Richard Marquand

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Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Richard Alfred Marquand (22 September 1937 – 4 September 1987) was a Welsh film and television director active in both American and British film productions,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> best known for directing the 1983 space opera Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy. He also directed the 1981 drama film Eye of the Needle, the critically panned romance film Until September, and the 1985 thriller Jagged Edge.

Early life

Marquand was born in Llanishen, Cardiff, Wales. He was the son of Rachel E. (née Rees) and Hilary Marquand, an economist and Labour MP who served as Minister of Pensions and later Minister of Health under Prime Minister Clement Attlee. He is the younger brother of David Marquand, who also served as a Labour MP.

Marquand was educated at Emanuel School, London, the University of Aix-Marseille in France and King's College, Cambridge, where he studied modern languages, and where one of his tutors was E. M. Forster. During National Service he studied Mandarin and was posted to Hong Kong where he also read the news on the English language Hong Kong TelevisionTemplate:Citation needed.

Career

By late 1966, Marquand had begun a career directing television documentaries for the BBC, where he worked on projects such as the 1972 series Search for the Nile<ref name="nytimes.com">Template:Cite news</ref> and an edition of One Pair of Eyes (1968),<ref>One Pair of Eyes: Margaret Drabble, BBC2, 9 March 1968, BBC Archive site</ref> about the novelist Margaret Drabble who had been a friend of his at Cambridge.<ref>Margaret Drabble "Once upon a life: Margaret Drabble", The Guardian, 5 December 2010</ref> He collaborated with the celebrated foreign correspondent James Cameron on a long-running series called Cameron Country for BBC television and also with John Pilger on a series of films for ITV. In 1979, Marquand incorporated many of his documentary techniques in his biographical television movie Birth of the Beatles. He directed several films specifically for children including the 1977 Emmy winning Big Henry and the Polka Dot Kid.

On the strength of his direction of the 1981 feature, Eye of the Needle, Marquand was hired by writer-producer George Lucas to direct Return of the Jedi.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In his commentary track on the DVD, Lucas explains that Marquand "had done some great suspense films and was really good with actors. Eye of the Needle was the film I'd seen that he had done that impressed me the most, it was really nicely done and had a lot of energy and suspense."Template:Citation needed For his work on the film, Marquand won a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in 1984.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Marquand subsequently directed the 1985 courtroom thriller Jagged Edge, starring Jeff Bridges and Glenn Close.

Personal life and death

In 1960, Marquand married screenwriter Josephine Elwyn-Jones, the daughter of Labour MP Elwyn Jones and author and illustrator Pearl Binder. They had two children, Hannah Rachel and James Elwyn, before they divorced in 1970. James Marquand is a film editor who has also worked as a director. In 1981, Marquand married fellow film director Carol Bell, with whom he had another two children, Sam Adair and Molly Joyce. Marquand was a fan of Liverpool Football Club.<ref name="nytimes.com"/>

According to a 2014 Wales Online interview with his son James, Marquand wrote a screenplay for "a Welsh western" in the late 1970s at the South Wales branch of Pinewood Studios. The screenplay told the story of a young orphan girl in Victorian Mid Wales who enlists two local men to help her wreak revenge on those who killed her father; Marquand used to tell the story to his children when they were on holiday at the family's cottage near Tregaron. Marquand reportedly pitched it to Hollywood producers who expressed interest in making it into a film; however, Marquand declined the offer because the producers insisted the story be relocated to the Rocky Mountains in the United States. In the interview, James Marquand expressed interest in adapting his father's screenplay into a film.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 30 August 1987, Marquand had a stroke at his home in Penshurst.<ref name = UPI>Template:Cite news</ref> He was taken to Kent and Sussex Hospital in Royal Tunbridge Wells, where he died five days later, on 4 September, at the age of 49.<ref name = "nytimes.com"/> His last film, Hearts of Fire, starring Bob Dylan, was released posthumously.<ref name=UPI/>

Filmography

Short film

Year Title Director Producer Writer
1975 The Puritan Experience: Making of a New World Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:Yes
The Puritan Experience: Forsaking England Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No

Feature film

Director

Year Title Notes
1978 The Legacy
1979 Birth of the Beatles
1981 Eye of the Needle
1983 Return of the Jedi Cameo as "Maj. Marquand" and voice cameo as "EV-9D9"
1984 Until September
1985 Jagged Edge
1987 Hearts of Fire Also producer

Story writer

Television

Miniseries

Year Title Notes
1963 This Nation Tomorrow 3 episodes
1965 Inside America 4 episodes
1966 Inside Ireland 2 episodes
Women, Women, Women 2 episodes
1967 Inside Australia Director (4 episodes) / Narrator (12 episodes)
1971 The Search for the Nile 2 episodes

TV movies

Year Title Director Producer Notes
1964 Home for Heroes? Template:Yes Template:Yes
Birmingham '64 Template:No Template:Yes
1970 Edward II Template:Yes Template:No Associate director under Toby Robertson

TV series

Year Title Director Producer Writer Notes
1968–70 Cameron Country Template:Yes Template:Yes Template:No Director (8 episodes) / Producer (episode ''Nobody Ever Asks Why'')
1976 NBC Special Treat Template:Yes Template:No Template:Yes Director (2 episodes) / Writer (episode ''Luke Was There'')

Documentary works

Short film

  • The Iron Village (1973)
  • Between the Anvil and the Hammer (1973)
  • Do Yourself Some Good (1975)

TV series

Year Title Director Producer Notes
1963 The Sky at Night Template:Yes Template:No 2 episodes
1963–64 Adventure Template:Yes Template:Yes 2 episodes
1964–65 Landmarks Template:Yes Template:No 2 episodes
1967–70 One Pair of Eyes Template:Yes Template:No 4 episodes
1971–73 Omnibus Template:Yes Template:Yes Director (2 episodes) / Producer (episode ''That's My Little Masterpiece'')
1975–76 Pilger Template:Yes Template:Yes Director (4 episodes) / Producer (episode ''Zap!! The Weapon Is Food'')

As himself

References

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