Legendary film director Michael Winner comes to Islington this week to lend his support to one of the borough’s oldest pub theatres.

The filmmaker and food critic will be performing his one-man show to raise cash for the King’s Head Theatre, in Upper Street, Islington, tomorrow.

The director of Charles Bronson vigilante flick Death Wish – and more recently star of a string of insurance ads – will regale the audience with tales from his life and times in the movie business over 90 minutes.

In a prolific career, the 76-year-old worked with some of the biggest hitters in Hollywood including Marlon Brando, Sophia Loren, Robert Mitchum and Burt Lancaster.

He said: “It’s a very funny evening. I will tell stories of my life and the very distinguished people I worked with, but they are not the sort of stories you read in magazines and newspapers – because they’re true.

“People think these people are one thing, but the public perception given out by newspapers is totally inaccurate. There is something very funny to tell about all of them. People who come to the show will come out happier than when they went in, and they can’t hope for more than that.”

The King’s Head has an ambitious fundraising target to help it bridge the gap between its takings and running costs – and Mr Winner said he was more than happy to help as a long-standing fan of the playhouse.

He said: “I like the theatre very much. I used to go a lot and I’ve seen some very good plays and musicals there, although that was before they started doing opera – I’m not intellectual enough to understand opera.

‘‘But it’s a very good example of a community theatre and Islington is a very buzzy place.”

Adam Spreadbury-Maher, director of the King’s Head, said: “Michael’s show is a real cracker and his support will be an important part of the fundraising needed to bridge the gap between what we make at the box office and what we need to stay open.”

n Michael Winner: My Life in Movies and Other Places is at the King’s Head, in Upper Street, Islington, on Sunday. Tickets are �25, call 020 7478 0160 to book.