Australian stage and screen actor who entered British film in 1949 as a screenwriter and made his directorial debut in the mid-50s. A capable technician, Sharp engineered a succession of thrillers and fantasies, notably the atmospheric "The Face of Fu Manchu" (1965) and "The 39 Steps" (1978), an intriguing remake of Hitchcock's classic. He has also worked as a second-unit, and TV, director.