Mike Newell (director)
| Mike Newell | |
|---|---|
|
Newell at WonderCon, 2010 | |
| Born |
Michael Cormac Newell 28 March 1942 St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England, UK |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Cambridge University |
| Occupation | Director, producer |
| Years active | circ. 1960 – present |
| Spouse(s) | Bernice Stegers (1980 - present) |
| Children | 2 |
Michael Cormac "Mike" Newell (born 28 March 1942) is an English director and producer of motion pictures for film and television.[1] Newell won the 1994 BAFTA Award for Best Direction for Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Early life
Newell was born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, the son of amateur actors.[2] Newell was educated at St Albans School and Magdalene College, Cambridge. He then attended a three-year training course at Granada Television, with the intention of entering the theatre.
Career
Newell directed various British TV shows from the 1960s onwards (such as Spindoe (1968), credited as Cormac Newell, and Big Breadwinner Hog). However, he eventually graduated into film direction.
His first film was The Man in the Iron Mask (1977), made for TV. His first critically acclaimed movie was Bad Blood (1982), concerning the 1941 manhunt for the New Zealand mass-killer, Stan Graham, played by Jack Thompson. This was followed by Dance with a Stranger (1985), a biographical drama starring Miranda Richardson as Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Great Britain. For his directing efforts, Newell won the Award of the Youth at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival.
Newell continued his successes in the film industry with Enchanted April (1992), an adaptation of the 1922 novel by Elizabeth von Arnim. Miranda Richardson received a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical and Joan Plowright won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy/Musical.
The comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) was also critically acclaimed – it won numerous awards, including a César Award (Best Foreign Film), a Golden Globe (Best Actor – Hugh Grant), and a number of London Critics Circle Film Awards (Best Director, Film, Producer and Screenwriter).
Since these award-winning productions, Newell has directed a number of films in Hollywood, such as Donnie Brasco (1997) (starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp), Pushing Tin (1999) (starring John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Cate Blanchett, and Angelina Jolie) and Mona Lisa Smile (2003) (starring Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst and Julia Stiles).
In 2005, Newell was presented with an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts by the University of Hertfordshire which has a campus in St Albans, his birthplace. He was also awarded the BAFTA Britannia Award for Artistic Excellence in Directing for his career prior to 2005.[3] Newell became the first British director of the Harry Potter film series with the production of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth adaptation in the series, which became a major critical and financial success worldwide. Newell is heard briefly as the radio announcer at the beginning of the film.
Newell directed Love in the Time of Cholera in 2007 and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time in 2010. In February 2011, Newell attended the British Academy Film Awards along with Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling, David Heyman, David Barron, David Yates, Alfonso Cuarón, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson to collect the Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema on behalf of the Harry Potter film series.[4]
His most recent project was a 2012 adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations, with Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Jeremy Irvine in starring roles.[5][6][7][8][9] The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.[10]
Filmography
- The Man in the Iron Mask (1977)
- The Awakening (1980)
- Bad Blood (1981)
- Dance with a Stranger (1985)
- The Good Father (1985)
- Amazing Grace and Chuck (1987)
- Soursweet (1988)
- Enchanted April (1992)
- Into the West (1992)
- Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
- An Awfully Big Adventure (1995)
- Donnie Brasco (1997)
- Pushing Tin (1999)
- Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
- Love in the Time of Cholera (2007)
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
- Great Expectations (2012)
References
- ↑ "Mike Newell on Love in the Time of Cholera". ComingSoon.net.
- ↑ "Mike Newell Biography (1942-)". filmreference.com.
- ↑ Mike Newell: BAFTA/LA
- ↑ "Harry Potter Series Receives Prestigious BAFTA". The Lord of the Hallows.
- ↑ Ralph Fiennes In Talks For Great Expectations
- ↑ Zakarin, Jordan (14 April 2011). "Helena Bonham Carter in 'Great Expectations'? Star in Talks for Miss Havisham Role". Huffington Post. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
- ↑ "Jeremy Irvine Meeting Great Expectations, Helena Bonham Carter also in talks". Empire Online. 15 April 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
- ↑ Sneider, Jeff (14 April 2011). "'War' star Irvine meets 'Expectations'". Variety. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
- ↑ "Number 9's slate includes new Neil Jordan vampire film". ScreenDaily. 15 May 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ↑
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mike Newell (director). |
- Mike Newell at the Internet Movie Database
- Mike Newell at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
| Preceded by Alfonso Cuarón |
Harry Potter film director 2005 |
Succeeded by David Yates |