British director Stephen Frears has quietly carved a name for himself as one of England’s most talented helmers, directing an incredible variety of terrific films over his 30+ year career. Recently Frears has received a heap of awards nominations for directing “The Queen,” one of 2006’s biggest arthouse hits. The wonderfully witty film, which stars Helen Mirren and James Cromwell, has put Frears on a short list for Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.
Frears was born on June 20, 1941 in Leicester, England, and educated at Trinity College at Cambridge where he studied law. Frears’s long-standing interest was in screen media, however, and shortly after finishing university he began directing for television programs. He made his feature debut directing the bizarre 1971 cult classic “Gumshoe” with Albert Finney. Frears directed mainly television films for the next fifteen years until his terrific Daniel Day-Lewis-starring film “My Beautiful Laundrette” was given a theatrical release in 1985. The international success of that film helped him receive more high-profile projects, and after helming the terrific drama “Prick Up Your Ears” with Alfred Molina and Gary Oldman, Frears directed the titillating 1988 adaptation of “Dangerous Liaisons” with Michelle Pfeiffer, Glenn Close, and John Malkovich. The film was nominated for a slew of Oscars, as was his next film, the quirky crime dramedy “The Grifters” with Annette Bening, Anjelica Huston, and John Cusack. Frears received a nomination for Best Director for the latter film.
The talented Englishman suffered somewhat of a slump in the 90s as he continued to experiment in different genres. 1992’s “Hero” (which starred Geena Davis and Dustin Hoffman) was a major critical and box office disappointment, as was the misguided “Mary Reilly,” a high-rent horror film that was one of Julia Roberts’s only failures in the decade. However, his work was back to normal in the late 90s with the touching Irish comedy “The Van” and the underappreciated ensemble period piece “The Hi-Lo Country,” which starred Penélope Cruz, Billy Crudup, and Woody Harrelson.
One of Frears’s greatest successes to date came in 2000 with “High Fidelity,” the enormously popular adaptation of Nick Hornby’s novel starring John Cusack and Jack Black. Frears seemed an unlikely choice to direct Gen-X hipster material, but his versatility allowed it to become one of the best movies of the year. Since then Frears has made three phenomenal films – “Dirty Pretty Things” with Audrey Tautou and rising star Chiwetel Ejiofor, “Mrs. Henderson Presents” with Judi Dench, and the recent smash “The Queen.” The latter film, like “My Beautiful Laundrette,” was originally slated for a television release until smart producers realized its potential. It has since become a rousing success, and has made Frears an internationally recognized director once again.