Stephen Frears | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Frears in 2014 | |
| Born | Stephen Arthur Frears (1941-06-20)20 June 1941 (age 84) Leicester, England |
| Education | Gresham's School |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1968–present |
| Notable work | |
| Television | |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4 |
Sir Stephen Arthur Frears (born 20 June 1941) is a British director and producer of film and television, often depicting real-life stories as well as projects that explore social class through sharply-drawn characters. He has received numerous accolades including threeBAFTA Awards, and aPrimetime Emmy Award as well as nominations for twoAcademy Awards. In 2008,The Daily Telegraph named Frears among the 100 most influential people inBritish culture.[1] In 2009, he received the Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He received aknighthood in 2023 for his contributions to the film and television industries.[2]
Born inLeicester and educated atGresham's School andTrinity College, Cambridge, Frears started his career working as an assistant director in theatre and film while directing many television plays. Frears directed his debut feature filmGumshoe in 1971 and received critical acclaim for his films in the 1980s such asMy Beautiful Laundrette (1985),Prick Up Your Ears (1987), andDangerous Liaisons (1988). He also received twoAcademy Award nominations for directingThe Grifters (1990) andThe Queen (2006).
Frears is also known for his work on various television programmes, including the television filmsFail Safe (2000),The Deal (2003), andMuhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (2013). He directed theJeremy ThorpeBBC One biographical miniseriesA Very English Scandal (2018), for which he earned aPrimetime Emmy Award nomination.
Frears was born on 20 June 1941[3] inLeicester, England.[4] His mother, Ruth M. (née Danziger), was a social worker, and his father, Russell E. Frears, was a general practitioner and accountant.[4] Frears was brought upAnglican. He did not learn that his mother wasJewish until he was in his late 20s.[5][6][7]
From 1954 to 1959, Frears was educated atGresham's School,[8] an independent boarding school for boys (now co-educational) in themarket town ofHolt inNorfolk. This was followed byTrinity College, Cambridge, where he studied between 1960 and 1963,[9] earning a BA degree in Law.[3]
At the University of Cambridge, Frears was assistant stage manager for the 1963Footlights Revue, which starredTim Brooke-Taylor,John Cleese,Bill Oddie andDavid Hatch.[10] After graduating from the university, Frears worked as an assistant director on the filmsMorgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966), directed byKarel Reisz, andif.... (1968), directed byLindsay Anderson. Frears also worked withAlbert Finney onCharlie Bubbles (1968).[11]
With Finney's company Memorial Productions, Frears madeThe Burning,[11] a 31-minute adaptation of a short story by Roland Starke. Although set in South Africa, it was filmed inTangier. It was released theatrically attached toFrançois Truffaut'sThe Bride Wore Black.[12]
Frears spent most of his early directing career in television, mainly for theBBC but also for the commercial sector. He contributed to several anthology series, such as the BBC'sPlay for Today. He also produced a series ofAlan Bennett's plays forLWT, includingThe Old Crowd (1979, director: Lindsay Anderson).[13] His directorial film debut was the noir detective spoofGumshoe (1971).
In the late 1980s, Frears came to international attention as a director of feature films. In 1985, Frears found widespread acclaim withMy Beautiful Laundrette. Based onHanif Kureishi's screenplay, the film focuses on an interracialgay romance. It received anAcademy Award nomination and two nominations for BAFTA Awards. The success of the film helped launch the careers of both Frears and actorDaniel Day-Lewis.
Frears worked withAdrian Edmondson onMr Jolly Lives Next Door, starringPeter Cook andNicolas Parsons as part ofThe Comic Strip Presents series of self contained comedy tv films, this being one of the first in that strand to receive a limited theatrical release ahead of broadcast. It aired as a 45-minute programme onChannel Four in 1988. Frears had previously directed a nacsent Comic Strip parody of tv showThe Professionals in 1982/3, and another ofDaphne Du Maurier's 1938 novelRebecca starring French and Saunders,Consuela in 1985, this formed the first of the duo's parody films for which they became well known.
Frears next directed theJoe Orton biopicPrick Up Your Ears (1987), a collaboration with playwrightAlan Bennett. His second film adapted from a Kureishi screenplay wasSammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987).
In 1988, Frears directedDangerous Liaisons to widespread critical acclaim. The film was shot in France, with a cast that included AmericansGlenn Close,John Malkovich, andMichelle Pfeiffer, andUma Thurman. Based on thelate 18th-century French novel of romantic game-playing and adapted byChristopher Hampton, the film received sevenAcademy Award nominations. These included forBest Picture andBest Actress forGlenn Close andBest Supporting Actress forMichelle Pfeiffer. The film also received tenBritish Academy Film Award nominations, including for Frears forBest Direction.
In 1990, Frears directed the neo-noir crime thrillerThe Grifters, starringJohn Cusack,Anjelica Huston, andAnnette Bening.Martin Scorsese served as a producer on the film. The film won theIndependent Spirit Award for Best Film, and was declared one of theTop 10 films of 1990 byThe National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. Frears was also nominated for the USAcademy Award for Best Director.
In 1992, Frears directed the comedy dramaHero, released in the United Kingdom asAccidental Hero. The film starredDustin Hoffman,Geena Davis,Andy Garcia, andJoan Cusack. Many critics compared the film to those ofPreston Sturges andFrank Capra, as didRoger Ebert, who wrote, "It [the film] has all the ingredients for a terrific entertainment, but it lingers over the kinds of details that belong in a different kind of movie. It comes out of the tradition of those rat-a-tat Preston Sturges comedies of the 1940s."[14] While the film was met with generally positive critical reviews, it was not a box office success.Columbia Pictures lost $25.6 million.[15]
Frears has also directed two films adapted from novels byRoddy Doyle,The Snapper (1993) andThe Van (1996). Frears's other films include the horror filmMary Reilly and the WesternThe Hi-Lo Country (1998).
In 2000, Frears directedHigh Fidelity starringJohn Cusack,Jack Black,Lisa Bonet, andJoan Cusack. The film is based on the1995 British novel of the same name byNick Hornby. It is set in Chicago rather than London, and the name of the lead character was changed. After seeing the film, Hornby expressed his happiness with Cusack's performance, saying that "at times, it appears to be a film in which John Cusack reads my book".[16]
The film received positive reviews from critics and has a score of 91% onRotten Tomatoes, based on 165 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The critical consensus states: "The deft hand of director Stephen Frears and strong performances by the ensemble cast combine to tell an entertaining story with a rock-solid soundtrack."[17]
In 2002, Frears directed social thriller,Dirty Pretty Things, a film about two immigrants living in London. The film starredAudrey Tautou, andChiwetel Ejiofor. The film was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Original Screenplay. It won aBritish Independent Film Award for Best Independent British Film in 2003. For his performance as Okwe,Chiwetel Ejiofor won the 2003 British Independent Film Award for Best Actor.
In 2003, Frears was attached to direct theJames Bond spin-offJinx, featuringHalle Berry as her character fromDie Another Day (2002) co-starring withMichael Madsen andJavier Bardem.Neal Purvis and Robert Wade were scheduled to return to write the screenplay, and Wade described it as "a very atmospheric, Euro thriller, aBourne-type movie". ProducerBarbara Broccoli described it as the beginning of a "Winter Olympics"-style alternative to the conventional Bond films. However, the project was cancelled due to "creative differences" betweenEon Productions andMGM, and in order to focus on the reboot of the series withCasino Royale (2006).[18]
In 2003, Frears returned to directing for television withThe Deal (2003), which depicts analleged deal between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown over which of them should become leader of theLabour Party in 1994.Michael Sheen portrayedTony Blair to great acclaim. In 2005, Frears directed the British theatre comedyMrs Henderson Presents starringJudi Dench,Bob Hoskins. The film was praised for its performances by Dench and Hoskins, with Dench receiving anAcademy Award nomination forBest Actress.
Frears’s next film project wasThe Queen (2006), a film that depicts thedeath of Princess Diana on 31 August 1997, and the reaction of members of the monarchy and the public. The film premiered at theVenice Film Festival, where Mirren won Best Actress andPeter Morgan won Best Screenplay. Frears was nominated for theGolden Lion. When released within the United States, the film achieved box-office success and awards. At theAcademy Awards, Frears received his second Academy Award nomination for best direction.Helen Mirren won numerous awards for playing thetitle role, including theAcademy Award for Best Actress.
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Frears holds[when?] the "David Lean Chair in Fiction Direction" at theNational Film and Television School inBeaconsfield, where he teaches.
In 2013, Frears directed the drama,Philomena (2013), which was based on the bookThe Lost Child of Philomena Lee (2009) by journalistMartin Sixsmith. This explored the story ofPhilomena Lee's 50-year search for her son, who was taken from her when she was a young unwed mother at a Catholic convent, and adopted by an American family. It also recounted Sixsmith's efforts to help her find the son. The film starredJudi Dench andSteve Coogan.
The film premiered at the70th Venice International Film Festival to great acclaim and writersJeff Pope andSteve Coogan won the best screenplay award for the film. The film won the People's Choice Award Runner-Up prize at the 2013Toronto International Film Festival. The film was nominated for fourOscars at the86th Academy Awards:Best Picture,Best Adapted Screenplay,Best Actress (for Dench), andBest Original Score. It was also nominated for fourBritish Academy Film Awards and threeGolden Globe Awards. The same year,HBO released Frears's television dramaMuhammad Ali's Greatest Fight, starringChristopher Plummer andFrank Langella. It explores theUnited States Supreme Court deliberation over banningMuhammad Ali from boxing for refusing to serve in the US Army during theVietnam War.
Frears directed a biopic of cycling championLance Armstrong,The Program, starringBen Foster, which premiered in the2015 Toronto International Film Festival. Many of Frears's films are based on stories of living persons, but he has never sought to meet any of his subjects.[19]National Life Stories conducted an oral history interview (C1316/07) with Stephen Frears in 2008 for its The Legacy of the English Stage Company collection held by theBritish Library.[20]
In 2016, Frears directed the film,Florence Foster Jenkins, starringMeryl Streep. Thetitle character is a New York heiress known as an aspiringopera singer despite her poor singing abilities.Hugh Grant plays her manager and long-time companion,St. Clair Bayfield. Other cast members includeSimon Helberg,Rebecca Ferguson, andNina Arianda. The film was a critical and commercial success, with many praising Streep and Grant for their performances.
At the89th Academy Awards, it was nominated forBest Costume Design and earned Streep her 20th nomination forBest Actress. It received fourGolden Globe nominations, including Best Picture in a Comedy or Musical. In 2017, Frears reunited withJudi Dench, this time inVictoria & Abdul, about the real-life relationship betweenQueen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her Indian Muslim servantAbdul Karim. The film also starsAli Fazal,Michael Gambon,Eddie Izzard,Tim Pigott-Smith (in his final film role), andAdeel Akhtar. The film had its world premiere at the74th Venice Film Festival, and was theatrically released on 15 September 2017 in the United Kingdom. It has grossed[when?] more than $65 million worldwide.
In 2018, Frears returned to the limited series withA Very English Scandal, which premiered onBBC One and later onAmazon Prime. The project is a three-part 2018 British televisioncomedy-dramaminiseries based onJohn Preston's 2016book of the same name. It is a dramatisation of the 1976–1979Jeremy Thorpe scandal and more than 15 years of events leading up to it. The series starsHugh Grant as the politicianJeremy Thorpe, andBen Whishaw as his loverNorman Scott. The limited series gained great acclaim in both the United Kingdom and the United States. OnRotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 97% based on 64 reviews, with an average rating of 9.05/10. Rotten Tomatoes's critical consensus reads, "Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw impress inA Very English Scandal, an equally absorbing and appalling look at British politics and society".[21] Grant receivedPrimetime Emmy Award,Screen Actors Guild Award,Golden Globe Award,British Academy Television Award, andCritics Choice Award nominations for his performance while Whishaw earned an Emmy, and BAFTA win.
In 2022, it was reported that Frears would be directing a film aboutBilly Wilder titledWilder & Me.[22] An adaptation byChristopher Hampton of the novelMr Wilder and Me (2020) byJonathan Coe, the film is scheduled to begin shooting in early 2025, produced byJeremy Thomas.[23]
In 1968, Frears marriedMary-Kay Wilmers, with whom he had two sons, Sam and Will. The couple divorced in the early 1970s.[24] Will Frears became a stage and film director.
Early in his career, Frears made a programme featuring the bandthe Scaffold. He is name-checked ("Mr Frears had sticky-out ears...") in their hit song "Lily the Pink".[25]
As of 2002[update] Frears lived in London with Anne Rothenstein and their two children.[3]
Frears wasknighted in the2023 Birthday Honours for services to film and television.[26]
A convincedrepublican,[27] in April 2015, Frears was one of several celebrities who endorsed the parliamentary candidacy ofCaroline Lucas at the2015 general election, but not otherGreen Party candidates.[28]
In December 2019, along with 42 other leading cultural figures, Frears signed a letter endorsing theLabour Party underJeremy Corbyn's leadership in the2019 general election.[29][30]
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Report: St - Ann's Nottingham (Documentary film) | Yes | No |
| 1972 | A Day Out | Yes | No |
| 1973 | The Cricket Match | Yes | No |
| 1975 | Daft as a Bush | Yes | No |
| Three Men in a Boat | Yes | No | |
| 1977 | Black Christmas | Yes | No |
| 1978 | Me! I'm Afraid of Virginia Woolf | Yes | Yes |
| Doris and Doreen | Yes | Yes | |
| 1979 | Afternoon Off | Yes | Yes |
| One Fine Day | Yes | Yes | |
| 1980 | Bloody Kids | Yes | No |
| 1982 | Walter | Yes | No |
| 1983 | Walter and June | Yes | No |
| Saigon: Year of the Cat | Yes | No | |
| The Last Company Car | Yes | No | |
| 1984 | December Flower | Yes | No |
| 1987 | Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door | Yes | No |
| 1993 | The Snapper | Yes | No |
| 2000 | Fail Safe | Yes | No |
| 2003 | The Deal | Yes | No |
| 2014 | Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight | Yes | No |
TV series
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Parkin's Patch | 2 episodes |
| Tom Grattan's War | 5 episodes | |
| 1971–73 | Follyfoot | 4 episodes |
| 1973 | Full House | Episode: "#1.15" |
| Sporting Scenes | Episode: "England, Their England" | |
| 1974 | Second City Firsts | Episode: "Match of the Day" |
| 1975 | Play for Today | 3 episodes |
| 1976 | BBC2 Playhouse | 2 episodes |
| 1977 | ITV Play of the Week | 2 episodes |
| ITV Playhouse | 2 episodes; also producer | |
| 1984 | The Comic Strip Presents... | 3 episodes |
| 1986–93 | Screen Two | 2 episodes |
| 2019–22 | State of the Union | 20 episodes; Also executive producer |
| 2019 | The Loudest Voice | Episode: "2015" |
Miniseries
| Year | Title | Director | Executive Producer | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | A Very English Scandal | Yes | Yes | |
| 2020 | Quiz | Yes | Yes | [31] |
| 2024 | The Regime | Yes | Yes | [32] |
Over his career, Frears has amassed numerous awards and nominations, including twoAcademy Award nominations, fourPrimetime Emmy Award nominations (one win), aGolden Globe Award nomination, and 17British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award nominations (three wins).
In 1990, Frears earned his firstAcademy Award nomination for directing the filmThe Grifters. In 2006, he earned his second nomination forThe Queen. At thePrimetime Emmy Awards, he was nominated forFail Safe (2000),Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (2013), andA Very English Scandal (2019), before winning forState of the Union (2019). He has also been acknowledged by theCannes,Berlin,Venice, andToronto film festivals.
Honors include:
| Year | Title | Academy Awards | BAFTA Awards | Golden Globe Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | ||
| 1971 | Gumshoe | 2 | |||||
| 1984 | The Hit | 1 | |||||
| 1985 | My Beautiful Laundrette | 1 | 2 | ||||
| 1987 | Prick Up Your Ears | 3 | 1 | ||||
| 1988 | Dangerous Liaisons | 7 | 3 | 10 | 2 | ||
| 1990 | The Grifters | 4 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 2000 | High Fidelity | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 2002 | Dirty Pretty Things | 1 | 2 | ||||
| 2005 | Mrs Henderson Presents | 2 | 4 | 3 | |||
| 2006 | The Queen | 6 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 2013 | Philomena | 4 | 4 | 3 | |||
| 2016 | Florence Foster Jenkins | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2017 | Victoria & Abdul | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Total | 29 | 4 | 45 | 5 | 18 | 2 | |
Directed Academy Award performances
Under Frears' direction, these actors have receivedAcademy Award nominations (and wins) for their performances in their respective roles.
| Year | Performer | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Award for Best Actress | |||
| 1988 | Glenn Close | Dangerous Liaisons | Nominated |
| 1990 | Anjelica Huston | The Grifters | Nominated |
| 2005 | Judi Dench | Mrs Henderson Presents | Nominated |
| 2006 | Helen Mirren | The Queen | Won |
| 2013 | Judi Dench | Philomena | Nominated |
| 2016 | Meryl Streep | Florence Foster Jenkins | Nominated |
| Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
| 1988 | Michelle Pfeiffer | Dangerous Liaisons | Nominated |
| 1990 | Annette Bening | The Grifters | Nominated |
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