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Background:
British stage/movie director Stephen Daldry received wild reviews for his first
feature-length project, Billy Elliot (2000), which chronicled a boy’s desperate
desire to be a ballet dancer. Before long, Daldry harvested numerous awards,
including a BAFTA Award, a London Critics Circle Film Award and a British
Independent Film Award. The dramatic comedy also brought in an Oscar nomination
and two BAFTA nominations. Within two years, Daldry again hit the movie industry
with the drama The Hours (2002), his adaptation of Michael Cunningham’s
acclaimed novel. The Hours swept up a German Film Award, an Amanda Award, a
Robert Award, a Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award and a Berlin International
Film Festival Award. In addition, Daldry also took home an Oscar, a Golden
Globe, a Directors Guild of America and a BAFTA nomination.
Starting off his career on stage, Daldry established his fame through “An
Inspector Calls” (1992) and reaped a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award, a London
Evening Standard Theatre Award, a London Critics Circle Theatre Award and a Tony
Award (after being re-staged on Broadway). He also won another Laurence Olivier
Theatre Award for his directing work in the play “Machinal” (1994).
Off screen, Daldry was appointed CBE (British title) in 2004. A year earlier,
his name was included in Premiere’s 2003 annual “Power 100 List,” ranking in the
92nd spot.
Daldry is romantically involved with Ian MacNeil, the son of British TV
commentator Robert MacNeil. He is also married to Lucy Sexton, with whom he has
a daughter.
Unofficial Adoption
Childhood and Family:
On May 2, 1961, Stephen Daldry was born in Dorset, England, to a singer and a
bank manager. Stephen, who once joined a youth drama group in Taunton, took
drama classes at Sheffield University. To hone in on his dramatic skills, he had
an apprenticeship with the Sheffield theatre before making his stage-directing
debut.
“What’s so funny is when people say, ‘Oh, does that mean you’re not gay
anymore?’ And you go, ‘Oh, give me a break. What do you mean?’ We wanted to have
kids! We thought we’d get married and have kids. We’re allowed to do everything.
I refuse to be boxed in to the idea that ‘Oh, no, I can’t have kids ‘cause I’m
gay.’ I can have kids if I’m gay. And I can also get married and have a
fantastic life. To all questions [having to do] with my marriage, the answer to
everything is yes. Do I have sex with my wife? Yes. Is it a real marriage? Yes.
Am I gay? Yes.” (Quoted in “The Advocate,” after the birth of his daughter)
Despite his homosexuality, Stephen tied the knot with Lucy Sexton on October 18,
2001. He and Lucy have a daughter named Annabel Clare (born in May 2003).
Previously, Stephen unofficially adopted aspiring actor Jamie Bell while filming
Billy Elliot (2000).
The Hours
Career:
After training with Italian clown Elder Milletti, Stephen Daldry worked as a
trainee associate artist at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. Daldry, who acted
in the play “Prometheus in Evin” (1988), moved to The Gate Theatre and began
directing several stage productions, including “Damned for Despair” (1991).
A year later, he left The Gate and earned national acclaim for his revival of
J.B. Priestley’s “An Inspector Calls” (1992), which brought in a Laurence
Olivier Theatre award, a London Evening Standard Theatre award and a London
Critics Circle Theatre award for Best Director. The play also won a Tony for
Best Director after being re-staged on Broadway. Daldry, who served as the
artistic director of the Royal Court Theatre (1992-1995), accepted further
recognition after working with the company in the revival of “Machinal” (1994,
won a Laurence Olivier Theatre award). It was ensued by his production of “Rat
in the Skull” (1995), starring Tony Doyle and Rufus Sewell.
Stage success led Daldry to a three-year directing deal with the Working Title
Films, in 1997. Before long, he shot his first screen project, the short film
Eight (1998), which received a BAFTA nomination for Best Short Film. The same
year, he directed David Hare in the London and Broadway monologue of “Via
Dolorosa” (1998, the recorded version was released in 2000). At the Royal Court
(later at the West End), Daldry directed the play “Far Away” (2000).
Daldry achieved even more success after working with playwright Lee Hall on a
dramatic comedy about a boy from a coal mining family who dreamed of being a
ballet dancer. Originally titled Dancer, the movie was released under the title
Billy Elliot (2000). Eventually, his landmark directing work was widely
applauded and won a BAFTA for Best British Film, a London Critics Circle Film
award, a British Independent Film award for Best Director, and many other awards
from various festivals. Also, the drama comedy earned Daldry an Oscar nomination
for Best Director and two BAFTA nominations (one for Most Promising Newcomer,
another for Best Direction). Billy Elliot starred Jamie Bell, Jean Heywood, and
Gary Lewis.
The co-producer of the “The ‘Billy Elliot’ Boy” episode of the documentary
series “Omnibus” (2001) immediately scored another success with an adaptation of
Michael Cunningham’s Pulitzer-winning novel, The Hours (2002). Focusing on three
generations of women, the drama was strengthened even more by actors Nicole
Kidman, Julianne Moore and Meryl Streep. Later, The Hours netted a German Film
award and an Amanda award for Best Foreign Film, a Robert award for Best
American Film, a Vancouver Film Critics Circle award for Best Director, and a
Berlin International Film Festival award for Reader Jury of the “Berliner
Morgenpost.” In addition, the movie earned an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a Directors
Guild of America and a BAFTA nomination for Best Director.
Afterward, Daldry executive produced Terry Loane’s drama comedy Mickybo and Me
(2004) and the black war comedy Guy X (2005). In 2007, the owner of Stephen
Daldry Productions is scheduled to release his next dramatic movie, The Amazing
Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. Based on the Pulitzer-winning novel by Michael
Chabon, the upcoming project will center on two young cousins creating a comic
book superhero, whose opponents are based on real-life figures.
Awards:
- Robert Festival: Robert for Best American Film, The Hours, 2004
- Berlin International Film Festival: Reader Jury of the “Berliner
Morgenpost,” The Hours, 2003
- Vancouver Film Critics Circle: Best Director, The Hours, 2003
- German Film: Best Foreign Film, The Hours, 2003
- Amanda (Norway): Best Foreign Feature Film, The Hours, 2003
- Lumiere (France): Best Foreign Film, Billy Elliot, 2002
- Amanda (Norway): Best Foreign Feature Film, Billy Elliot, 2001
- BAFTA: Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film, Billy Elliot, 2001
- London Critics Circle Film: British Director of the Year, Billy Elliot,
2001
- Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists: Silver Ribbon for Best
Director - Foreign Film, Billy Elliot, 2001
- Norwegian International Film Festival: Silver Clod for Best Foreign Film
of the Year, Billy Elliot, 2001
- Norwegian International Film Festival: Most Enjoyable Film, Billy
Elliot, 2000
- Austin Film Festival: Audience Award for Best Distributed Feature Film,
Billy Elliot, 2000
- British Independent Film: Best Director, Billy Elliot, 2000
- Castellinaria International Festival of Young Cinema: Golden Castle,
Billy Elliot, 2000
- Dinard British Film Festival: Audience Award, Billy Elliot, 2000
- Dinard British Film Festival: Golden Hitchcock, Billy Elliot, 2000
- Edinburgh International Film Festival: Audience Award, Billy Elliot,
2000
- Flanders International Film Festival: Audience Award, Billy Elliot, 2000
- Flanders International Film Festival: FIPRESCI Prize - Special Mention,
Billy Elliot, 2000
- Molodist International Film Festival: Best Full-Length Fiction Film,
Billy Elliot, 2000
- Motovun Film Festival: Propeller of Motovun, Billy Elliot, 2000
- Stockholm Film Festival: Audience Award, Billy Elliot, 2000
- Stockholm Film Festival: Best Directorial Debut, Billy Elliot, 2000
- Stockholm Film Festival: FIPRESCI Prize - Competition, Billy Elliot,
2000
- Săo Paulo International Film Festival: International Jury Award, Billy
Elliot, 2000
- Valladolid International Film Festival: Best New Director, Billy Elliot,
2000
- Laurence Olivier Theatre: Best Director, “Machinal,” 1994
- Tony: Best Director (Play), “An Inspector Calls,” 1994
- Laurence Olivier Theatre: Best Director, “An Inspector Calls,” 1993
- London Evening Standard Theatre: Best Director, “An Inspector Calls,”
1992
- London Critics Circle Theatre: Best Director, “An Inspector Calls,” 1992
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