David Yates | |
|---|---|
 Yates at the 2016San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | (1963-10-08)8 October 1963 (age 62) |
| Alma mater | University of Essex (BA)[2] National Film and Television School |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Spouse | Yvonne Walcott |
| Relatives | Theo Walcott (nephew) |
David Yates (born 8 October 1963) is an English filmmaker, who has directed feature films, short films, and television productions. He is best known for directing the final four films in theHarry Potter series and the three films of its prequel series,Fantastic Beasts.[3][4] His work on theHarry Potter series brought him critical and commercial success along with accolades, such as theBritish Academy Britannia Award for Excellence in Directing.[4]
Yates directed various short films and became a television director early in his career. His credits include the six-part political thrillerState of Play (2003), for which he won theDirectors Guild of Great Britain Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement, the adult two-part documentary dramaSex Traffic (2004) and theEmmy Award-winning television filmThe Girl in the Café (2005).[3][5][6]
Yates is a founding member ofDirectors UK,[7] and has had a close partnership withWarner Bros. as a director and producer.[8] Around 2022 he started work out of his own production company, Wychwood Media.
David was born on 8 October 1963 inSt Helens, England. He was raised in the village of Rainhill. His parents died when he was young.[9] Raised in the village ofRainhill, Yates was inspired to pursue a career in filmmaking after watchingSteven Spielberg's 1975 movieJaws.[1] Yates's mother bought him aSuper 8mm camera. He used this to shoot various films in which his friends and family featured.[10] One such film,The Ghost Ship, was shot on board the vessel where his uncle worked as a cook.[11] He attended Grange Park High School,[12]St Helens College and then theUniversity of Essex.[13][14][15] Yates said that he "used to skive off college all the time" and never expected to attend university before being surprised by his A-Level exam results. While at the University of Essex, Yates formed the Film and Video Production Society.[16] He graduated with aBA in Government in 1987.[17]
In 1988, Yates made his first filmWhen I Was a Girl inSwindon. The film entered the festival circuit where it was namedBest Short Film at theSan Francisco International Film Festival. It contributed towards Yates's acceptance into theNational Film and Television School in 1989 and led to theBBC hiring him to directOranges and Lemons, a short drama film in 1991. Before completing film school, he began to direct, produce and write the screenplay to the dramatic shortThe Weaver's Wife. He also made his fourth short film,Good Looks, which was presented at theChicago International Film Festival. After graduating in 1992, Yates directed an episode of the film studies programmeMoving Pictures.[10][13][19][20][21][22]
From 1994 to 1995, Yates directed several episodes of theITV police proceduralThe Bill before directing and producing three episodes of the television documentaryTale of Three Seaside Towns alongside producer Alistair Clarke. The programme followed media personalitiesRussell Grant,Honor Blackman andPam Ayres visiting and exploring theSouth Coast towns ofBrighton,Eastbourne andWeymouth.[23][24] Yates directed his fifth short filmPunch before making his feature film debut in 1998 with the release of the independent historical-drama filmThe Tichborne Claimant. The film, which was shown at theEdinburgh International Film Festival, was written by Joe Fisher and based on the true events of theTichborne Case. It starredStephen Fry andRobert Hardy and was shot on location inMerseyside and on theIsle of Man.[25][26][27]
Yates returned to television in 2000 to direct the episodes ofGreed,Envy andLust for the BBC miniseriesThe Sins, starringPete Postlethwaite, as well asThe Way We Live Now, the four-part television adaptation of thenovel of the same name byAnthony Trollope. Yates shared theBritish Academy Television Award for Best Drama Serial with screenwriterAndrew Davies and producerNigel Stafford-Clark at the2002 BAFTA Awards.[28]
One year later, Yates attended the56th BAFTA Awards with aBritish Academy Film Award nomination for Best Short Film for the fourteen-minute production,Rank, which expressed the social elements of racism, friendship and adolescence through the story of a street gang that crossGlasgow to witness the arrival of a group of Somali refugees.[29][30] Yates said that even thoughThe Way We Live Now was "a very big production" and "enormous fun to do",Rank was an opportunity to "shake all that off" and "get back to [his] roots". Of the casting, Yates said that he "wanted to use non-actors to tell the story, to create a reality ... the kids we cast in Glasgow had never done a film before."[10] The film was noted for its gritty style and cinematography, with a review fromEye For Film stating that "such intelligent use of camera and cast lifts Yates out of the pool of promising young directors into the front line of genuine hopefuls. This work demands respect."[19][31]
The 2003 six-part thrillerState of Play was Yates's next achievement.[5] Yates collected the TV Spielfilm Award at theCologne Conference in Germany and won theDirectors Guild of Great Britain Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement.[3][32] The serial was recognised by various award ceremonies, receiving thePeabody Award for Broadcasting Excellence and being presented with twoBritish Academy Television Craft Awards.[33] The quality of the serial sparked Hollywood film bosses to consideradapting it into a film, with producerAndrew Hauptman declaring that "it's a blistering political thriller and we want to make an equally blistering movie."[34]State of Play is regarded by critics fromThe Guardian andThe Times as one of the best British television dramas of the 2000s.[35][36][37]
Yates directed the television adaptation of nine-year-oldDaisy Ashford's novelThe Young Visiters, starringJim Broadbent alongsideHugh Laurie. According to a review byVariety magazine forBBC America, Yates and his team yielded "a warm and surprisingly unsentimental production that has 'evergreen' written all over it".[38]
In 2004, Yates's two-part dramaSex Traffic was broadcast onChannel 4. It won eight BAFTA Awards includingBest Editing forMark Day, who regularly worked with Yates on many of his television projects and short films. Day commented on his collaboration with Yates saying that "we are very good friends because we have spent so much time together". He also said, "David shoots in a similar style from piece to piece, although this wasn’t quite as frantic asState of Play."[39] Yates was nominated for another Directors Guild of Great Britain Award for his direction ofSex Traffic and won his second BAFTA for Best Drama Serial at the British Academy Television Awards.[40] Being a British-Canadian production,Sex Traffic gained four wins at Canada's annual television award ceremony, theGemini Awards, including Best Dramatic Miniseries. Spanning across two parts, the three-hour-long drama reveals how thetrafficking of young women into slavery is a big business which operates throughout Europe; both parts were acclaimed for their "shocking" portrayal of such a sensitive topic.[41][42][43]
Also in 2004, Yates was involved in plans for a film adaptation ofEvelyn Waugh's novelBrideshead Revisited forWarner Independent Pictures. He was set to work withPaul Bettany,Jude Law andJennifer Connelly on the project, but pulled out in the later stages due to constant budget issues affecting the film's production.[44][45]
Yates then directedRichard Curtis' script toThe Girl in the Café, a television film starringBill Nighy andKelly Macdonald. In June 2005, the film was aired on the BBC in Britain and was also broadcast in the United States onHome Box Office.The Girl in the Café achieved three wins at theEmmy Awards, including thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Made for Television Movie, and gained a total of four nominations includingOutstanding Directing for Yates.[13][46][47]
During the period of working on plans forBrideshead Revisited, Yates was told by his agent that he had made the director shortlist for the fifth film in theHarry Potter series and that Warner Bros. was eyeing him to direct. Shortly after, he was confirmed to directHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix byWarner Bros. Pictures, with production scheduled to begin in early 2006.[45][48] When asked how Yates got the job, producerDavid Heyman ("a big fan" of Yates's television work)[49] said that "actors in David's television projects give their best performance, often of their career. It's important to keep pushing the actors, particularly the young ones on eachPotter film. This is a political film, not with a capital P, but it's about teen rebellion and the abuse of power. David has made films in the U.K. about politics without being heavy handed."[50]
Before production began, Yates invitedHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire directorMike Newell to a pub and "picked his brains about what it was going to be like to step into someone's shoes on a movie of this scale".[3] The first scene that Yates shot featured agiant interacting with human characters. The scene was the very first high-scalevisual effects piece Yates filmed in his career.[3][51] After the film's post-production material was well received by the studio, Yates was chosen to direct the sixth film,Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which according to Yates was going to be "a cross between the chills ofPrisoner of Azkaban [the third film in the series] and the fantastical adventure ofGoblet of Fire".[6][44]
In 2007,Order of the Phoenix opened to positive reviews and commercial success. Yates won the title ofBest Director at theEmpire Awards and collected thePeople's Choice Award from theEuropean Film Academy.[52] However, the film was criticised by fans of the series for having the shortest running time out of the five released instalments; Yates said that the original director's cut was "probably over three hours", resulting in much footage being cut, condensed and edited to fit within the studio's preferred time frame.[53][54]
During production ofHalf-Blood Prince, Warner Bros. executiveAlan F. Horn announced that the seventh and final novel in the series,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was to be split into two cinematic parts with Yates, once again, as the director.[55] Yates spoke of the decision to appoint him as the director of the final films, remarking that "they wanted to do aHarry Potter that felt ... more grown up. What's smart about the studio and the producers is they have always wanted to push it a bit.Chris Columbus did a wonderful job of casting and making this world incredibly popular. But rather than do more of the same, they said, 'Let's bring inAlfonso Cuarón and let him run with it. Then later, let's bring in David Yates, who's done all this hard-hitting stuff on TV.' It's a testament to their ambition to try to keep the franchise fresh. The bizarre thing is, I did one [film] and they asked me to stay for three more, so obviously they liked something."[3]
Half-Blood Prince was released in 2009 and became the only film in the series to earn anAcademy Award nomination forBest Cinematography.[56][57] Yates worked alongside French cinematographerBruno Delbonnel on, what Yates called, extensively colour grading the "incredibly rich" picture by making it look "very European" and drawing influences from the Dutch painterRembrandt.[58][59][60] The film garnered a mix of accolades and was acclaimed for its stylised character-driven approach, but some fans complained about the script's deviation from the novel and the film's slightromantic comedy nature.[61] In response to this criticism, BAFTA member and film criticMark Kermode praised Yates's direction and ranked the film "second best" in the series, behindPrisoner of Azkaban.[62]
Yatesbegan to filmDeathly Hallows – Part 1 andDeathly Hallows – Part 2 back-to-back in early 2009 and finished reshoots in late 2010.[63] He stated that he had shot the two parts of the final adaptation differently, with Part 1 being a "road movie" and "quite real", "almost like avérité documentary", while Part 2 is "more operatic, colourful andfantasy-oriented", a "big opera with huge battles."[64][65][66] Yates reshot the final scene of theHarry Potter series atLeavesden Studios after the original version, filmed atLondon King's Cross railway station, did not meet his expectations. In the film, the scene takes place at the magicalPlatform 9¾.[67]
Part 1 was released worldwide in November 2010 to commercial success along with generally positive reviews, some of which reflected on Yates's directing style.The Dallas Morning News affirmed that "David Yates' fluid, fast-paced direction sends up the crackling tension of a thriller" andThe New York Times analysed Yates's approach to J. K. Rowling's character development by saying that he has "demonstrated a thorough, uncondescending sympathy for her characters, in particular the central trio ofRon Weasley,Hermione Granger andHarry Potter himself."[68][69] The film was praised for its "dark" atmosphere and its loyalty to the source material, but it was criticised for its slow middle act, the handling of exposition, and the somewhat disjointed pacing.[70][71]
Part 2 was screened in July 2011 and became an instant record-breaking success with critical acclaim.[72][73]The Daily Telegraph described Part 2 as "monumental cinema awash with gorgeous tones" andTotal Film wrote that Yates combines "spectacle and emotion into a thrilling final chapter."[74][75] Author J. K. Rowling remarked that "everyone who watchesDeathly Hallows – Part 2 is going to see that he's steered us home magnificently. It's incredible."[76][77] Part 2 is one of twoHarry Potter films to pass the $1 billion mark during its original theatrical run; it became thehighest-grossing film in the series and the highest-grossing film of 2011, making Yates the director of the highest-grossing non-James Cameron film of all time in August 2011.[78][79] Amongst other accolades, Yates won his second Empire Award for Best Director and joined the principal creative team ofHarry Potter in receiving the 2012ADG Award for Outstanding Contribution to Cinematic Imagery for their work onDeathly Hallows – Part 2 and the series in general.[80]
Yates attended the64th British Academy Film Awards in February 2011, where he was joined by J. K. Rowling, David Heyman, Mike Newell, Alfonso Cuarón,David Barron,Rupert Grint, andEmma Watson in collecting theMichael Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema on behalf of theHarry Potter films.Daniel Radcliffe, who portrayed the films' titular character, commented on working with Yates, saying that he "added his own sense of grit and realism [to the series] that perhaps wasn't there so much before. I think we all had a fantastic time working with David. I know we did."[1][81]
By 2012, Yates was working on a fewWarner Bros. projects, including aTarzan feature film and anAl Capone biopic calledCicero.[82][83] He also controversially said that he was working withBBC Worldwide on plans to develop aDoctor Who film,[84] although this was denied by the showrunner,Steven Moffat, in July 2012.[85] Because of production delays, Yates began to explore other projects including television work.[86]
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In 2013, he returned to television by signing on to direct thetelevision pilot ofTyrant, an American drama production set against the US–Middle East conflict.[87] The following year, Yates began shootingThe Legend of Tarzan, starringAlexander Skarsgård,Samuel L. Jackson,Margot Robbie,Djimon Hounsou,Jim Broadbent, andChristoph Waltz. The film, released in 2016, opened to mixed reviews and a worldwide total of $356.7 million.[88]
Yates directedFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a 2016 film which is the first in a series of five instalments based on J. K. Rowling's book, set in the world of herHarry Potter novels.[89] David Heyman andHarry Potter screenwriterSteve Kloves joined Yates and J. K. Rowling in developing the script.[90] The film was released in November 2016, it received generally positive reviews and was a commercial success having grossed $814 million. It starsEddie Redmayne,Katherine Waterston,Dan Fogler,Alison Sudol,Ezra Miller,Colin Farrell, andJohnny Depp.
Yates directed the 2018 sequel,Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald which received mixed critical reception but emerged a box office success having grossed $654 million. In an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, he stated he was open to directing all five planned films in theFantastic Beasts series.[91] He returned to direct the third film,Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore in 2022 which also received mixed critical reception and grossed $407 million worldwide, making it a box office disappointment and thelowest-grossing film in the Wizarding World franchise.
Yates next directed the drama filmPain Hustlers, starringEmily Blunt andChris Evans, forNetflix. Production began on 22 August 2022 and the film was released on 27 October 2023.[92][93]
Yates founded production company Wychwood Media[94] with Lewis Taylor. In May 2022,Sister entered afirst-look deal with Wychwood Media.[95]
Yates has a younger brother and an elder sister.[9] He is married to Yvonne Walcott.[12] He is the uncle of former professional footballerTheo Walcott.[96]
Commenting on their work onHarry Potter,Emma Watson stated that Yates liked to push the cast and crew to physical and emotional extremes, withGary Oldman confirming Yates's preference for working slowly by shooting numeroustakes to draw the finest performances out of the cast.[97][98] Yates has been influenced by such directors asSteven Spielberg,David Lean, andKen Loach.[10] Yates's style of work includes social and political themes, character-driven narratives, realism, and atmospheric drama.[99][100][101]
| Year | Title | Director | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Tichborne Claimant | Yes | No |
| 2007 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Yes | No |
| 2009 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | Yes | No |
| 2010 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 | Yes | No |
| 2011 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 | Yes | No |
| 2016 | The Legend of Tarzan | Yes | Executive |
| Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | Yes | No | |
| 2018 | Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald | Yes | No |
| 2022 | Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore | Yes | No |
| 2023 | Pain Hustlers | Yes | Yes |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | When I Was a Girl | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1991 | The Weaver's Wife | Yes | Yes | No |
| Oranges and Lemons | Yes | No | No | |
| 1992 | Good Looks | Yes | No | No |
| 1996 | Punch | Yes | No | No |
| 2002 | Rank | Yes | No | No |
TV series
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1994–95 | The Bill | 5 episodes |
| 2014 | Tyrant | Episode "Pilot", also executive producer |
Miniseries
TV movies
Documentary series
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Moving Pictures | Episode "Low Budget" |
| 1995 | Tale of Three Seaside Towns | Co-directed with Alistair Clarke; Also producer |
Only certain awards for Yates's direction are shown in this section. A complete list of awards for a project may be found on its article page.
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Cork International Film Festival | Best European Short | When I Was a Girl | Won |
| San Francisco International Film Festival: Golden Gate Award | Best Short Film | Won | ||
| Belfort Film Festival | Best Film | Won | ||
| 1992 | Chicago International Film Festival: Silver Hugo | – | Good Looks | Won |
| 1998 | Emden Film Festival Award | – | The Tichborne Claimant | Nominated |
| 2002 | BAFTA:British Academy Television Award | Best Drama Serial | The Way We Live Now | Won |
| 2003 | BAFTA:British Academy Film Award | Best Short Film | Rank | Nominated |
| Directors Guild of Great Britain | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a TV Movie/Serial | State of Play | Won | |
| 2004 | BAFTA:British Academy Television Award | Best Drama Serial | Nominated | |
| Cologne Conference: TV Spielfilm Award | Best Fiction Programme | Won | ||
| Directors Guild of Great Britain | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a TV Movie/Miniseries | Sex Traffic | Nominated | |
| 2005 | BAFTA:British Academy Television Award | Best Drama Serial | Won | |
| Prix Italia | Best TV Movie or Miniseries | Won | ||
| 2006 | Cinema For Peace | Most valuable work of a director, producer or screenwriter | The Girl in the Café | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special | Nominated | ||
| 2008 | Empire Award | Best Director | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Won |
| Saturn Award | Best Director | Nominated | ||
| 2010 | NFTS Honorary Fellowship | Outstanding Contribution to the British Film and Television Industry | – | Won |
| 2011 | BAFTA:Britannia Award (Los Angeles) | John Schlesinger Britannia Award for Excellence in Directing | Harry Potter Order of the Phoenix,Half-Blood Prince,Deathly Hallows | Won |
| Saturn Award | Best Director | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 | Nominated | |
| Scream Award | Best Director | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Saturn Award | Best Director | Nominated | |
| SFX Award | Best Director | Nominated | ||
| Empire Award | Best Director | Won | ||
| University of Essex | Honorary Degree | – | Won | |
| 2016 | BAFTA:British Academy Film Award | Outstanding British Film | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | Nominated |
The worldwide success of Mr. Lasseter for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios and Mr. Yates's contribution to the final four parts of the 'Harry Potter' franchise makes them global wizards in their own right, and are delighted to honor these remarkable filmmakers with this year's Britannia Award.
Director David Yates, one of British TV's most respected director (thanks to the drama series State of Play)...
NICHOLAS HOOPER/DAVID YATES "THE WEAVER'S WIFE", "GOOD LOOKS"
Yates, making his feature-film debut after directing television documentaries about British seaside towns...
Honor presented a documentary for Workhouse TV/Meridian about Brighton which formed part of A TALE OF THREE SEASIDE TOWNS.
Filming Locations: Croxteth Hall, Croxteth, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK ... Isle of Man ... Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK
This year's TV Spielfilm Award goes to David Yates' "State of Play". The Cologne Conference congratulates David Yates.
Our TV critics have voted, debated and decided on a top 50 of classic TV drama series
Fists fly as The Times's frontline TV critics argue out the best 50 programmes of the decade
He had been developing a version of Evelyn Waugh's novel, Brideshead Revisited in 2004 for the studio's art house division, Warner Independent Pictures, with husband-and-wife actors Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connolly negotiating to play the leads, but after finally landing the highly coveted "Potter" job and with budget issues stalling "Brideshead," Yates transitioned into his new assignment.
Reportedly, Paul Bettany, Jude Law and Jennifer Connelly were attached until helmer David Yates was poached for last year's 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.' One can say, in this case, that settling for the B team turned out well.
Without wishing to sound rude, how did he get the job? 'You're not the first to ask,' he laughs...
Includes fan comments
This is the second best Harry Potter film.
His work is defined by the use of political and social elements ... expertise to address specific issues such as corruption...
| Preceded by | Harry Potter film director 2007–2011 | Succeeded by End of Series |
| Preceded by | NFTS Honorary Fellowship 2010 | Succeeded by |
