Mike Newell (director)

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Michael Cormac Newell (born 28 March 1942) is an English film and television director and producer. He won the BAFTA for Best Direction for Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), which also won the BAFTA Award for Best Film, and directed the films Donnie Brasco (1997) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Early life

Newell was born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, as the son of amateur actors,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and was educated at St Albans School. He read English at Magdalene College, Cambridge.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="university challenge">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He then attended a three-year training course at Granada Television with the intention of entering the theatre.

Career

Newell directed various British TV shows from the 1960s onwards (such as Spindoe, credited as Cormac Newell, and Big Breadwinner Hog), but eventually shifted his focus to film direction.

His first feature-length project was The Man in the Iron Mask (1977), a made-for-television film. His first critically acclaimed movie was Bad Blood (1981), concerning the 1941 manhunt for the New Zealand mass-killer Stan Graham played by Jack Thompson. This was followed by Dance with a Stranger (1985), a biographical drama starring Miranda Richardson as Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in the UK. For his directorial efforts, Newell won the Award of the Youth at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival.

Newell continued his successes in the film industry with Enchanted April (1991), an adaptation of the 1922 novel by Elizabeth von Arnim. Miranda Richardson won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical and Joan Plowright won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture.

During this period, George Lucas recruited Newell as one of the numerous feature film directors to direct episodes of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

The comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) was also critically acclaimed, winning numerous awards, including a César Award (Best Foreign Film), a Golden Globe (Best Actor – Hugh Grant), and a number of London Critics Circle Film Awards (Best Director, Film, Producer, and Screenwriter).

Since these award-winning productions, Newell has directed a number of films in Hollywood, such as Donnie Brasco (1997) (starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp), Pushing Tin (1999) (starring John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Cate Blanchett, and Angelina Jolie) and Mona Lisa Smile (2003) (starring Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, and Julia Stiles).

In 2005, Newell was presented with an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts by the University of Hertfordshire which has a campus in St Albans, his birthplace. He was also awarded the BAFTA Britannia Award for Artistic Excellence in Directing for his career prior to 2005.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Newell became the first British director of the Harry Potter film series with the production of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth adaptation in the series, which became a major critical and financial success worldwide. Newell is heard briefly as the radio announcer at the beginning of the film.

Newell directed Love in the Time of Cholera in 2007 and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time in 2010. In February 2011, Newell attended the British Academy Film Awards along with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, David Heyman, David Barron, David Yates, Alfonso Cuarón, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson to collect the Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema on behalf of the Harry Potter film series.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Continuing to work on adaptations, Newell directed Great Expectations (2012) from the novel by Charles Dickens with Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, and Jeremy Irvine in starring roles.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On Christmas Day in 2016, Newell appeared as a contestant on a special episode of the BBC's University Challenge, representing his alma mater, Magdalene College, Cambridge.<ref name="university challenge"/>

Filmography

Film

Director

Executive producer

Television

TV series

Year(s) Title Notes
1966 Coronation Street 8 episodes
1967 The Fellows 5 episodes
Escape 1 episode
1967–1981 ITV Playhouse 4 episodes
1968 Spindoe 4 episodes
City '68 2 episodes
Her Majesty's Pleasure 5 episodes
1969 Big Breadwinner Hog 6 episodes
Parkin's Patch 2 episodes
1969–1970 ITV Saturday Night Theatre 2 episodes
1970 Confession 2 episodes
Diamond Crack Diamond 1 episode
The Adventures of Don Quick 1 episode
1971 The Guardians 2 episodes
1971–1972 Thirty-Minute Theatre 2 episodes
Budgie 6 episodes
1972 The Man from Haven
1972–1978 Play for Today 6 episodes
1973 Love Story 2 episodes
Hadleigh 2 episodes
Late Night Theatre 3 episodes
Wessex Tales 1 episode
1974 Childhood 1 episode
Late Night Drama 2 episodes
1975 BBC2 Playhouse 1 episode
Comedy Premiere 1 episode
1976 Red Letter Day 1 episode
Second City Firsts 1 episode
1977 The Sunday Drama 1 episode
1978 BBC2 Play of the Week 1 episode
1989 Smith and Jones in Small Doses 1 episode
1993 The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles 2 episodes
2019 One Red Nose Day and a Wedding TV Short

Executive producer

Year(s) Name Notes
2003 The Branch
2004–2006 Huff 16 episodes

TV movies

  • Sharon (1964) (Documentary)
  • Comedy Workshop: Love and Maud Carver (1964)
  • The Kindness of Strangers (1967)
  • Them Down There (1968)
  • The Visitors (1968)
  • The Gamekeeper (1968)
  • 69 Murder – The Blood Relation (1968)
  • Blood Relations (1969)
  • Arthur Wants You for a Sunbeam (1970)
  • Mrs. Mouse, Are You Within? (1971)
  • Big Soft Nelly Mrs. Mouse (1971)
  • Baa Baa Black Sheep (1974)
  • The Gift of Friendship (1974)
  • The Boundary (1975)
  • The Midas Connection (1975)
  • Lost Yer Tongue? (1975)
  • Of the Fields, Lately (1976)
  • The Man in the Iron Mask (1977)
  • The Fosdyke Saga (1977)
  • Little Girls Don't (1978)
  • Blood Feud (1983)
  • Birth of a Nation (1983)
  • The Whole Hog (1989)
  • Common Ground (1990)
  • Jo (2002) (Also producer)
  • The Interestings (2016)

Unrealized projects

Year Title and description Template:Tooltip
1990s Old Friends, a film written by Mark Andrus about a curmudgeon who forms a family with a waitress and a gay artist <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Variety1">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Phenomenon <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Variety2">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
High Fidelity <ref name="Variety2"/><ref name="Variety1"/>
A film adaptation of A. S. Byatt's novel Possession written by Don Macpherson <ref name="Variety2"/>
A film adaptation of Peter Guralnick's novel Last Train to Memphis starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Elvis Presley <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Variety1"/>
Best Laid Plans <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Variety1"/>
An untitled black comedy written by Bob Comfort <ref name="Variety1"/>
A remake of the 1960 film The Grass Is Greener <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Shanghai <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
2000s How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days starring Gwyneth Paltrow <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
The Poetess, a film written by Will Davies about a romance between a female poet and a Cambridge don <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
The Girl with the Pearl Earring starring Kate Hudson and Ralph Fiennes <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Runaway Jury starring Will Smith <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
A film adaptation of Esther Vilar's novel The Seven Fires of Mademoiselle written by Randi Mayem Singer <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Jo, an unaired TV pilot about a mother and daughter who run a veterinary hospital starring Andie MacDowell <ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Variety4">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
An untitled Western written by John Milius set in post-revolution Mexico citation CitationClass=web

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Mrs. Darwin, a "period romance" written by Tim Rose Price about Emma Darwin's relationship with her husband Charles <ref name="Variety3"/>
Alibi Club <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
A film adaptation of Len Deighton's novel Bomber written by Leigh Jackson <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
The Constant Gardener <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
An untitled one-hour TV pilot for ABC and Touchstone Television <ref name="Variety4"/>
A film adaptation of John Masefield's novel The Box of Delights written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce citation CitationClass=web

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The Lone Ranger citation CitationClass=web

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2010s A film adaptation of Alan Cowell's novel The Terminal Spy co-written with David Scarpa <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="LAtimes">Template:Cite news</ref>
A film adaptation of Ben Macintyre's novel Agent Zigzag written by Mark Bomback and Rowan Joffé citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

A film adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel Dombey and Son <ref name="LAtimes"/><ref name="DoG"/>
An untitled fantasy film about Odysseus' journey back from Troy citation CitationClass=web

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A film adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith's novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies citation CitationClass=web

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A film adaptation of Ian McEwan's novella On Chesil Beach citation CitationClass=web

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Reykjavík, a historical drama about the Reykjavík Summit written by Kevin Hood starring Michael Douglas and Christoph Waltz citation CitationClass=web

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A film adaptation of John Wyndham's novel The Day of the Triffids written by Neil Cross citation CitationClass=web

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The Comedian citation CitationClass=web

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The One and Only Ivan citation CitationClass=web

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2020s A film adaptation of Henry James' novel The Ambassadors written by Janet Dulin Jones citation CitationClass=web

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Gramercy Park, a TV series written by Janet Dulin Jones starring Millie Brady, Brian Cox, Gabriel Byrne and Mira Sorvino <ref>Template:Cite video</ref><ref>Template:Cite video</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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A film adaptation of Rumer Godden's novel China Court written by Brian Kinsey <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

References

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