Richard Curtis | |
|---|---|
_(54100565438)_(cropped).jpg) Curtis at the68th BFI London Film Festival premiere ofThat Christmas in 2024 | |
| Born | Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis (1956-11-08)8 November 1956 (age 69) Wellington, New Zealand |
| Occupation |
|
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
| Period | 1979–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, includingScarlett Curtis |
Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis (born 8 November 1956) is a British screenwriter, producer and director. One of Britain's most successful comedy screenwriters, he is known forromantic comedy-drama films, includingFour Weddings and a Funeral (1994),Notting Hill (1999),Bridget Jones's Diary (2001),Love Actually (2003),Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004),About Time (2013),Yesterday (2019) andThat Christmas (2024), as well as the war drama filmWar Horse (2011), and for having co-written the sitcomsBlackadder,Mr. Bean andThe Vicar of Dibley. His early career saw him write material for the comedy sketch showsNot the Nine O'Clock News andSpitting Image.
In 2007, Curtis received theBAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement from theBritish Academy of Film and Television Arts.[1] He is the co-founder, withLenny Henry, of the British charityComic Relief, which has raised over £1 billion.[2] At the 2008Britannia Awards, he received the BAFTA Humanitarian Award for co-creating Comic Relief and for his contributions to other charitable causes.[3] In 2024, he received theJean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[4]
Curtis was listed inThe Observer as one of the 50 funniest figures in British comedy in 2003.[5] In 2008, he was ranked number 12 in a list of the "100 most powerful people in British culture" compiled byThe Telegraph.[6] In 2012, he was one of the British cultural icons selected by artistPeter Blake to appear in a new version of his most famous artwork—the cover ofthe Beatles' 1967 albumSgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.[7]
Curtis was born inWellington, New Zealand. He is the son of Glyness S. and Anthony J. Curtis.[8] His father was aCzechoslovak refugee who moved to Australia when aged 13[9] and became an executive atUnilever. Curtis and his family lived in several different countries during his childhood, including Sweden and the Philippines, before moving to the United Kingdom when he was 11.[10]
Curtis attendedPapplewick School inAscot, Berkshire (as did his younger brother Jamie). For a short period in the 1970s, he lived inWarrington,Cheshire, where he attended Appleton Grammar School (nowBridgewater High School). He lived at Merricourt on Windmill Lane,Appleton, Warrington, during this time. His university friendRowan Atkinson was an occasional visitor to the house.[11]
Curtis then won a scholarship toHarrow School, where he joined the editorial team ofThe Harrovian, the weekly school magazine, and this, he asserts, is "where I learned all the skills that made me a sketch writer. I did reviews, comment pieces and funny articles where I'd try to conjure something out of nothing."[12] While at Harrow, he directed a school performance ofJoe Orton's playThe Erpingham Camp; this controversial choice was given the 'green light' by his classics master,James Morwood. Curtis later commented that Morwood's support had helped him understand that it was all right "to push boundaries and to be funny".[12] Curtis did not approve offagging at the school, and at 18, when he became head of his house, he banned it.[12]
Curtis achieved a first-class Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature atChrist Church, Oxford. At theUniversity of Oxford, he met and began working withRowan Atkinson, after they both joined the scriptwriting team of the Etceteras revue, part of theExperimental Theatre Club. He appeared in the company's "After Eights" at theOxford Playhouse in May 1976.
Collaborating withRowan Atkinson inThe Oxford Revue, he appeared alongside him at his breakthroughEdinburgh Fringe show. As a result, he was commissioned to co-write the BBC Radio 3 seriesThe Atkinson People with Atkinson in 1978, which was broadcast in 1979.[13] He then began to write comedy for film and TV. He was a regular writer on the BBC comedy seriesNot the Nine O'Clock News, where he wrote many of the show's satirical sketches, often with Rowan Atkinson. Curtis co-wrote withPhilip Pope forthe Hee Bee Gee Bees' song "Meaningless Songs (In Very High Voices)", released in 1980, to parody the style of a series of theBee Gees' disco hits. In 1984 and 1985, Curtis wrote material for ITV's satirical puppet showSpitting Image.[14]
First with Atkinson and later withBen Elton, Curtis then wrote theBlackadder series from 1983 to 1989, each season focusing on a different era in British history. Atkinson playedthe lead throughout, but Curtis was the only writer who participated inevery episode ofBlackadder. The pair continued their collaboration with the comedy seriesMr. Bean, which ran from 1990 to 1995.
Curtis had by then already begun writing feature films. His first wasThe Tall Guy (1989), a romantic comedy starringJeff Goldblum,Emma Thompson and Rowan Atkinson and produced by Working Title films. The TV movieBernard and the Genie followed in 1991.
In 1994, Curtis created and co-wroteThe Vicar of Dibley for comedianDawn French, which was a great success. In an online poll conducted in 2004 forBritain's Best Sitcom, it was voted the third-best sitcom in British history andBlackadder the second-best, making Curtis the only screenwriter to create two shows in the poll's top 10 programmes.[citation needed]
Curtis achieved his breakthrough success with the romantic comedyFour Weddings and a Funeral. The 1994 film, starringHugh Grant andAndie MacDowell, was produced on a limited budget by the British production companyWorking Title Films. Curtis choseMike Newell to direct the film after watching his TV filmReady When You Are, Mr. McGill.[15]Four Weddings and a Funeral proved to be the top-grossing British film in history at that time. It made an international star of Grant, and Curtis' Oscar nomination for the script catapulted him to prominence (though the Oscar went toQuentin Tarantino andRoger Avary forPulp Fiction). The film was also nominated for Best Picture, but lost toForrest Gump.
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Curtis' next film was also for Working Title, which has remained his artistic home ever since. 1997'sBean brought Mr. Bean to the big screen and was a huge hit around the world. He continued his association with Working Title writing the 1999 romantic comedyNotting Hill, starring Hugh Grant andJulia Roberts, which broke the record set byFour Weddings and a Funeral to become the top-grossing British film. The story of a lonely travel bookstore owner who falls in love with the world's most famous movie star was directed byRoger Michell.
Curtis next co-wrote the screen adaptation of the international bestsellerBridget Jones's Diary for Working Title. Curtis knew the novel's writerHelen Fielding and has credited her with saying that his original script forFour Weddings and a Funeral was too upbeat and needed the addition of the titular funeral.
Two years later, Curtis re-teamed with Working Title to write and directLove Actually. Curtis has said in interviews that the sprawling, multi-character structure ofLove Actually owes a debt to his favourite film,Robert Altman'sNashville. The film featured a "Who's Who" of UK actors, including Hugh Grant,Colin Firth,Bill Nighy,Emma Thompson,Liam Neeson,Andrew Lincoln,Alan Rickman andKeira Knightley, in a loosely connected series of stories about people in and out of love in London in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Its regular festive screening has seen it labelled as being arguably a modern-day Christmas staple.[16][17]
Curtis followed this in 2004 with work as co-writer onBridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, the sequel toBridget Jones's Diary. Curtis then wrote the screenplay toThe Girl in the Café, a television film directed byDavid Yates and produced by theBBC andHBO as part of theMake Poverty History campaign'sLive 8 efforts in 2005. The film starsBill Nighy as a civil servant andKelly Macdonald as a young woman he falls in love with at a fictionalG8 summit in Iceland. Macdonald's character pushes him to ask whether the developed countries of the world cannot do more to help the most impoverished. The film was timed to air just before theGleneagles G8 summit in 2005. It received threeEmmy Awards in 2006, includingOutstanding Made for Television Movie,Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie forKelly Macdonald and aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special trophy for Curtis himself. Curtis said of Yates' direction that he made "a much more beautiful film, and a surprising film and a better film than I could possibly have made."[15]
"The difference between having a good idea for a movie and a finished movie is the same as seeing a pretty girl across the floor at a party and being there when she gives birth to your third child... It's a very long journey."
In May 2007, he received theBAFTA Fellowship at theBritish Academy Television Awards in recognition of his successful career in film and television and his charity efforts.[19][20] Curtis next co-wrote withAnthony Minghella an adaptation ofAlexander McCall Smith's novel,The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, which Minghella shot in mid-2007 in Botswana. It premiered on the BBC on 23 March 2008, just days after Minghella's death. The film did not run in the US until early 2009, when HBO aired it as the pilot of a resulting six-episode TV series with the same cast, on which Curtis served as executive producer.
His second film as writer/director,The Boat That Rocked, was released in 2009. The film was set in 1966 in the era ofBritish pirate radio. It followed a group of DJs on apirate radio station run from a boat in theNorth Sea. The film starredPhilip Seymour Hoffman,Bill Nighy,Nick Frost,Rhys Ifans,Gemma Arterton andKenneth Branagh. The film was a commercial and critical disappointment in the UK. Curtis re-edited the film for its US release where it was re-titledPirate Radio, but also failed to find an audience. He followed that withWar Horse, which he rewrote for directorSteven Spielberg based on an earlier script by playwrightLee Hall. Curtis was recommended to Spielberg byDreamWorks Studio executiveStacey Snider, who had worked with Curtis during her time atUniversal Studios. Curtis's work on the World War I-setBlackadder Goes Forth meant he was already familiar with the period.[21]
Curtis then wroteMary and Martha, a BBC/HBO television film directed by Phillip Noyce. The film starredHilary Swank andBrenda Blethyn as two women who bond after they both lose their sons to malaria. The film was broadcast in the UK on 1 March 2013. He next wrote and directedAbout Time, a romantic comedy/drama about time travel and family love.[22] It starredRachel McAdams,Domhnall Gleeson,Bill Nighy,Tom Hollander,Margot Robbie,Lydia Wilson andVanessa Kirby.[23] It was released in the UK on 4 September 2013. Soon after the film came out, Curtis delivered a screenwriting lecture as part of the BAFTA and BFI Screenwriters' Lecture Series.[24] He followed that withTrash, which he adapted from thenovel by Andy Mulligan for directorStephen Daldry.[25] With three unknown Brazilian children in the lead roles, the film co-starredWagner Moura,Rooney Mara andMartin Sheen. It was filmed in 2013 in Rio de Janeiro and released in Brazil on 9 October 2014 and in the UK on 30 January 2015.
He next wroteRoald Dahl's Esio Trot, a BBC television film adaptation ofRoald Dahl's classic children'snovel.[26] Receiving acclaim, the film starredDustin Hoffman andJudi Dench, withJames Corden as the narrator, was directed byDearbhla Walsh and was broadcast on BBC on 1 January 2015.[26][27] His next film,Yesterday, was adapted from an original screenplay byJack Barth (who received only "co-story" credit, reportedly at Curtis's insistence).[28] The film, directed byDanny Boyle and starringLily James andHimesh Patel,[29] follows a young man who discovers that the entire world except for him has no memory ofthe Beatles, allowing him to become a global pop star by performing their songs as his own. While Barth's original screenplay depicted an obscure musician unable to capitalize on his windfall, Curtis's more conventional script featured an independent musician unable to control his own career once the music industry takes over.[28] It began filming on 21 April 2018 and was released on 28 June 2019.[30]
Curtis andLenny Henry are co-founders and co-creators ofComic Relief. He is also a founder ofMake Poverty History. He organised theLive 8 concerts withBob Geldof to publicise poverty, particularly in Africa, and pressureG8 leaders to adopt his proposals for ending it. He has written of his work inThe Observer in the Global development section in 2005.[31]
Curtis helped spearhead the launch of theRobin Hood tax campaign in 2010. The campaign fights for a 0.05% tax levied on each bank trade ranging from shares to foreign exchange and derivatives that could generate $700bn worldwide and be spent on measures to combat domestic and international poverty as well as fightclimate change.[32]
In October 2010, a short film created by Curtis titledNo Pressure was released by the10:10 campaign in Britain to promoteclimate change politics. The film depicted a series of scenes in which people were asked if they were going to participate in the 10:10 campaign, told there was "no pressure" to do so, but if they did not, they were blown up at the press of a red button.Reaction was mixed, but the video was swiftly removed from the organisation's website.[33]
In March 2011, Curtis apologised following a complaint by theBritish Stammering Association about 2011Comic Relief's opening skit, a parody by Lenny Henry of the 2010 filmThe King's Speech.[34]
Curtis talked the producer ofAmerican Idol into doing a show wherein celebrities journeyed into Africa and experienced the level of poverty for themselves. It was calledAmerican Idol: Idol Gives Back. In 2014, he publicly backed "Hacked Off" and its campaign in support of UK press self-regulation by "safeguarding the press from political interference while also giving vital protection to the vulnerable."[35][36][37]
In August 2014, Curtis was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter toThe Guardian opposingScottish independence in the run-up to September'sreferendum on that issue.[38]
In 2020, Curtis co-founded the climate finance campaignMake My Money Matter.[39] According to Campaign Director David Hayman the campaign "is all about helping people understand the impact of their money and how helping them think that if they are saving for retirement, what kind of retirement is their money saving for? What kind of world is it building?"[40]
In 2021, he joined theRewriting Extinction campaign to fight the climate and biodiversity crisis through comics. He wrote a comic story in collaboration withWar and Peas named "Woke". It was printed in the bookThe Most Important Comic Book on Earth: Stories to Save the World[41] which was released on 28 October 2021 byDK.[42]
Curtis lives inNotting Hill and has a country house inWalberswick, Suffolk[43] with broadcasterEmma Freud whom he married in September 2023.[44] They have four children, including writer and activistScarlett.[45] He datedAnne Strutt, now Baroness Jenkin of Kennington, before her marriage toBernard Jenkin, aMember of Parliament (MP).[46] Curtis has named characters in his writing Bernard (reputedly after Jenkin). It is said he used the Jenkins' wedding as inspiration forFour Weddings and a Funeral.[47] He isirreligious.[48]Richard Curtis never won anOscar for his films, but in 2024 he was honored with an honorary Oscar, theJean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his achievements. The Oscar was presented to him with an infamously hilarious speech by actorHugh Grant.
Short film
| Year | Title | Writer | Executive producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Dead on Time | Yes | No |
| 1991 | Mr. Bean Takes an Exam | Yes | No |
| Mr. Bean Goes to a Première | Yes | No | |
| 2010 | No Pressure | Yes | No |
| 2020 | A Cheeky Nativity Poem | Yes | Yes |
| The Quiz Results Are In! | Yes | Yes | |
| The Vicar's First 'Viral' Sermon | Yes | Yes |
Feature film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | The Tall Guy | No | Yes | No | |
| 1994 | Four Weddings and a Funeral | No | Yes | Co-executive | |
| 1997 | Bean | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 1999 | Notting Hill | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2001 | Bridget Jones's Diary | No | Yes | No | |
| 2003 | Love Actually | Yes | Yes | No | |
| More Great Comedy Moments | No | Yes | No | Direct-to-video | |
| 2004 | Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason | No | Yes | No | |
| 2006 | Sixty Six | No | No | Yes | |
| 2007 | Mr. Bean's Holiday | No | No | Yes | |
| 2009 | The Boat That Rocked | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also known asPirate Radio in North America |
| 2011 | War Horse | No | Yes | No | |
| 2013 | About Time | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2014 | Trash | No | Yes | No | |
| 2018 | Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again | No | Story | Yes | |
| 2019 | Yesterday | No | Yes | Producer | |
| 2020 | Rising Phoenix | No | No | Yes | Documentary film |
| 2023 | Genie | No | Yes | Producer | |
| 2024 | That Christmas | No | Yes | Yes |
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Dead on Time | Customer in Cafe | Short film |
| 1989 | The Tall Guy | Man Leaving Bathroom | Uncredited |
| 2003 | Love Actually | Trombone Player | |
| TBA | Something Sketchy | Himself | Short film |
| Year | Title | Creator | Writer | Executive producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979–1982 | Not the Nine O'Clock News | No | Yes | No | |
| 1984–1985 | Spitting Image | No | Yes | No | |
| 1985–present | Comic Relief | Yes | No | No | |
| 1990 | French and Saunders | No | Yes | No | "Episode #3.7" |
| 1990–1995 | Mr. Bean | Yes | Yes | No | Also script editor |
| 1994–2007 | The Vicar of Dibley | Yes | Yes | Co-executive | |
| 2007 | Casualty | No | Yes | No | Episode "Sweet Charity" |
| 2010 | Doctor Who | No | Yes | No | Episode "Vincent and the Doctor" |
Miniseries
| Year | Title | Creator | Writer | Executive producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | The Black Adder | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1986 | Blackadder II | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1987 | Blackadder the Third | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1989 | Blackadder Goes Forth | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1997 | Balls to Africa: Sporting Noses on Tour | No | No | Yes |
| 2009 | The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2019 | Four Weddings and a Funeral | No | No | Yes |
TV special
| Year | Title | Writer | Executive producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | A Night of Comic Relief 2 | Yes | No | |
| 1989 | The Robbie Coltrane Special | Yes | No | |
| 1992 | Rowan Atkinson Live | Yes | No | |
| 2015 | Global Citizen Festival | No | Yes | |
| Red Nose Day | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2017 | Comic Relief: Graham Norton's Big Chat Live | No | Yes | |
| Red Nose Day: Greg Davies' Hot Tub Half Hour | No | Yes | ||
| The Red Nose Day Special | Yes | No | ||
| 2019 | The United Nations Association 2019 Global Citizen Awards & 12th Annual West Coast Global Forum | Yes | No | Segment "We The People" |
| 2020 | Cinderella: A Comic Relief Pantomime for Christmas | Yes | Yes |
| Year | Title | Creator | Writer | Executive producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Blackadder's Christmas Carol | No | Yes | No |
| 1991 | Bernard and the Genie | No | Yes | No |
| 1992 | Comic Relief: Behind the Nose | No | No | Yes |
| 1995 | Oliver 2: Let's Twist Again | No | Yes | No |
| 1999 | Comic Relief: Doctor Who - The Curse of Fatal Death | No | No | Yes |
| Robbie the Reindeer in Hooves of Fire | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2002 | Robbie the Reindeer in Legend of the Lost Tribe | Yes | No | Yes |
| 2005 | The Girl in the Café | No | Yes | Yes |
| 2007 | The Minister of Divine | No | No | Yes |
| Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind | Yes | No | No | |
| 2008 | The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency | No | Yes | No |
| 2013 | Comic Relief: Red Nose Day 2013 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mary and Martha | No | Yes | No | |
| 2015 | Esio Trot | No | Yes | Yes |
| 2016 | Red Nose Day | No | Yes | No |
| 2018 | The Red Nose Day Special | No | Yes | No |
Short film
| Year | Title | Creator | Director | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | The Black Adder | Yes | No | Yes |
| 1984 | Madness the Pilot | No | No | Yes |
| 1988 | Blackadder: The Cavalier Years | No | No | Yes |
| 1999 | Blackadder: Back & Forth | No | No | Yes |
| 2017 | Red Nose Day Actually | No | Yes | Yes |
| 2019 | Comic Relief: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Yet Again | No | No | Yes |
| One Red Nose Day and a Wedding | No | No | Yes | |
| 2023 | Baldrick's Bedtime Stories | No | No | Yes |
Radio program
Theater play
| Year | Title | Story writer | Actor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Dinner with Dylan[49] | Yes | Yes |
Music video
| Year | Title | Director | Executive producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Happy Now" | Yes | Yes |
| 2024 | "Under the Tree" | Yes | No |
Music composer
Organizer
Additional literary material
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1984–1985 | Spitting Image | |
| 1989 | Hysteria 2! | TV movies |
| 1998 | A Royal Birthday Celebration | |
| 2000 | French & Saunders Live | Direct-to-video |
| 2001 | One Night with Robbie Williams | TV special |
| 2016 | Walliams & Friend | Episode "Miranda Richardson" |
| 2022 | Ticket to Paradise |
