David Leland
This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2013) |
David Leland | |
---|---|
Born | Cambridge, England | 20 April 1941
Died | 24 December 2023 | (aged 82)
Alma mater | Royal Central School of Speech and Drama |
Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter, actor |
David Leland (20 April 1941 – 24 December 2023) was a British film director, screenwriter and actor who came to international fame with his directorial debut
Life and career
Leland initially trained as an actor at
Leland then wrote Personal Services in 1986.[8] It was directed by Terry Jones and concerned Cynthia Payne, a real-life British madam who ran a private brothel.[9] Julie Walters took the leading role. While Personal Services dealt with the adult life of Cynthia Payne, Leland's next film, Wish You Were Here, concerned her teenage years.[10] This film was a success at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival and it made the young British actress Emily Lloyd a star.[11] It was awarded the FIPRESCI-Award at Cannes and the BAFTA for best screenplay.[12][13]
In 1991, Leland directed the successful stage musical A Tribute to the Blues Brothers, which played on the West End and then toured for ten years in the UK and Australia.[14]
Leland's next two films,
In 2012, Leland joined the Showtime series The Borgias as co-showrunner and executive producer (alongside Neil Jordan, whom he had worked with on Mona Lisa), writing the last five episodes of its second season and directing its last two episodes.[3] He described his stint as co-showrunner and executive producer as a "hands-on" experience and having to commit to extensive research on the Renaissance.[3]
After the death of his friend
Leland died on 24 December 2023, at the age of 82.[19][20]
Filmography
Actor
- Big Breadwinner Hog (television series) (1969) as Grange
- 1917 (1970) as Felix
- Scars of Dracula (1970) as 1st Policeman
- One Brief Summer (1970) as Peter
- The Pied Piper (1972) as Officer
- Gawain and the Green Knight(1973) as Humphrey
- Time Bandits (1981) as Puppeteer
- Majikthise
- The Missionary (1982) as Long Haired Man at Gin Palace
- The Jewel in the Crown (1984) (television series; season 1, episode #10: An Evening at the Maharanee's) as Captain Purvis
- Personal Services (1987) as Mr. Pilkington
- When Saturday Comes (1996) as Priest
Screenwriter
- Made in Britain (Director: Alan Clarke)
- R.H.I.N.O.; Really Here in Name Only (Director: Jane Howell)
- Birth of a Nation (Director: Mike Newell)
- Flying Into the Wind (Director: Edward Bennett)[21]
- Mona Lisa (Director: Neil Jordan)
- Personal Services (Director: Terry Jones)
- The White River Kid (Director: Arne Glimcher)
- The Borgias (TV series, also executive producer and episode director; creator: Neil Jordan)
Director
- Films
- Wish You Were Here (1987)
- Checking Out (1988)
- The Big Man (1990)
- The Land Girls (1998)
- Concert for George (2003)
- Virgin Territory a.k.a. Mediaeval Pie (2007)
- Television
- Band of Brothers(part No. 6 "Bastogne") (2001)
- The Borgias (episode 9; also writer and executive producer of the series; 2012)
Awards and nominations
- 2005 Grammy Awardfor best long form music video (Concert for George)
- 2002 Emmy Awardfor directing a miniseries (Band of Brothers)
- 2002 Christopher Award for best miniseries (Band of Brothers)
- 1988 BAFTAAward for best screenplay (Wish You Were Here)
- 1987 FIPRESCIAward International Cannes Film Festival (Wish You Were Here)
- 1987 Peter Sellers Award for Comedy (Evening Standard British Film Awards) (Wish You Were Here and Personal Services)
- 1986 Writers Guild of America Nomination (Mona Lisa)
- 1986 Golden GlobeNomination (Mona Lisa)
References
- ^ Maslin, Janet (24 July 1987). "Wish You Were Here (1987)". The New York Times.
- ^ "Soham Grammarians - David Leland (1952 entry)". Sohamgrammar.org.uk.
- ^ a b c Whitney, Hilary (2 July 2011). "Q&A: Writer/Director David Leland". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
- ^ a b c "BFI Screenonline: Leland, David (1947-) Biography". Screenonline.org.uk.
- ^ "Made in Britain (1981) - Alan Clarke". AllMovie.
- ^ "Mona Lisa (1986)". BFI. Archived from the original on 8 October 2016.
- ^ "BAFTA Awards". Awards.bafta.org.
- ^ "Personal Services (1987)". BFI. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017.
- ^ "Personal Services (1987) - Terry Jones | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. "Wish You Were Here movie review (1987) | Roger Ebert". Rogerebert.com/.
- ^ "Wish You Were Here (1987) - David Leland | Review". AllMovie.
- ^ "Movies". Dipresci.org. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Wish You Were Here (1987) - David Leland | Awards". AllMovie.
- ^ "The Official Tribute to the Blues Brothers - Live On Stage". Users.monash.edu. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "David Leland | TV, Documentary and Other Appearances". AllMovie.
- ^ "Concert for George (2003)". BFI. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018.
- ^ "Concert for George". Concord.com.
- ^ "The DECAMERON: ANGELS AND VIRGINS (2005)". BFI. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019.
- ^ Whittock, Jesse (27 December 2023). "David Leland Dies: 'Wish You Were Here' Director & 'The Borgias' Co-Showrunner Was 82". Deadline. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ^ Etan Vlessing (27 December 2023). "David Leland, 'Wish You Were Here' Director, Dies at 82". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ "Flying into the Wind (1983)". BFI. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019.
External links
- David Leland at IMDb
- David Leland at the BFI's Screenonline