ANTHONY MINGHELLA CBE 1954 -2008Biography
Early life
Minghella was born on the Isle of Wight at Ryde, the son of Gloria and Edward Minghella, ice cream factory owners.His father was Italian/Scottish and his mother came from Leeds; her ancestors originally came from Valvori, a small village in the Lazio region of central Italy. Minghella attended Sandown Grammar School and St John's College (Portsmouth). He was a graduate of the University of Hull, where he completed undergraduate and postgraduate courses, but eventually abandoned his doctoral thesis.
Career
His first piece of produced work was a 1975 stage adaptation of Gabriel Josipovici's Mobius the Stripper; however, it was his 1985 piece Whale Music that kickstarted his career.He made his directorial debut with a double bill of Beckett's Play and Happy Days. During the 1980s, he worked in television, starting as a runner on Magpie before moving into script editing the children's drama series Grange Hill for the BBC and later writing The Storyteller series for Jim Henson. He also worked on episodes of the ITV detective drama Inspector Morse. His 1986 play Made in Bangkok found mainstream success in the West End.
His 1990 feature Truly, Madly, Deeply, a drama he had written and directed for the BBC's Screen Two anthology strand, bypassed its expected TV broadcast and received a cinema release. In order to make the film, he had turned down an offer to direct another episode of Inspector Morse, which he had thought would be a much higher-profile assignment.
In 1996, he won the Academy Award for Directing for The English Patient. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Adapted Screenplay for 1999's The Talented Mr. Ripley.
At the time of his death he had completed work on the adaptation of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency starring Jill Scott as Precious Ramotswe. This made-for-TV pilot is due to be broadcast by the BBC within a week of his death.
He vocally supported I Know I'm Not Alone, a film of musician Michael Franti's peacemaking excursions into Iraq, Palestine and Israel.
He directed a party election broadcast for the Labour Party in 2005. The short film depicted Tony Blair and Gordon Brown working together and was criticised for being insincere: "The Anthony Minghella party political broadcast last year was full of body language fibs", said Peter Collett, a psychologist at the University of Oxford. "When you are talking to me, I'll give you my full attention only if I think you are very high status or if I love you. On that party political broadcast, they are staring at each other like lovers. It is completely false."
Minghella made his operatic debut directing Puccini's Madama Butterfly. It was first seen at the English National Opera in London in 2005, at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Vilnius in March 2006 and at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in September 2006. The Anthony Minghella Theatre at Quay Arts Centre on the Isle of Wight is named in his honour. Minghella also made an appearance in the 2007 film Atonement, playing a television host interviewing the novelist whose role was central to the story.
Personal life
Minghella was married to Hong Kong-born choreographer Carolyn Choa. His brother, Dominic, is also a successful scriptwriter, and his son, Max, is an actor. His daughter Hannah worked as a production assistant on The Talented Mr. Ripley. His sister Edana is currently involved in a jazz event on the Isle of Wight, and his nephew Dante is one of the participants in Channel 4's Child Genius series.
He was a big Portsmouth F.c. fan and appeared in the Channel 4 documentary Hallowed Be Thy Game. His home had two double bedrooms dedicated to the display of Portsmouth memorabilia dating back to the club's founding in 1898.
Death
Minghella died on 18 March 2008 of a haemorrhage in Charing Cross Hospital, London, following an operation the previous week to remove cancer of the tonsils and neck. Several of Minghella's friends and colleagues, actors and actress such as Jude Law, Kevin Spacey, Ralph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow all led tributes. Other's came from Prime Minister Gordon Brown, John Berry, BBC creative director Alan Yentob as well as fellow director Sydney Pollack and Lord Puttnam
Early life
Minghella was born on the Isle of Wight at Ryde, the son of Gloria and Edward Minghella, ice cream factory owners.His father was Italian/Scottish and his mother came from Leeds; her ancestors originally came from Valvori, a small village in the Lazio region of central Italy. Minghella attended Sandown Grammar School and St John's College (Portsmouth). He was a graduate of the University of Hull, where he completed undergraduate and postgraduate courses, but eventually abandoned his doctoral thesis.
Career
His first piece of produced work was a 1975 stage adaptation of Gabriel Josipovici's Mobius the Stripper; however, it was his 1985 piece Whale Music that kickstarted his career.He made his directorial debut with a double bill of Beckett's Play and Happy Days. During the 1980s, he worked in television, starting as a runner on Magpie before moving into script editing the children's drama series Grange Hill for the BBC and later writing The Storyteller series for Jim Henson. He also worked on episodes of the ITV detective drama Inspector Morse. His 1986 play Made in Bangkok found mainstream success in the West End.
His 1990 feature Truly, Madly, Deeply, a drama he had written and directed for the BBC's Screen Two anthology strand, bypassed its expected TV broadcast and received a cinema release. In order to make the film, he had turned down an offer to direct another episode of Inspector Morse, which he had thought would be a much higher-profile assignment.
In 1996, he won the Academy Award for Directing for The English Patient. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Adapted Screenplay for 1999's The Talented Mr. Ripley.
At the time of his death he had completed work on the adaptation of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency starring Jill Scott as Precious Ramotswe. This made-for-TV pilot is due to be broadcast by the BBC within a week of his death.
He vocally supported I Know I'm Not Alone, a film of musician Michael Franti's peacemaking excursions into Iraq, Palestine and Israel.
He directed a party election broadcast for the Labour Party in 2005. The short film depicted Tony Blair and Gordon Brown working together and was criticised for being insincere: "The Anthony Minghella party political broadcast last year was full of body language fibs", said Peter Collett, a psychologist at the University of Oxford. "When you are talking to me, I'll give you my full attention only if I think you are very high status or if I love you. On that party political broadcast, they are staring at each other like lovers. It is completely false."
Minghella made his operatic debut directing Puccini's Madama Butterfly. It was first seen at the English National Opera in London in 2005, at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Vilnius in March 2006 and at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in September 2006. The Anthony Minghella Theatre at Quay Arts Centre on the Isle of Wight is named in his honour. Minghella also made an appearance in the 2007 film Atonement, playing a television host interviewing the novelist whose role was central to the story.
Personal life
Minghella was married to Hong Kong-born choreographer Carolyn Choa. His brother, Dominic, is also a successful scriptwriter, and his son, Max, is an actor. His daughter Hannah worked as a production assistant on The Talented Mr. Ripley. His sister Edana is currently involved in a jazz event on the Isle of Wight, and his nephew Dante is one of the participants in Channel 4's Child Genius series.
He was a big Portsmouth F.c. fan and appeared in the Channel 4 documentary Hallowed Be Thy Game. His home had two double bedrooms dedicated to the display of Portsmouth memorabilia dating back to the club's founding in 1898.
Death
Minghella died on 18 March 2008 of a haemorrhage in Charing Cross Hospital, London, following an operation the previous week to remove cancer of the tonsils and neck. Several of Minghella's friends and colleagues, actors and actress such as Jude Law, Kevin Spacey, Ralph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow all led tributes. Other's came from Prime Minister Gordon Brown, John Berry, BBC creative director Alan Yentob as well as fellow director Sydney Pollack and Lord Puttnam
Ok dudes a GREAT LOSS not only for the British film Industry but to all you that loved work as an ART FROM
One of my Modern Role Models and Romantic film Director Anthony Minghella past away this week and I only feel its fitting that
we show our love and support as we British know by leavin a message on his official website
LEAVE YOUR MESSAGES of condolences
http://www.mirageenterprises.co.uk/
I would go far enough to say he was as good as Sir David Lean & Merchant Ivory Productions
He also was a champion of TALENT and also Chaired the BFI.
Mirage left me comments for Waiting For Sunrise and I pestered them throughout the years to look at my work and they have always had time to listen and read my stuff. So please lets give something back to this GREAT British Film director whom will be sadly missed.
One of my Modern Role Models and Romantic film Director Anthony Minghella past away this week and I only feel its fitting that
we show our love and support as we British know by leavin a message on his official website
LEAVE YOUR MESSAGES of condolences
http://www.mirageenterprises.co.uk/
I would go far enough to say he was as good as Sir David Lean & Merchant Ivory Productions
He also was a champion of TALENT and also Chaired the BFI.
Mirage left me comments for Waiting For Sunrise and I pestered them throughout the years to look at my work and they have always had time to listen and read my stuff. So please lets give something back to this GREAT British Film director whom will be sadly missed.
PROFLIE
Anthony's Italian parents are famous for their ice cream factory.
After attending the University of Hull (North Yorkshire/Humberside, England), he briefly worked as a university professor where he started writing music and plays. He won the London Theater Critics Award in 1984 for Most Promising Playwright and in 1986 for Best Play with "Made In Bangkok".
Appointed a CBE in the 2001 Queen's Birthday Honours List.
In 1984, the London Theatre Critics named him Most Promising Playwright of the Year.
Has directed 5 actors to Oscar nominations: Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law, Renée Zellweger, Juliette Binoche and Kristin Scott Thomas. Binoche and Zellwegger won for their supporting turns in The English Patient (1996) and Cold Mountain (2003), respectively.
Personal Quotes
"The only lesson to extract from any civil war is that it's pointless and futile and ugly, and that there is nothing glamorous or heroic about it. There are heroes, but the causes are never heroic."
"When I became the chair of the British Film Institute, I didn't understand how much of my time would be taken up with trying to make a case for the British Film Institute: what it's for, why it exists, why it needs its money."
Dear Aneel,
Waiting for Sunrise's 6 minutes, are very hard to watch –
Its portrayal of the brutality of poverty being poignantly achieved. I wish you every success in continuing to make films of conscience and applaud your dedication to find the means to do so. Best wishes,
Timothy Bricknell/ Executive Producer Associate Producer, Writer
(Oscar winning films COLD MOUNTAIN, ENGLISH PATIENT)
MIRAGE ENTERPRISES
