1980s Hampton was managing director and later vice president at Twentieth Century Fox and was closely involved in the production of films such as Chariots of Fire and the Empire Strikes Back and Aliens.

In 1987 he collaborated with Roman Polanski on the Hitchcock-inspired thriller Frantic and subsequently produced A Dry White Season with Marlon Brando, before continuing his relationship with Twentieth Century Fox, acting as production consultant on movies being shot in Europe including Shining Through with Michael Douglas.

From 1992 to 1994 Hampton was president of production at Cine Vox Entertainment. Splitting his time between LA and London, he oversaw all of the company’s development and production activities, including two episodes of the NeverEnding Story fantasy and The Adventures of Pinocchio.

New Line’s $80million reinvention of the Lost in Space franchise starring William Hurt, Gary Oldman and Heather Graham was his last production.

Hampton, who lived in Farnham, died on March 11 and is survived by his wife Anna, three sons Matthew, Piers and Tom and grandson William.