Roger Michell

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Roger Michell

Born

June 5, 1956 (age 52)
South Africa

Spouse(s)

Kate Buffery (div. 2002)

Awards won
BAFTA Awards
Best Single Drama 1995 Persuasion

Roger Michell (June 5, 1956) is an English [1] theatre, television and film director.

He was born in born in Pretoria but spent significant parts of his childhood in Beirut, Damascus and Prague as his father was a diplomat. He studied at Cambridge University and in 1977, he won the prestigious Royal Shakespeare CompanyBuzz Goodbody Award, named after the acclaimed British female director Buzz Goodbody, who committed suicide at the age of 29.

After graduating from Cambridge in 1977, he moved to London and began an apprenticeship at the Royal Court Theatre and worked as assistant director to noted British playwright John Osborne and Irish playwright Samuel Beckett. During this period, he also worked with stage manager Danny Boyle, who would also go on to a successful directing career with his international hit, Trainspotting.

In 1979 he left the Royal Court Theatre in 1979 and began writing and directing projects on his own. The most successful of these ventures was 1982's Private Dick a comedy which won the Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Festival. The play later debuted in in London's West End and featured Robert Powell and Philip Marlowe.

In 1985, Michell joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and was an assistant director then a resident director there, over six years.

He was the director of Notting Hill, one of the highest grossing British movies of all time and the box office hit Changing Lanes. Michell was in negotiations to direct Quantum of Solace, but talks fell through due to "creative differences". In 2005 he adapted and directed a script by Hanif Kureishi, The Mother, which starred Daniel Craig.

He directed the adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel Enduring Love which starred Daniel Craig and was released in 2004.

He has directed numerous stage productions including, including during a two year stint at the Royal Court Theatre, and one on Broadway.

He will direct the upcoming film from Paramount Pictures, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The film is based on Mark Twain's novel dealing with racial issues.

It was announced in October, 2007, that he will direct 'Morning Glory' for Paramount. It is a comedy - set in the world of morning news - that J.J. Abrams will produce^[1]

He was married to the actress Kate Buffery, but they are now divorced and he is currently dating Anna Maxwell Martin^{[citation needed]}. He has two children, daughter, actress Rosie Michell and son, actor and songwriter Harry Michell.