John Schlesinger

This article is about the director. For the attorney, see Marilyn Milian.

John Schlesinger
CBE
Schlesinger in 1974
Born
John Richard Schlesinger

(1926-02-16)16 February 1926
London, England
Died25 July 2003(2003-07-25) (aged 77)
Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Alma materBalliol College, Oxford
Occupations
  • Director
  • actor
PartnerMichael Childers

John Richard Schlesinger[1] CBE (/ˈʃlɛsɪndʒər/ SHLESS-in-jər; 16 February 1926 – 25 July 2003) was an English film and stage director, and actor. He emerged in the early 1960s as a leading light of the British New Wave, before embarking on a successful career in Hollywood, often directing films dealing frankly in provocative subject matter, combined with his status as one of the rare openly gay directors working in mainstream films.[2][3]

Schlesinger started his career making British dramas A Kind of Loving (1962), Billy Liar (1963), and Far from the Madding Crowd (1967). He won the Academy Award for Best Director for Midnight Cowboy (1969) and was Oscar-nominated for Darling (1965) and Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971). He gained acclaim for his Hollywood films The Day of the Locust (1975), and Marathon Man (1976). His later films include Madame Sousatzka (1988) and Cold Comfort Farm (1995). He also served as an associate director of the Royal National Theatre.

Over his career he received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, and four BAFTA Awards as well as nominations for three Golden Globe Awards. In 1970, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1970 Birthday Honours for services to film, and in 2002, he was made a BAFTA Fellow. Four of Schlesinger's films are on the British Film Institute's Top 100 British films.[4]

  1. ^ "Schlesinger, John Richard (1926–2003)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/92267. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ^ Breznica, Anthony (26 July 2003). "Filmmaker John Schlesinger Dies at 77". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Where to begin with John Schlesinger". BFI. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  4. ^ "British Film Institute – Top 100 British Films – cinemarealm.com". Retrieved 25 October 2023.