Bruce Robinson
Bruce Robinson | |
---|---|
Born | London, England | 2 May 1946
Alma mater | Royal Central School of Speech and Drama |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1967–present |
Spouse |
Sophie Windham (m. 1984) |
Partner(s) | Lesley-Anne Down (1977–1979) |
Children | 2 |
Awards | BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay 1984 The Killing Fields |
Bruce Robinson (born 2 May 1946) is an English actor, director, screenwriter and novelist. He wrote and directed Withnail and I (1987), a film with comic and tragic elements set in London in the late 1960s, which drew on his experiences as a struggling actor, living in poverty in Camden Town.[1]
As an actor, he has worked with Franco Zeffirelli, Ken Russell and François Truffaut.
Early life
Bruce Robinson was born in London. He grew up in
Film career
In his youth, Robinson aspired to be an actor and was admitted to the
He is perhaps best known as the creative force behind the loosely autobiographical film Withnail and I (1987) which he based on his time as a struggling out-of-work actor.[4] The character 'Withnail' is reportedly based on his friend, Vivian MacKerrell, the character 'I' (Marwood), on himself. Though unsuccessful at the box office, because of its success on video it has since been described as "one of Britain's biggest cult films".[5] The film also launched the acting career of Richard E. Grant.
Robinson's next two outings as a director (How to Get Ahead in Advertising, teaming him again with Richard E. Grant, and Jennifer 8, a Hollywood thriller) were not as well received.[6] Robinson became disillusioned with the restrictive film-making practices of Hollywood and stopped directing to concentrate solely on writing. He wrote the screenplays for the films Return to Paradise (1998) and In Dreams (1999), but both were altered drastically by their producers, leaving Robinson once again disappointed.[7]
Robinson eventually returned to directing with an adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's novel The Rum Diary, with the main role performed by Johnny Depp.[8] With Aaron Eckhart and Richard Jenkins also on board, filming started on 25 March 2009 in Puerto Rico.[9] It was released in 2011. In 2012, Robinson's comic novella Paranoia in the Launderette was substantially filled out and adapted for the screen as A Fantastic Fear of Everything starring Simon Pegg. Robinson has completed a screenplay for his novel The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman and a book on Jack the Ripper, titled They All Love Jack.
Author
Robinson is also a successful author. His first published work was the semi-autobiographical novel The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman in 1998, based on his own childhood growing up in Broadstairs, Kent. In 2000, Smoking in Bed: Conversations with Bruce Robinson, edited by Alistair Owen, was published, made up of a selection of interviews given by Robinson. Meanwhile, since becoming a father, Robinson has also written two children's books, The Obvious Elephant (2000) and Harold and the Duck (2005), both illustrated by his wife. The former is also available as an audiobook edition (2003), read by Lorelei King and Michael Maloney. He spent about 15 years collecting and researching the materials on the mystery of Jack the Ripper, which later became his book They All Love Jack: Busting the Ripper (2015). Robinson identified songwriter Michael Maybrick as his prime suspect for the killings.[10]
Personal life
Robinson married the artist Sophie Windham in 1984, and they live in England. They have a daughter, Lily, and a son, Willoughby.[citation needed]
Robinson claimed to have been the target of unwanted sexual advances by Franco Zeffirelli during the filming of Romeo and Juliet, in which Robinson played Benvolio. Robinson says that the lecherous character of Uncle Monty in the film Withnail and I was influenced by Zeffirelli.[11]
Filmography
Director/writer
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1984 | The Killing Fields | No | Yes | |
1987 | Withnail and I | Yes | Yes | |
1989 | How to Get Ahead in Advertising | Yes | Yes | |
Fat Man and Little Boy | No | Yes | ||
1992 | Jennifer 8 | Yes | Yes | |
1998 | Return to Paradise | No | Yes | |
1999 | In Dreams | No | Yes | |
2011 | The Rum Diary | Yes | Yes | |
2012 | A Fantastic Fear of Everything | No | Novella | Based on Paranoia in the Launderette (1998) |
Actor
- Romeo and Juliet (1968) as Benvolio
- The Other People (1968) as Colin
- Baby Love(1969) as Man in Nightclub (uncredited)
- Tam-Lin (1970) as Alan
- The Music Lovers (1971) as Alexei Sofronov
- Private Road (1971) as Peter Morrissey
- The Story of Adèle H.(1975) as Lt Albert Pinson
- Los viajes escolares (1976) as Óscar
- The Brute (1977) as Mark
- Kleinhoff Hotel (1977) as Karl Axel
- Harry's War (1981) as IRS Agent #2
- How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989) as The Boil (voice, uncredited)
- Still Crazy (1998) as Brian Lovell
Bibliography
- Paranoia in the Launderette (1998)
- The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman (1998)
- The Obvious Elephant (2000)
- Harold and the Duck (2005)
- They All Love Jack: Busting the Ripper (2015)
References
- ^ Interview by Robert Chalmers (20 February 2011). "The Independent on Sunday, The New Review, p.15, 20 February 2011". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ a b Brown, Mick (2 October 2015). "Jack the Ripper: Has Bruce Robinson solved the world's most famous crime?". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ "How one man revealed Jack the Ripper's identity: the full story". GQ. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- ^ "BFI Screenonline: Withnail and I (1986)". Screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ Russell, Jamie. "How "Withnail & I" Became a Cult". BBC. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ "BFI Screenonline: Robinson, Bruce (1946–) Biography". Screenonline.org.uk. 2 May 1946. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ "Bruce Robinson | Britmovie | Home of British Films". Britmovie. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ "Withnail's Bruce Robinson To Direct The Rum Diary | Movie News | Empire". Empireonline.com. 5 December 2006. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ "The Rum Diary Now Filming". IGN. 2 April 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
- ^ Smith, P.D. (3 October 2015). "They All Love Jack: Busting the Ripper by Bruce Robinson review – a huge establishment cover-up". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
- ^ Murphy, Peter. "Interview with Bruce Robinson". Archived from the original on 7 July 2007. Retrieved 7 August 2007.
External links
- Bruce Robinson at IMDb
- Bruce Robinson at the BFI's Screenonline