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Stephen Frears

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Sir
Stephen Frears
Frears in 2014
Born
Stephen Arthur Frears

(1941-06-20) 20 June 1941 (age 83)
Leicester, England
EducationGresham's School
Alma materTrinity College, Cambridge
Occupations
  • Director
  • producer
Years active1968–present
Notable work
Television
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1968, divorced)​
  • Anne Rothenstein
    ​
    (m. 1992)​
Children4

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 three BAFTA Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award as well as nominations for two Academy Awards. In 2008, The Daily Telegraph named Frears among the 100 most influential people in British culture.[1] In 2009, he received the Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He received a knighthood in 2023 for his contributions to the film and television industries.[2]

Born in Leicester and educated at Gresham's School and Trinity 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 film Gumshoe in 1971 and received critical acclaim for his films in the 1980s such as My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), Prick Up Your Ears (1987), and Dangerous Liaisons (1988). He also received two Academy Award nominations for directing The Grifters (1990) and The Queen (2006).

Frears is also known for his work on various television programmes, including the television films Fail Safe (2000), The Deal (2003), and Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (2013). He directed the Jeremy Thorpe BBC One biographical miniseries A Very English Scandal (2018), for which he earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

Early life and education

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Frears was born on 20 June 1941[3] in Leicester, 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 up Anglican. He did not learn that his mother was Jewish until he was in his late 20s.[5][6][7]

From 1954 to 1959, Frears was educated at Gresham's School,[8] an independent boarding school for boys (now co-educational) in the market town of Holt in Norfolk. This was followed by Trinity College, Cambridge, where he earned a BA Law.[3]

Career

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Early career

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At the University of Cambridge, Frears was assistant stage manager for the 1963 footlights Revue, which starred Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Cleese, Bill Oddie and David Hatch.[9] After graduating from the university, Frears worked as an assistant director on the films Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966), directed by Karel Reisz, and if.... (1968), directed by Lindsay Anderson. Frears also worked with Albert Finney on Charlie Bubbles (1968).[10]

With Finney's company Memorial Productions, Frears made The Burning,[10] a 31-minute adaptation of a short story by Roland Starke. Although set in South Africa, it was filmed in Tangier. It was released theatrically attached to François Truffaut's The Bride Wore Black.[11]

Frears spent most of his early directing career in television, mainly for the BBC but also for the commercial sector. He contributed to several anthology series, such as the BBC's Play for Today. He also produced a series of Alan Bennett's plays for LWT, including The Old Crowd (1979, director: Lindsay Anderson).[12] His directorial film debut was the noir detective spoof Gumshoe (1971).

1980s

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Frears in Sweden, 1989, promoting his film Dangerous Liaisons

In the late 1980s, Frears came to international attention as a director of feature films. In 1985, Frears found widespread acclaim with My Beautiful Laundrette. Based on Hanif Kureishi's screenplay, the film focuses on an interracial gay romance. It received an Academy Award nomination and two nominations for BAFTA Awards. The success of the film helped launch the careers of both Frears and actor Daniel Day-Lewis.

Frears worked with Adrian Edmondson on Mr Jolly Lives Next Door, a 45-minute programme starring Peter Cook in The Comic Strip Presents television comedy series that aired on Channel Four in 1988. In 1985, Frears had also directed a Comic Strip parody of Daphne Du Maurier's 1938 novel Rebecca.

Frears next directed the Joe Orton biopic Prick Up Your Ears (1987), a collaboration with playwright Alan Bennett. His second film adapted from a Kureishi screenplay was Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987).

In 1988, Frears directed Dangerous Liaisons to widespread critical acclaim. The film was shot in France, with a cast that included Americans Glenn Close, John Malkovich, and Michelle Pfeiffer, and Uma Thurman. Based on the late 18th-century French novel of romantic game-playing and adapted by Christopher Hampton, the film received seven Academy Award nominations. These included for Best Picture and Best Actress for Glenn Close and Best Supporting Actress for Michelle Pfeiffer. The film also received ten British Academy Film Award nominations, including for Frears for Best Direction.

1990s

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In 1990, Frears directed the neo-noir crime thriller The Grifters, starring John Cusack, Anjelica Huston, and Annette Bening. Martin Scorsese served as a producer on the film. The film won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Film, and was declared one of the Top 10 films of 1990 by The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. Frears was also nominated for the US Academy Award for Best Director.

In 1992, Frears directed the comedy drama Hero, released in the United Kingdom as Accidental Hero. The film starred Dustin Hoffman, Geena Davis, Andy Garcia, and Joan Cusack. Many critics compared the film to those of Preston Sturges and Frank Capra, as did Roger 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."[13] While the film was met with generally positive critical reviews, it was not a box office success. Columbia Pictures lost $25.6 million.[14]

Frears has also directed two films adapted from novels by Roddy Doyle, The Snapper (1993) and The Van (1996). Frears's other films include the horror film Mary Reilly and the Western The Hi-Lo Country (1998).

2000s

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In 2000, Frears directed High Fidelity starring John Cusack, Jack Black, Lisa Bonet, and Joan Cusack. The film is based on the 1995 British novel of the same name by Nick 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".[15]

The film received positive reviews from critics and has a score of 91% on Rotten 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."[16]

In 2002, Frears directed social thriller, Dirty Pretty Things, a film about two immigrants living in London. The film starred Audrey Tautou, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. It won a British 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 the James Bond spin-off Jinx, featuring Halle Berry as her character from Die Another Day (2002) co-starring with Michael Madsen and Javier Bardem. Neal Purvis and Robert Wade were scheduled to return to write the screenplay, and Wade described it as "a very atmospheric, Euro thriller, a Bourne-type movie". Producer Barbara 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" between Eon Productions and MGM, and in order to focus on the reboot of the series with Casino Royale (2006).[17]

In 2003, Frears returned to directing for television with The Deal (2003), which depicts an alleged deal between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown over which of them should become leader of the Labour Party in 1994. Michael Sheen portrayed Tony Blair to great acclaim. In 2005, Frears directed the British theatre comedy Mrs Henderson Presents starring Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins. The film was praised for its performances by Dench and Hoskins, with Dench receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

Frears’s next film project was The Queen (2006), a film that depicts the death of Princess Diana on 31 August 1997, and the reaction of members of the monarchy and the public. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where Mirren won Best Actress and Peter Morgan won Best Screenplay. Frears was nominated for the Golden Lion. When released within the United States, the film achieved box-office success and awards. At the Academy Awards, Frears received his second Academy Award nomination for best direction. Helen Mirren won numerous awards for playing the title role, including the Academy Award for Best Actress.

2010s

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Steve Coogan with Frears at a screening of Philomena in 2013

Frears holds[when?] the "David Lean Chair in Fiction Direction" at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, where he teaches.

In 2013, Frears directed the drama, Philomena (2013), which was based on the book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee (2009) by journalist Martin Sixsmith. This explored the story of Philomena 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 starred Judi Dench and Steve Coogan.

The film premiered at the 70th Venice International Film Festival to great acclaim and writers Jeff Pope and Steve Coogan won the best screenplay award for the film. The film won the People's Choice Award Runner-Up prize at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was nominated for four Oscars at the 86th Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress (for Dench), and Best Original Score. It was also nominated for four British Academy Film Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. The same year, HBO released Frears's television drama Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight, starring Christopher Plummer and Frank Langella. It explores the United States Supreme Court deliberation over banning Muhammad Ali from boxing for refusing to serve in the US Army during the Vietnam War.

Frears directed a biopic of cycling champion Lance Armstrong, The Program, starring Ben Foster, which premiered in the 2015 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.[18] 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 the British Library.[19]

In 2016, Frears directed the film, Florence Foster Jenkins, starring Meryl Streep. The title character is a New York heiress known as an aspiring opera singer despite her poor singing abilities. Hugh Grant plays her manager and long-time companion, St. Clair Bayfield. Other cast members include Simon Helberg, Rebecca Ferguson, and Nina Arianda. The film was a critical and commercial success, with many praising Streep and Grant for their performances.

At the 89th Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Costume Design and earned Streep her 20th nomination for Best Actress. It received four Golden Globe nominations, including Best Picture in a Comedy or Musical. In 2017, Frears reunited with Judi Dench, this time in Victoria & Abdul, about the real-life relationship between Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her Indian Muslim servant Abdul Karim. The film also stars Ali Fazal, Michael Gambon, Eddie Izzard, Tim Pigott-Smith (in his final film role), and Adeel Akhtar. The film had its world premiere at the 74th 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 with A Very English Scandal, which premiered on BBC One and later on Amazon Prime. The project is a three-part 2018 British television comedy-drama miniseries based on John Preston's 2016 book of the same name. It is a dramatisation of the 1976–1979 Jeremy Thorpe scandal and more than 15 years of events leading up to it. The series stars Hugh Grant as the politician Jeremy Thorpe, and Ben Whishaw as his lover Norman Scott. The limited series gained great acclaim in both the United Kingdom and the United States. On Rotten 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 in A Very English Scandal, an equally absorbing and appalling look at British politics and society".[20] Grant received Primetime Emmy Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Golden Globe Award, British Academy Television Award, and Critics 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 about Billy Wilder titled Wilder & Me.[21] An adaptation by Christopher Hampton of the novel Mr Wilder and Me (2020) by Jonathan Coe, the film is scheduled to begin shooting in early 2025, produced by Jeremy Thomas.[22]

Personal life

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In 1968, Frears married Mary-Kay Wilmers, with whom he had two sons, Sam and Will. The couple divorced in the early 1970s.[23] Will Frears became a stage and film director.

Early in his career, Frears made a programme featuring the band the Scaffold. He is name-checked ("Mr Frears had sticky-out ears...") in their hit song "Lily the Pink".[24]

As of 2002 Frears lived in London with Anne Rothenstein and their two children.[3]

Frears was knighted in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to film and television.[25]

Political views

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A convinced republican,[26] in April 2015, Frears was one of several celebrities who endorsed the parliamentary candidacy of Caroline Lucas at the 2015 general election, but not other Green Party candidates.[27]

In December 2019, along with 42 other leading cultural figures, Frears signed a letter endorsing the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership in the 2019 general election.[28][29]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Distributor
1968 The Burning (short film) BFI
1971 Gumshoe Columbia Pictures
1984 The Hit Palace Pictures
1985 My Beautiful Laundrette Mainline Pictures
1987 Prick Up Your Ears Curzon Film Distributors
Sammy and Rosie Get Laid Palace Pictures / Nelson Entertainment
1988 Dangerous Liaisons Warner Bros.
1990 The Grifters Miramax Films
1992 Hero Columbia Pictures
1996 Mary Reilly TriStar Pictures
The Van Fox Searchlight Pictures
1998 The Hi-Lo Country Gramercy Pictures / PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
2000 High Fidelity Touchstone Pictures / Buena Vista Pictures
Liam Artificial Eye / Lions Gate Films
2002 Dirty Pretty Things Miramax Films / Buena Vista International
2005 Mrs Henderson Presents Pathé / The Weinstein Company
2006 The Queen Pathé
2009 Chéri Pathé / Warner Bros. Pictures
2010 Tamara Drewe Momentum Pictures
2012 Lay the Favorite Radius-TWC
2013 Philomena The Weinstein Company / Pathé
2015 The Program StudioCanal
2016 Florence Foster Jenkins 20th Century Fox / Pathé
2017 Victoria & Abdul Focus Features / Universal Pictures
2022 The Lost King Pathé / Warner Bros. Pictures

Television

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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
1993 The Snapper Yes No
2000 Fail Safe Yes No
2003 The Deal Yes No
2013 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 [30]
2024 The Regime Yes Yes [31]

Awards and honours

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Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Stephen Frears

Over his career, Frears has amassed numerous awards and nominations, including two Academy Award nominations, four Primetime Emmy Award nominations (one win), a Golden Globe Award nomination, and 17 British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award nominations (three wins).

In 1990, Frears earned his first Academy Award nomination for directing the film The Grifters. In 2006, he earned his second nomination for The Queen. At the Primetime Emmy Awards, he was nominated for Fail Safe (2000), Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (2013), and A Very English Scandal (2019), before winning for State of the Union (2019). He has also been acknowledged by the Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Toronto film festivals.

Honors include:

References

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  1. ^ "The 100 most powerful people in British culture: 61-80". The Telegraph. 18 March 2016. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  2. ^ Harby, Jennifer (16 June 2023). "Stephen Frears awarded birthday honours knighthood". BBC News. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Ojumu, Akin (8 December 2002). "Real-life hero". The Observer. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Stephen Frears Biography". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  5. ^ "Hidden Heritage Inspires Director" Archived 10 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Pfefferman, Naomi (20 May 2009),"Frears and Pfeiffer reunite for Colette courtesan drama 'Chéri'", Jewish Journal. Archived 21 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "'I hope you find it vulgar'". Evening Standard. 10 November 2005. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  8. ^ "Film director returns to Gresham's". Gresham's School. Norfolk. February 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  9. ^ New Arts Theatre Club programme (July 1963)
  10. ^ a b McFadyean, Melanie (3 November 2022). "Not such a misfit - Stephen Frears". The Oldie. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  11. ^ Campbell, Christopher (24 November 2013). "Watch Stephen Frears' Exceptional 1968 Directorial Debut 'The Burning'". Film School Rejects. Neil Miller. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  12. ^ "The Old Crowd". Lindsay Anderson Foundation. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  13. ^ Ebert, Roger. "Hero". RogerEbert.com, October 2, 1992. Retrieved: November 22, 2014.
  14. ^ Griffin and Masters 1996, p. 345.
  15. ^ Valdez, Joe (23 March 2009). "Strangely Romantic in a Way". This Distracted Globe. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  16. ^ "High Fidelity". Rotten Tomatoes.
  17. ^ Field, Matthew (2015). Some kind of hero : 007 : the remarkable story of the James Bond films. Ajay Chowdhury. Stroud, Gloucestershire. ISBN 978-0-7509-6421-0. OCLC 930556527.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  18. ^ Husam sam Asi (25 November 2015). "Stephen Frears on telling real life stories in cinema – Interview". Youtube. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  19. ^ National Life Stories, 'Jellicoe, Ann (1 of 11) National Life Stories Collection: The Legacy of the English Stage Company', The British Library Board, 2008. Retrieved 21 February 2018
  20. ^ "A Very English Scandal: Miniseries (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  21. ^ Blaney, Martin; Ben Dalton (19 May 2022). "Stephen Frears to direct Christopher Hampton adaptation of Mr. Wilder & Me'". Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  22. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (2 February 2024). "Christoph Waltz, Maya Hawke, John Turturro & Jon Hamm To Star In Billy Wilder Movie 'Wilder & Me' For Director Stephen Frears & Producer Jeremy Thomas; HanWay & CAA Launch EFM Buzz Package". Deadline. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  23. ^ Wroe, Nicholas, "Mary-Kay Wilmers: 'I like difficult women. Not just because I'm a bit difficult myself. I like their complication'" (A Life In... Books), The Guardian, 24 October 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  24. ^ Scaffold, "Lily the Pink" lyrics. Archived 23 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ^ "No. 64082". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 2023. p. B2.
  26. ^ Macdonald, Moira (20 October 2006). "Stephen Frears takes on a lifelong icon — and takes film world by storm". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  27. ^ Elgot, Jessica (24 April 2015). "Celebrities sign statement of support for Caroline Lucas – but not the Greens". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  28. ^ "Vote for hope and a decent future". The Guardian. 3 December 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  29. ^ Proctor, Kate (3 December 2019). "Coogan and Klein lead cultural figures backing Corbyn and Labour". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  30. ^ Butler, Karen (17 August 2019). "Matthew Macfadyen, Michael Sheen to star in miniseries 'Quiz'". UPI.
  31. ^ Petski, Denise (2 February 2023). "'The Palace': First Look At Kate Winslet In HBO's Limited Series From Will Tracy & Stephen Frears". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  32. ^ "Stephen Frears reçoit les insignes de commandeur des Arts et des Lettres" (in French). Agence France-Presse. 18 March 2009. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
  33. ^ "Award Winners". Odesa International Film Festival (in Russian). Archived from the original on 26 September 2015.
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