Peter Morgan | |
|---|---|
 Morgan at aHereafter press conference, 2010 | |
| Born | Peter Julian Robin Morgan (1963-04-10)10 April 1963 (age 61) Wimbledon, London, England |
| Occupation |
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| Alma mater | University of Leeds |
| Period | 1988–present |
| Genre | Comedy, drama, historical fiction |
| Notable works | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5 |
Peter Julian Robin MorganCBE (born 10 April 1963) is a Britishscreenwriter andplaywright. He has written for theatre, films and television, often writing about historical events or figures such asQueen Elizabeth II, whom he has covered extensively in all major media. He has received a number of accolades including fiveBAFTA Awards, twoPrimetime Emmy Awards, and fourGolden Globe Awards as well as nominations for twoAcademy Awards, aTony Award and aLaurence Olivier Award. In February 2017, Morgan was awarded aBritish Film Institute Fellowship.[1]
He is the playwright behind the playsFrost/Nixon (2005),The Audience (2013), andPatriots (2022), the former of which was nominated for theTony Award for Best Play. As a screenwriter, Morgan receivedAcademy Award nominations forThe Queen (2006) andFrost/Nixon (2008). He also wrote the screenplays forThe Last King of Scotland (2006),The Other Boleyn Girl (2008),The Damned United (2009), andRush (2013). Morgan is also known for his work in television writing theITV seriesThe Jury (2002), theChannel 4 filmThe Deal (2003), and theHBO filmsLongford (2006), andThe Special Relationship (2010). He served as creator and show-runner of theNetflix seriesThe Crown (2016–2023).
Morgan was born inWimbledon,London. His mother, Inga (née Bojcek), was aCatholicPole who fled theSoviets, and his father, Arthur Morgenthau, was aGerman Jew who fled theNazis, arriving in London in 1933.[2][3] His father died when Morgan was nine years old.[4] Morgan attendedSt Paul's School in London[5] and boarding school atDownside School, Somerset, and gained a degree in Fine Art from theUniversity of Leeds.[citation needed]
Morgan wrote television scripts during the 1990s, including an episode ofRik Mayall Presents... and the Comedy PremiereThe Chest. He wrote the screenplay to the romantic comedyMartha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence (1998). He also served as additional writer forMadame Sousatzka (1988), co-writer on the short filmDear Rosie (1990), and wrote re-writes for the comedyKing Ralph (1991). In 2002, Morgan had some success with the TV seriesThe Jury (2002). In 2003, Morgan broke through withThe Deal, a television drama about thepower-sharing deal between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown that was struck in the Granita restaurant in London in 1994. Blair was portrayed byMichael Sheen, who would return to the role of Blair inThe Queen andThe Special Relationship.
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In 2006The Queen was released, which showed howthe death of Princess Diana impactedPrime MinisterTony Blair and theRoyal Family. The film debuted at theVenice Film Festival where it received critical acclaim. The film received 6Academy Award nominations includingBest Picture. Morgan also received a nomination forBest Screenplay. Morgan received theGolden Globe Award for his screenplay from theHollywood Foreign Press, andHelen Mirren won numerous awards for playing thetitle role including theAcademy Award and theGolden Globe Award. 2006 also saw the release ofThe Last King of Scotland, the screenplay of which Morgan adapted withJeremy Brock. In 2007 they jointly won aBAFTA Film Award for their work on the film. In May 2007, the 50thSan Francisco International Film Festival honoured Morgan with the year's Kanbar Award for Excellence in Screenwriting.
Also in 2006, Morgan's first play,Frost/Nixon, was staged at theDonmar Warehouse theatre in London. StarringMichael Sheen asDavid Frost andFrank Langella asRichard Nixon, the play concernsthe series of televised interviews that the disgraced former president granted Frost in 1977. These ended with his tacit admission of guilt regarding his role in theWatergate scandal. The play was directed byMichael Grandage and opened to enthusiastic reviews. The play transferred to Broadway in 2007 at theBernard B. Jacobs Theatre where it ran from 21 April to 19 August. The play received threeTony Awards including one for Morgan for theBest Play. Langella won theTony Award for Best Actor in a Play.
In 2008, the film adaptation ofFrost/Nixon directed byRon Howard was released, with Sheen and Langella playing the parts they had on stage. The film also starredKevin Bacon,Rebecca Hall,Mathew Macfadyen,Toby Jones,Oliver Platt, andSam Rockwell. The film debuted at theLondon Film Festival to critical acclaim.Roger Ebert gave the film 4 stars praising the writing and the performances of the leads saying, "Frank Langella and Michael Sheen do not attempt to mimic their characters, but to embody them".[6] Despite praise from critics the film was a box office failure. The film received fiveAcademy Award nominations includingBest Adapted Screenplay for Morgan as well as forBest Picture losing toSlumdog Millionaire (2008).
In July 2009, filming began on the television filmThe Special Relationship, the third film of Morgan's "Blair trilogy". The film focuses on Blair's (again played by Michael Sheen) relationship with US presidentBill Clinton, played byDennis Quaid, between 1997 and 2000. The film also featuresHope Davis asHillary Clinton andHelen McCrory asCherie Blair. Morgan was originally scheduled to direct the film (making his directorial debut) but pulled out a month before filming began. He was replaced byRichard Loncraine.[7] The film debuted onHBO on 29 May 2010. Barry Morgan ofThe Associated Press declared, "With its well-chosen cast and high production values, “Relationship” is an especially thoughtful, revealing and honest account of power and politics."[8] The film also received positive reviews overall receiving an 83% onRotten Tomatoes with the consensus reading, "Well-cast and compellingly directed,The Special Relationship offers an intelligent look into the complex dynamic between two world leaders."[9] The film received fivePrimetime Emmy Award nominations including, forOutstanding Television Movie. Morgan was nominated forOutstanding Writing for a Limited Series or Television Movie losing toAdam Mazer for anotherHBO television movieYou Don't Know Jack (2009).
In 2008, Morgan was initially set to adapt theJohn le Carré'sTinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy into a screenplay forWorking Title Films but dropped out and served as the film's executive producer.[10] In June 2009, it was announced that he would be the co-writer ofSkyfall, the 23rdJames Bond film.[11]The Daily Telegraph's Mandrake diary reported in April 2010 that Morgan had quit the production afterSam Mendes was hired to direct, and thatPatrick Marber would replace him. MGM dismissed theTelegraph's claims as speculation.[12] In the end Morgan did not receive credit but rather it wasNeal Purvis,Robert Wade, andJohn Logan who were credited as the film's screenwriters. He has since finished the script forHereafter, a supernatural thriller "in the vein ofThe Sixth Sense".DreamWorks bought the screenplayon spec in March 2008.[13] The development was later transferred toWarner Bros. and filming began in October 2009 under the direction ofClint Eastwood.
In 2013, the filmRush was released. The film is abiographicalsports film centred on theHunt–Lauda rivalry between twoFormula One drivers, the BritishJames Hunt and the AustrianNiki Lauda during the1976 Formula 1 motor-racing season.[14] The film was directed byRon Howard and written by Morgan and starredChris Hemsworth,Daniel Brühl, andOlivia Wilde. The film was a financial and critical success. The film received fourBritish Academy Film Award nominations includingOutstanding British Film. In 2013, Morgan's playThe Audience debuted. The play revolves around the weekly meetings, called audiences, betweenQueen Elizabeth II and herprime ministers over the time period of her reign.DameHelen Mirren reprised her role as the Queen. The play premiered in theWest End at theGielgud Theatre where she eventually won theOlivier Award for Best Actress. ABroadway production opened in 2015 at theGerald Schoenfeld Theatre which ran from 8 March to 15 June. Mirren also received theTony Award for Best Actress in a Play.
Morgan's next feature film would beBohemianRhapsody (2018), a biopic about rock musicianFreddie Mercury (portrayed byRami Malek), the lead vocalist of the rock bandQueen.[15] Morgan has started writing the screenplay in 2010. The film was a massive box office success earning $903.7 million. The film however received a mixed critical response with critics praising Malek's central performances but criticising its editing, directing and pacing.Time Magazine film criticStephanie Zacharek wrote, "In strict filmmaking terms,Bohemian Rhapsody is a bit of a mess. Some of its scenes connect awkwardly, and it hits every beat of disaster and triumphs squarely, like a gong."[16] Despite its criticism, the filmreceived various awards including fourAcademy Awards forBest Actor,Best Sound Editing,Best Sound Mixing, andBest Film Editing.
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Morgan is the creator and writer of theNetflix fictional historical drama seriesThe Crown, a biographical story about the reign of QueenElizabeth II. The first season starredClaire Foy,Matt Smith,Vanessa Kirby, asQueen Elizabeth II,Prince Philip, andPrincess Margaret, respectively.Jared Harris andJohn Lithgow made supporting turns asKing George VI andWinston Churchill. The series received widespread critical acclaim and received multiplePrimetime Emmy Award nominations including a wins for Foy forOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and Lithgow forOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. The casts saw changes for seasons 3 and 4 withOlivia Colman,Tobias Menzies andHelena Bonham Carter replacing, Foy, Smith, and Kirby. Morgan received threePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series nominations for writing the episodes, "Assassins" (2016), "Mystery Man" (2017), and "Aberfan" (2019).
On 15 November 2020, thefourth series ofThe Crown was released to critical acclaim. According to the review-aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds 95% critics' consensus making it the highest rated series out of the six in total.[17] The season marks the introduction ofEmma Corrin asDiana, Princess of Wales, and Morgan's then girlfriendGillian Anderson as British Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher, with Colman, Menzies, Bonham Carter andJosh O'Connor reprising their roles as Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Princess Margaret andPrince Charles respectively. The fourth season was awarded theAFI Television Program of the Year for the fourth time in a row, four Golden Globes, includingBest TV Series, a Critics' Choice Award for Best Drama, and 10 BAFTA nominations including Best Drama. In September 2021, the fourth season won in all 7Emmys Drama Categories[18] and earnedNetflix its first major win in the history of the streaming giant (Best Drama),[19] with Morgan receiving the award for Outstanding Writing. Prior to that, he received aWGA Award for Best Drama and aPGA Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama for the fourth season. Season five ofThe Crown was released in November 2022 with the sixth and final season following in 2023.[20]Imelda Staunton,Jonathan Pryce andLesley Manville played the respective roles of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and Princess Margaret. Princess Diana and Prince Charles were played byElizabeth Debicki andDominic West.[21]
In May 2022 it was announced thatPatriots, Morgan's first play sinceThe Audience would preview at theAlmeida Theatre in London from 2 July with an opening night on 12th and performances until 20 August. Set during the 1991 fall of theSoviet Union,Patriots will follow a generation of oligarchs as they try to seize control of a new world.Tom Hollander would lead the cast as businessmanBoris Berezovsky. The cast also includesWill Keen asVladimir Putin,Yolanda Kettle and Luke Thallon.Rupert Goold would direct.[22] On 19 August 2022, after a successful run at theAlmeida Theatre it was announced thatPatriots would transfer to theNoël Coward Theatre in theWest End from May 2023 for a 12-week run. Most of the original cast reprised their role.[23]
In January 2024, it was announced thatPatriots would transfer to Broadway for a 12-week limited engagement.Michael Stuhlbarg starred as Berezovsky and Will Keen and Luke Thallon reprised their roles as Putin and Abramovich respectively. Lead producer of the Broadway production wasSonia Friedman. Previews began on 1 April 2024, with opening night on 22 April 2024 at theEthel Barrymore Theater.[24] The play closed on 23 June 2024.
Morgan was appointedCommander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the2016 New Year Honours for services to drama.[25] In July 2016, Morgan was presented with anhonorary degree in Letters by theUniversity of Leeds, his alma mater.[26] In February 2017, he was awarded aBritish Film Institute Fellowship (BFI).[1] In November 2019, Morgan was honoured by theAmerican Film Institute with a tribute to his career at the AFI FEST 2019.[27] In June 2024 he was honoured with the Creator Tribute Award at the1st Gotham TV Awards.
In 1997 he married Princess Anna Carolina Schwarzenberg (b. 1968), daughter ofKarel Schwarzenberg (1937–2023), head of the princelyHouse of Schwarzenberg and former Czech foreign minister. They had five children, and separated in 2014.[28][29]
From 2016 to December 2020, he was in a relationship with actressGillian Anderson.[30][31][32]
| Year | Title | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Madame Sousatzka | Yes | No | Wrote additional material |
| 1990 | Dear Rosie | Yes | No | Short; co-writer |
| 1991 | King Ralph | Yes | No | Rewrites |
| 1992 | The Silent Touch | Yes | No | Co-written withMark Wadlow |
| 1998 | Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence | Yes | No | |
| 2006 | The Queen | Yes | No | |
| 2006 | The Last King of Scotland | Yes | No | Co-written withJeremy Brock |
| 2008 | The Other Boleyn Girl | Yes | No | |
| 2008 | Frost/Nixon | Yes | Executive | |
| 2009 | The Damned United | Yes | Executive | |
| 2009 | State of Play | Yes | No | Rewrites |
| 2010 | Hereafter | Yes | Executive | |
| 2011 | 360 | Yes | No | |
| 2011 | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | No | Executive | |
| 2013 | Rush | Yes | Yes | |
| 2018 | Bohemian Rhapsody | Yes | No | |
| 2022 | My Father, The Prince | No | Yes | |
| TBC | Thrilla in Manila | Yes | No | Working title; upcomingAng Lee film |
| Year | Title | Writer | Producer | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 4 Play | Yes | No | Channel 4 | Episode: "Shalom Joan Collins" |
| 1992 | Inferno | Yes | No | Television film | |
| 1993 | Micky Love | Yes | No | ITV | Television film |
| 1997 | The Chest | Yes | No | ITV | Television film |
| 2000 | Metropolis | Yes | No | ITV | Miniseries; 5 episodes |
| 2002 | The Jury | Yes | Executive | ITV | Miniseries; 6 Episodes |
| 2003 | The Deal | Yes | Associate | Channel 4 | Television film |
| 2003 | Henry VIII | Yes | Executive | ITV | Television film |
| 2005 | Colditz | Yes | No | ITV | Miniseries; 2 episodes |
| 2006 | Longford | Yes | Executive | Channel 4 | Television film |
| 2010 | The Special Relationship | Yes | Executive | HBO | Television film |
| 2013 | National Theatre Live: The Audience | Yes | No | National Theatre Live | Television special |
| 2014 | The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies | Yes | Executive | ITV | 2 episodes |
| 2016–2023 | The Crown | Yes | Executive | Netflix | Also creator; 60 Episodes |
| Year | Title | Notes | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Pax Britannica | co-writer | |
| 2006 | Frost/Nixon | playwright | Donmar Warehouse, London |
| Gielgud Theatre, West End | |||
| 2007 | Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, Broadway | ||
| 2013 | The Audience | playwright | Gielgud Theatre, West End |
| 2015 | Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, Broadway Apollo Theatre, West End (revival) | ||
| 2022 | Patriots[33] | playwright | Almeida Theatre, London |
| 2023 | Noël Coward Theatre, London West End | ||
| 2024 | Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway |
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