(London, November 7, 1924—May 20, 1998) British screenwriter, playwright, and novelist who, as an early collaborator of screenwriter Richard Maibaum on Dr. No, was partially responsible for giving the “Dr. No” moniker to the villain’s monkey—a plot element that did not endear either writer to producer Cubby Broccoli. Mankowitz left the project after completing the first draft and did not receive screen credit in the final film.

Mankowitz’s wit was better appreciated five years later when he cowrote the 1967 Casino Royale spoof for producers Charles K. Feldman and Jerry Bresler. Casino Royale was also his fourth association with director Val Guest, who codirected the film with John Huston, Robert Parrish, Joseph McGrath, and Ken Hughes.