About The Cast
EMMA THOMPSONNanny McPheeEmma Thompson was born in London. Her father was theatre director Eric Thompson, also the creator of the successful children's series, The Magic Roundabout. Her mother is actress Phyllida Law. She read English at Cambridge and whilst there, she appeared in many Footlights performances including Cambridge's first all-women revue, Woman's Hour and The Cellar Tapes, which won the Perrier Pick of the Edinburgh Fringe and was later broadcast by the BBC. After Cambridge, Thompson made appearances on television and in 1985 she played opposite Robert Lindsay in the original cast of the musical Me and My Girl. That same year, her own TV special, Up For Grabs, aired on Channel 4. Following this, she played Suzi Kettles in the John Byme BBC TV series Tutti Frutti and then playes oppposite Kenneth Branagh in The Fortunes of War. For these performances, she won her first BAFTA for Best Actress. She went on to write and record her own series, Thompson, for the BBC. She followed this with her first feature film, The Tall Guy, directed by Mel Smith, co-starring Jeff Goldblum and Rowan Atkinson for Working Title and then returned to the BBC to film The Winslow Boy, directed by Michael Darlow. In 1988, she filmed Henry V, directed by and co-starring Kenneth Branagh and the next year filmed Impromptu directed by James Lapine. Thompson then joined the Renaissance Theatre Company and toured the world playing play Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Fool in King Lear. In 1990 Thompson filmed Dead Again, directed by and co-starring Kenneth Branagh. Roles followed in Peter's Friends and Much Ado About Nothing, both directed by Branagh. She played opposite Anthony Hopkins in the Merchant-Ivory film The Remains of the Day for which she was nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. She then filmed Jim Sheridan's In the Name of the Father with Daniel Day-Lewis for which she was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. Thompson won the 1993 Academy A ward@ for Best Actress, as well as the Golden Globe Award; the New York, Los Angeles and National Film Critics Awards; and the BAFTA Award, all for her role in the Merchant-Ivory production of Howard's End. In 1994, she appeared in The Blue Boy, an independent feature shot on location in Scotland for America's PBS, and Junior, a comedy co-starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito for director Ivan Reitman. A year later she starred in the title role in Carrington, Christopher Hampton's story of the strange love affair between artist Dora Carrington and Lytton Strachey. She also starred in and wrote the screenplay adaptation (based on Jane Austen's novel) of Sense and Sensibility for director Ang Lee. For her writing accomplishments on that film, she received an Academy Award@ for Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Published, as well as a Golden Globe Award, the USC Scripter Award and Best Screenplay awards from the Writers Guild, the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Broadcast Film Critics, the Chicago Film Critics, the Los Angeles Film Critics and the New York Film Critics. She also received a nomination from the British Academy of c- Film and Television. For her performance in Sense and Sensibility, she received her third BAFTA and National Board of Review awards for Best Actress, along with an Academy Award@ nomination, a Golden Globe nomination and a Screen Actors Guild nomination. Thompson followed that with starring roles in a succession of films including The Winter Guest, shot on location in Scotland and co-starring her mother Phyllida Law for director Alan Rickman ; Primary Colors, with John Travolta, Billy Bob Thornton and Kathy Bates for director Mike Nichols; and the independent feature Judas Kiss with Alan Rickman, this time as co-star . More recently Thompson starred in the HBO telefilm Wit, for which she received a Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globe and Emmy Award nomination, and (as the film's co- screenwriter) the Humanitas Award, director Mike Nichols' screen adaptation of Angels in America, co-starring Meryl Streep and Al Pacino, for which she received an Emmy Award nomination, and opposite Antonio Banderas, in writer/director Christopher Hampton's film adaptation of Imagining Argentina. Most recently, Thompson starred in Richard Curtis' directing debut Love Actually, for which she received the BAFTA award for Best Peformance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, the Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress, and the Empire Award for Best British Actress. She has just completed filming Stranger Than Fiction, directed by Marc Forster, which marks her fourth collaboration with Lindsay Doran who is producing. |
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COLIN FIRTHMr Brown
Prior to this he starred in the psychological thriller Trauma, opposite Mena Suvari and Girl With a Pearl Earring, based on the best-selling novel by Tracy Chevalier, as the 17th century artist Johannes Vermeer opposite Scarlett Johansson and Tom Wilkinson. In October 2003, Firth appeared in the Working Title production Love Actually, written and directed by Richard Curtis, together with an outstanding ensemble cast that included Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney and Keira Knightley. In 2002, Firth was seen starring opposite Rupert Everett and Reese Withetspoon in the Miramax film, The Importance of Being Earnest. In 2001, Firth charmed audiences worldwide when he first starred as Mark Darcy opposite Renee Zellweger in the hit British comedy Bridget Jones's Diary In 1998, Firth starred in Shakespeare in Love, where he portrayed Lord Wessex, the evil intended husband to Violet De Lesseps, played by Gwyneth Paltrow. In 1996, Firth appeared in the multi-Oscar@ nominated film, The English Patient, opposite Kristen Scott Thomas and Ralph Fiennes. His other film credits include What a Girl Wants, Hope Springs, Relative Values, A Thousand Acres (with Michelle Pfeiffer and Jessica Lange), Apartment Zero, My Life So Far, The Secret Laughter of Women, Fever Pitch, Circle of Friends, Playmaker and the title role in Milos Forman's Valmont. On the small screen, Firth is infamous for his 1995 breakout role, when he played Mr. Darcy in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor and legions of female admirers. Firth's most recent television appearance was as the host ofNBC's Saturday Night Live in March 2004. He was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2001 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in the critically acclaimed HBO film Conspiracy and has also received the Royal Television Society Best Actor Award and a BAFT A nomination for his work in Tumbledown. His other television credits include Windmills on the Clyde: Making Donovan Quick, Donovan Quick, The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd, Deep Blue Sea, Hostages and the mini-series Nostromo. He made his London stage debut in the West End production of Another Country playing Bennett; he was then chosen to play the character Judd in the 1984 film adaptation opposite Rupert Everett. |
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KELLY MACDONALDEvangeline
Other feature film credits include Cousin Bette, My Life So Far, Elizabeth, The Loss of Sexual Innocence, Splendour, Entropy, House!, Two Family House, for which Macdonald was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, Strictly Sinatra, and Brush With Fate. Most recently she has starred in Richard Curtis' The Girl In The Cafe broadcast on the BBC; Intermission; and Marc Forster's highly-acclaimed Finding Neverlandas Peter Pan. A Cock And Bull Story in which she stars for Michael Winterbottom and All The Invisible Children, for Mehdi Charef and Emir Kusturica. She has just completed filming Lassie directed by Charles Sturridge. |
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ANGELA LANSBURYAunt Adelaide
Angela Brigid Lansbury was born in London on October 16, 1925. Her father, Edgar Isaac Lansbury, was a timber merchant. Her mother, Moyna Macgill, was a popular actress. At age ten, Lansbury saw John Gielgud as Hamlet at the Old Vic and vowed that someday she would become an actress. She attended the Webber-Douglas School of Dramatic Art in London. In 1940, in order to escape the London Blitz, Moyna Macgill evacuated fourteen-year-old Lansbury and her younger twin brothers, Edgar and Bruce, to the United States. The family lived in Putnum County for a year, during which time Lansbury commuted to the Feagin School of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan. She received her first professional job at age sixteen when she performed a cabaret act in Montreal. Eventually the family relocated in Los Angeles where seventeen-year-old Lansbury landed a seven-year contract at MGM after director George Cukor cast her as Nancy, the menacing maid, in Gaslight. Her cunning performance won her a 1944 Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The following year she received a second nomination, again as Best Supporting Actress, as the doomed Sybil Vane in The Picture of Dorian Gray. That poignant role earned her a Golden Globe Award. Lansbury has appeared in 44 motion pictures to date. They include such classics as National Velvet, The Harvey Girls, Frank Capra's State of the Union,Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah, The Court Jester, The Long Hot Summer, The Manchurian Candidate (for which she received a second Golden Globe Award, the National Board of Review Award and her third Academy Award nomination), The World of Henry Orient and Death on the Nile (a second National Board of Review Award). In 1991 she was the voice of Mrs. Potts in the Disney animated feature, Beauty and the Beast, and in 1997 she was the voice of the Grand Duchess Marie in the animated movie, Anastasia. The actress made her Broadway debut in 1957 when she starred as Bert Lahr's "- wife in the French farce, Hotel Paradiso. In 1960 she returned to Broadway as Joan Plowright's mother in the season's most acclaimed drama, A Taste of Honey by Shelagh Delaney. In 1964, she starred on Broadway in her first musical. Anyone Can Whistle closed after only nine performances, but Lansbury returned to New York in triumph in 1966 as Mame. She played the role for two years on Broadway and later to sell-out audiences in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Mame earned Lansbury the first of her unprecedented four Tony Awards as Best Actress in a Musical. She received the others as the Madwoman of Chaillot in Dear World (1968), as Mama Rose in the 1974 revival of Gypsy and as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd (1979). In 1978 she starred as Mrs. Anna for a limited engagement of The King and I. Concurrent with her musical ventures, Lansbury continued to act in serious dramas. In 1971 she returned to London to appear in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Edward Albee's All Over. In 1975, again in London, she played Gertrude to Albert Finney's Hamlet in the National Theatre production. In 1976 she acted in two Albee one-act plays, Counting the Ways and istening, at the Hartford Stage Company. She was to find her largest audience on television. Although Lansbury had acted in live dramas during "the golden age of television" in the 1950's in such shows as Robert Montgomery Presents and Lux Video Theatre, when she starred as Mrs. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in the 1982 mini-series Little Gloria...Happy at Last, she had not acted on television in seventeen years. She followed that Emmy-nominated performance with roles in the mini-series Lace and A Christmas Story: The Gift of Love. From 1984-1996 she starred as Jessica Fletcher, mystery-writing amateur sleuth, on Murder, She Wrote. In 1992, Lansbury added to her responsibilities by becoming the series' executive producer . During the past decade she has also found time to star in the motion picture-for-television, Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris, Shootdown, The Love She Sought and the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation, The Shell Seekers. She developed a video and co-wrote a book, both titled Positive Moves, about fitness and well-being. After Murder She Wrote concluded its twelve season run in May 1996, Lansbury returned to her theatrical roots by starring in Mrs Santa Claus, the first original musical for television in four decades. In 1997 Lansbury appeared
in South by Southwest, the first of a series of two hour Murder, She Wrote
movies for CBS. In 1998 she completed The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, which
also aired on CBS. In Spring of 2000, Angela completed the second of the
Murder, She Wrote movies, A Story to Die For
In 1982 she was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame. In 1990 she received an honourary doctorate in humanities from Boston University .In 1992 she received the Silver Mask for Lifetime Achievement from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. In 1994 she was named a Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. In 1996 she was inducted into the TV Hall of Fame, and in 1997 she was given a Lifetime Achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild. She has been nominated for 16 Emmy Awards (twelve for Murder, She Wrote). She has won six Golden Globe Awards (four for Murder, She Wrote) and has been nominated for an additional eight. In September 1997 President Clinton presented her with the National Medal of the Arts. In November of 1999, Meadows School of the Arts at Texas' Southern Methodist University presented Lansbury with their Lifetime Achievement Award. In December of 2000, Lansbury was recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor in Washington D.C. |
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CELIA IMRIEMrs Quickly
Her feature film credits include Highlander; The House of Whipcord; Murder on the Moon,. The Harmfulness of Tobacco -which won the 1991 BAFTA Award for the Best Short Film -Blue Black Permanent; Kenneth Branagh's Frankenstein and In the Bleak Mid Winter. The Borrowers; the role of Iris Dupre in Hilary and Jackie; Lucky Break; Una in Bridget Jones's Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason; and Thunderpants. Imrie enjoyed critical acclaim for her role in Calendar Girls. Imrie was the winner of the Clarence Derwent Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the Royal National Theatre production of Edward Bond's The Sea and played in The Hothouse with Harold Pinter. More recently, she has appeared in Habeus Corpus at the Donmar Warehouse, Dona Rosita at the Almeida Theatre; Mrs Candour in the RSC's production of Schoolfor Scandal and the hugely successful musical Acorn Antiques at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, directed by Trevor Nunn. This year, Celia has performed a one-woman play Unsuspecting Susan in New York to packed houses, a play she first performed at the King's Head in Islington in 2003. |
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DEREK JACOBIMr Wheen
More recently Jacobi has been seen in feature films including Robert Altman's Gosford Park,. Ridley Scott's Gladiator,. and Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, Dead Again, and Henry v: Other feature film credits include Christine Edzard's Little Dorrit,' Otto Preminger's The Human Factor,. Jade Gold's The Medusa Touch; Ronald Neame's The Odessa File; and Fred Zimmerman's The Day of the Jackal. Jacobi studied at Cambridge and trained at the Birmingham Repertory Company until Laurence Oliver saw him perform and invited him to join the National Theatre Company. There, Jacobi performed in countless roles and was featured in the Olivier produced films of Othello and Three Sisters. Later stage work includes Hamlet (Old Vic tour), Anthony & Cleopatra (Cambridge Theatre Co ), Much Ado About Nothing (1987, RSC Tour ofNY and Washington), for which he received a TONY award, Cyrano de Bergerac (1987, RSC Tour ofNY and Washington), Breaking The Code (1987-88, Neil Simon Theatre), for which he received a TONY nomination, and more recently Uncle Vanya (1996, Chichester Festival & National Tour), and The Tempest (2002, Sheffield Crucible, Old Vic). Other television performances include Granada's Philby, Burgess and Maclean; the BBC's Richard II, Hamlet, Breaking The Code, Randall & Hopkirk~ Peter Ackroyd's London, and The Long Firm; NBC's Frasier; and HBO's A Lonely War. He recently starred in the acclaimed West End production of Don Carlos. Jacobi was awarded the CBE in 1985 and was knighted in 1994. |
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PATRICK HARLOWMr Jowls
On television he has featured in episodes of the immensely popular comedy programmes French and Saunders and Absolutely Fabulous, as well as Victoria Wood As Seen On TV and A Bit of Fry and Laurie. Other television work includes Murder in Surburbia, Goodbye Mr Steadman, Is It Legal, The True Adventures of Christopher Columbus, Van Gogh, and The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole. On stage, Harlow has appeared in The Wonders of Sex at London's National Theatre and The Messiah at the Bush Theatre, London. Other stage work includes Love Upon The Throne, at the Comedy Theatre, and also at Edinburgh, The Bush Theatre London, and the Berlin Festival; Wind and the Willows at the Royal National; Shakespeare -The Truth, a one-man show at the National Theatre Berlin; and Loot, at the Royal Exchange. Barlow has appeared regularly on BBC's Radio 4 and has also written and directed for television. |
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IMELDA STAUNTONMrs Blatherwick
For her stage work, Imelda Staunton has won two Oliviers, the UK's most prestigious theatre award; one for The Corn is Green at the Old Vic and a joint award for Alan Ayckboum' s A Chorus of Disapproval at the National Theatre and Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods. She has appeared regularly at the National Theatre, most notably as Miss Adelaide in Richard Eyre's production of Guys and Dolls. At the National, she also worked with Eyre on The Beggar's Opera and Schweyk in the Second World War , and with Matthew Warchus on Life X 3. Other London stage appearances include three productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company; as Sonya in Michael Blakemore's production of Uncle Vanya at the Vaudeville Theatre; in Sam Mendes' production of Habeas Corpus at the Donmar Warehouse; and Michael Hastings' Calico at the Duke of York' s Theatre. |
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THOMAS SANGSTERSimon
Immediately after, he was whisked off to Vancouver to take the lead in The Miracle Of The Cards, the telefilm version of the true story of Craig Shergold, who was diagnosed with cancer at age ten and recovered with the help of an anonymous benefactor and enough get-well cards to enter him into The Guinness Book of World Records. Thomas then appeared in the BBC's Emmy and BAFTA award-winning adaptation of Clive King's wonderful story, Stig of the Dump. It tells the tale of Barney and his friendship with a caveman named Stig. Thomas received glowing reviews as Barney, all wide-eyed wonder and innocent adventurer . He next appeared in the action telefeature Daddy, which gave him the opportunity to work alongside Klaus Maria Branduer. This was Thomas' first thriller and he loved all the action scenes, explosions, shootouts and car chases. His performance won him the Best Actor in a mini-series award at the 2003 Monte Carlo Film Festival. Love Actually was Thomas' first international feature film in which he played Liam Neeson's son, and for which he received a Satellite Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a musical or comedy. His training for Love Actually involved learoing how to play the drums, perform cartwheels and (most challenging of all), have his first screen kiss. Thomas has since filmed a new BBC TV series called Featherboy. He will soon begin filming The Last Legion reuniting him with two time co-star Colin Firth. |
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ELIZA BENNETTTora
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RAPHAEL COLEMANEric
Nanny McPhee is Raphael Coleman's first professional acting role. He was suggested for the role by a friend of his mother who is a casting agent. |
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JENNIFER RAE DAYKIN Lily
Jennifer makes her feature film debut in Nanny McPhee. A student at the Centre Stage section of LaFour in Sandhurst, Daykin has performed in several theatrical school productions including Whistle Down The Wind, Princess Whatshername, and Baboushka. |
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SAM HONEYWOODSebastian
Sam also makes his feature film debut in Nanny McPhee. Previously he has appeared in television commercials for McDonalds Happy Meals, Andrex (in which he co-starred with an Andrex puppy), and AXA Insurance. He has also modelled for clients including Dairylea. |
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HOLLY GIBBS Christianna
Holly lives with her mum and brother in London. Her professional credits include television commercials for Playdoh and COI as well as a role in the BBC drama Daddy's Girl. She attends the Michael Sobell Sinai School where her favourite subjects are art and story writing. Gibbs attends drama classes and was recently awarded Honours in her LAMDA Poetry examination. She also attends modern dance classes and achieved Honours for her primary jazz examination. Gibbs has also performed the role of Leena in a local youth club production of Bugsy Malone. |
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About The Filmmakers
KIRK JONESDirector
He collected a Silver at the Creative Circle awards for his Mercedes test commercial in 1990 and was invited to join Xenium productions as a director. After winning an award for his Absolut Vodka commercial, which he wrote and directed, he started to direct commercials full time in Europe and in the U.S. In 1991 Kirk joined producer Glynis Murray at the newly formed Tomboy Films and continued to direct commercials for clients including Coca Cola, Reebok, The National Lottery and MacDonalds. He won awards at the Creative Circle, British Television Awards, NABS and in 1996 was awarded the Silver Lion at Cannes. Kirk wrote and directed his first feature film Waking Ned in 1998 with a budget of $3m. The film went on to gross almost $90m worldwide with awards in the US and Europe including New York Comedy Film Festival (Best Feature) Comedy D'alp, France (Grand Jury Prize and Critics Prize), Guild ofGerman Cinema (Gold Award Best Feature) Paris Film Festival (Audience award) Golden Satellite Awards (Best Motion Picture nomination) and BAFTA (Most Promising Newcomer nomination). After Waking Ned he returned to writing and developing his own film projects and continued to direct commercials. |
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LINDSAY DORANProducerLindsay Doran launched her career in the motion picture business in 1979, when she became assistant to the director of creative affairs at Avco Embassy Pictures. Eventually, the company evolved into Embassy Pictures, and she advanced to vice president of creative affairs. While at Embassy, she served as the executive in charge of production on two films directed by Rob Reiner -This Is Spinal Tap (her first film credit) and The Sure Thing. In 1985, Doran joined Paramount Pictures as senior vice president of production, and was eventually promoted to executive vice president of production. At Paramount, she oversaw the development and production of a number of films, including Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, The Naked Gun, Pet Sematary, and Ghost. Doran left Paramount Pictures in 1989 to join Sydney Pollack's Mirage Enterprises. As its president, she produced Dead Again, written by Scott Frank and directed by Kenneth Branagh; Leaving Normal, written by Edward J. Solomon and directed by Edward Zwick; and Sense and Sensibility, written by Emma Thompson and directed by Ang Lee. Sense and Sensibility won the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture, Drama, and an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (by Emma Thompson). In addition, it was nominated for six other Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won the Best Film award given by the British Academy of Film and Theatre Arts (BAFTA), and the Golden Bear award for Best Picture at the Berlin Film Festival. While at Mirage, Doran served as executive producer on The Firm and Sabrina, both directed by Sydney Pollack. She was also the executive producer of A Private Matter, an HBO telefilm written by William Nicholson and directed by Joan Micklin Silver. She also served as one of the producers on the Showtime anthology series, Fallen Angels, and produced for that series the episode The Frightening Frammis, written by Jon Robin Baitz and Howard A. Rodman, and directed by Tom Cruise. In 1996, Doran became President and Chief Operating Officer of United Artists," Pictures. While at United Artists, she presided over production of the 18th and 19th installments of the James Bond franchise, Tomorrow Never Dies, and The World is Not Enough. She also oversaw The Man in the Iron Mask and Ronin as well as the hit remake of The Thomas Crown Affair . In 1999, Doran left United Artists and resumed her career as a producer. She is currently the President of Three Strange Angels Inc, a motion picture production company based at Radar Pictures. Among her current projects is Stranger Than Fiction, written by Zach Helm and directed by Marc Forster (Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland, Stay). Emma Thompson stars in the film making it Doran's and Thompson's fourth film together. |
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TIM BEVAN and ERIC FELLNER Producers/Co-chairmen
of Working Title Films
Working Title Films, co-chaired by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner since 1992, has become Europe's leading film production company, making movies that defy boundaries as well as demographics. Working Title, founded in 1983, was recently presented with the Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema at the Orange British Academy Film Awards and the Alexander Walker Film Award at the Evening Standard British Film Awards. Together, Bevan and Fellner have made more than 70 films that have grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide. Their films have won 4 Academy Awards (for Tim Robbins' Dead Man Walking, Joel and Ethan Coen's Fargo, and Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth ), 20 BAFTA Awards (including ones for Richard Curtis' Love Actually and Mike Newell's Four Weddings and a Funeral), and prestigious prizes at the Cannes and Berlin International Film Festivals, among other honors. Messrs. Bevan and Fellner were recently made CBEs (Commanders of the British Empire). In addition to those films mentioned above, Working Title's other worldwide successes include Roger Michell's Notting Hill; Mel Smith's Bean; Sydney Pollack's The "Interpreter; Peter Howitt's Johnny English; Joel and Ethan Coen's O Brother, Where Art Thou?; Chris and Paul Weitz' About a Boy; and both Bridget Jones movies (directed by Sharon Maguire and Beeban Kidron, respectively). The company has enjoyed long and successful creative collaborations with writer/director Richard Curtis; actors Rowan Atkinson, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant; and the Coen Brothers filmmaking team, among others. Upcoming Working Title films include Joe Wright's Pride & Prejudice starring Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Brenda Blethyn and Donald Sutherland; and Phillip Noyce's Hot Stuff, currently in pre-production, to star Tim Robbins and Derek Luke. In 1999, anew division, WT2, was formed with the purpose of providing an energetic and creatively fertile home for key emerging U.K. film talent and lower-budgeted productions. Its first film, Stephen Daldry's Billy Elliot, was released in 2000 and became an international critical and commercial hit. The film grossed over $100 million worldwide, earned three Academy Award and two Golden Globe Award nominations, and was named Best Feature at the British Independent Film Awards. The film' s director Stephen Daldry and screenwriter Lee Hall have reunited for a stage musical version, with newly composed songs by Sir Elton John. The production, marking Working Title's debut theatrical venture (co-produced with Old Vic Prods.), opened at London's Victoria Theatre in May 2005 to glowing reviews. WT2's subsequent films have included Mark Mylod'sAli G Indahouse, starring Sacha Baron Cohen, which was a smash in the U.K.; Marc Evans' acclaimed thriller My Little Eye; Terry Loane's Mickybo & Me; Damien O'Donnell's Inside I'm Dancing, which won the Audience Award at the 2004 Edinburgh International Film Festival; and Edgar Wright's award-winning sleeper hit "rorn zorn corn" (romantic zombie comedy) Shaun of the Dead. |
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GLYNIS MURRAYCo-producerGlynis Murray is one of UK's most prominent commercials producers. Over the past twenty years she has produced ads for Tony Scott, Paul Weiland, Stephen Frears, David Bailey and Kirk Jones. She has also produced two feature films, Shooting Fish and Waking Ned. Murray has a degree in history from London University. Her early career was spent at the BBC working in the drama department. She left there in 1976 and joined Ridley Scott Associates working with Tony Scott. After that she joined Paul Weiland and ran his company for ten years. At that time she produced Weiland's BAFTA nominated short film. Murray set up her own production company, Tomboy Films, in 1991 with Kirk Jones and Stephen Frears directing. Since then, Tomboy has consistently been one of London's top production companies winning many awards and growing to a company of twelve film directors. In 1997, together with Richard Holmes, Murray produced Shooting Fish directed by Stefan Schwartz starring Kate Beckinsale and Stuart Townsend. In 1999, she produced the highly acclaimed Waking Ned with Kirk Jones directing. |
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HENRY BRAHAMDirector of PhotographyNanny McPhee marks Henry Braham's second collaboration with Kirk Jones after Waking Ned. He has also worked with Jones on several television commercials. Braham's other film credits include Stephen Fry's Bright Young Things; Charles Sturridge's Shackleton, for which Braham won an Emmy Award for Best Cinematography and received a BAFT A nomination for Best Cinematography; John McKay's Crush; Adam Brook's The Invisible Circus; David Leland's The Land Girls; Stefan Schwartz's Shooting Fish, Paul Weiland's Roseanna's Grave; Gary Sinyor's Solitairefor 2; and Soft Top Hard Shoulder, also for Stefan Schwartz. His television credits include most notably Peter Richardson's Four Men and a Car and Paul Weiland's OliverlI -Let's TwistAgain. In commercials, Braham has worked for clients including Coca Cola, Mcdonald's, Playstation 2, Ford, British Airways, Polaroid, Walkers Crisps, and Budweiser. |
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JUSTIN KRISHEditorJustin Krish's previous editing feature film credits include Bride and Prejudice, Bend it Like Beckham (which was nominated for the American Cinema Editors Best Edited Feature Film}, The Piano Player, Al 's Lads and Sorted. Justin is currently editing Appointed Limits a drama/documentary for Director Gerry Rothwell and Producers Alison Morrow and Jonny Persey at APT |
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NICK MOOREEditorNick Moore's editing feature film credits include Along Came Polly, Love Actually, About a Boy (nominated for Best Edited Feature by the American Cinema Editors}; Roger Michell' s Notting Hill; David Caffrey's Divorcing Jack; David Leland's Land Girls; and Peter Cattaneo's The Full Monty, for which he received a shared BAFTA nomination for Best Editing. |
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MICHAEL D HOWELLSProduction DesignerHowells' credits are as extensive as they are impressive and encompass film, theatre, opera, ballet, fashion, and exhibitions. His film credits include Stephen Fry's Bright Young Things, which received a Best Technical Achievement nomination from the British Independent Film Awards, Charles Sturridge's Shackleton, for which he received both a BAFTA TV nomination for Best Production Design, and a Royal Television Society Award nomination for Best Production Design; Mike Figgis' About Time Too and Miss Julie; Oliver Parker's An Ideal Husband, for which he received a Golden Satellite nomination for Best Production Design; Andy Tennant's Everafter aka Cinderella; Charles Sturridge's FairyTale -A True Story, Doug McGrath's Emma," Michael Austin's Princess Caraboo; and Chris Menges' Second Best. His theatre, opera and ballet credits as a designer include Dance Umbrella 99's Julius Tomb, the Royal Ballet's Towards Poetry at Sadlers Wells, Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin's Der Damon, Broomhill Opera's Tolemeo, DV8 Physical Theatre's MSM at the Royal Court Theatre and Nottingham Playhouse, and Memoirs de Montmartre at the Royal Academy of Arts. In the world of fashion, his set design credits include shows for John Galliano for Christian Dior: Haute Couture 1997-99, John Galliano: Pret a Porter Autumn/Winter 1998, and John Galliano for Christian Dior: Pret a Porter Autumn/Winter 1998; and Christian Lacroix: Haute Couture and Pret a Porter. He has also designed sets for Mario Testino shoots for AmerIcan and French Vogue. |
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NIC EDECostume DesignerNic Ede most recently collaborated with Henry Braharn, Michael Howells, and Peter King on Stephen Fry's Bright Young Things" Other feature film credits include Brian Gilbert's The Gathering," Eric Styles' Relative Values," Marc Evans' Resurrection Man," Brian Gilbert's Wilde,' John Henderson's Loch Ness; Chris Menges' Second Best," Brian Gilbert's Not Without My Daughter," Roland Joffe's Fat Man and Little Boy, Aisling Walsh's Joyriders; Chris Menges' A World Apart; Bernard Rose's Paperhouse; and Nic Roeg's Castaway. Ede has extensive credits in television including most notably Canterbury Tales--The Knight's Tale for the BBC; Roland Joffe's Undressed," Lorna Doone for the BBC; Dash & Lily with Sam Shepard and Judy Davis, for which Ede received an Emmy nomination for Best Costume Design; Far From the Madding Crowd and Band of Gold (Series II), both for Granada; Seaforth for the BBC; and The Borrowers. He also works in commercials and promos and counts amongst his clients Lloyds Bank, Dulux My Way, Halifax, British Airways, and Martini. |
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PETER KINGHair and Make-Up DesignerPeter King received an Academy Award for Best Make-Up (shared with Richard Taylor) for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. For the same film he also received a BAFTA nomination for Best Hair & Make-Up (shared with Richard Taylor and Peter Owen). King was also hair and make-up designer on the first two films in Peter Jackson's epic trilogy: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, for which King received a BAFTA nomination for Best Hair and Make-Up, and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, for which he won a BAFTA award for Best Hair and Make-Up. Other feature film credits include Kevin Spacey's Beyond the Sea; Jonathan Frakes' Thunderbirds; Stephen Fry's Bright Young Things,. Oliver Parker's The Importance of Being Earnest," Philip Kaufman' s Quills, for which King received a BAFTA nomination (shared with Nuala Conway) for Best Hair and Make-Up; Mike Figgis' Miss Julie, Oliver Parker's An Ideal Husband, which also saw King nominated for a BAFTA nomination; Mark Herman's Little Voice," The Avengers, on which King served as Uma Thurman's hair stylist and make-up artist; Todd Haynes' Velvet Goldmine (for which he received a BAFTA nomination); Charles Sturridge's Fairy tale: A True Story; Sally Potter's The Tango Lesson; and Jane Campion's Portrait of a Lady. King has recently worked again with Peter Jackson on his forthcoming King Kong" |
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PATRICK DOYLEComposerPatrick Doyle studied piano and singing at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and graduated in 1974. His first music score was written in 1978, and subsequently Doyle has written the music for a host of radio, television, theatre and film productions. In 1987, Doyle joined the Renaissance Theatre Company as composer and musical director. During this time he completed a world tour of the productions King Lear and A Midsummer Night's Dream. He has since composed music for their productions of Hamlet, As You Like It, and Much Ado About Nothing" for directors Derek Jacobi, Geraldine McEwan and Judi Dench. Doyle later worked with Judi Dench on both the theatre and television productions of Look Back in Anger. In 1989 Director Kenneth Branagh commissioned Doyle to write the film score for the Renaissance Film Company production of Henry V. The song Non Nobis Domine, from the film, was awarded the 1989 Ivor Novello Award for Best Film Theme. In 1990, HRH The Prince of Wales commissioned Doyle to write The Thistle and The Rose, a song cycle for full choir, in honour of the Queen Mother's 9Oth birthday. During that year he also wrote the music for a Disney feature Shipwrecked. In 1991, Doyle wrote the score for the blockbuster Dead Again directed by Kenneth Branagh, the music was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Doyle's other projects include the music for Indochine, starring Catherine Deneuve and directed by Regis Wargnier, (the film won an Oscar for 'Best Foreign Film', five Caesar awards and a Golden Globe); Into the West, a feature film written by Jim Sheridall and directed by Mike Newell, the sound tracks for the Renaissance Theatre BBC Radio 3 co-productions of Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, and King Lear , Frankenstein, Much Ado About Nothing, both directed by Kenneth Branagh. Also, the Castle Rock production of Stephen King's novel Needful Things, directed by Frazer Heston, Carlito's Way, directed by Brian De Palma, A Little Princess, directed by Alfonso Cuaroll (the score won the LA Critics award for best Film Sound track 1995), Mrs Winterbourne, directed by Richard Benjamin, and Sense and Sensibility, directed by Ang Lee (Doyle's score was nominated for a Golden Globe and also received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Dramatic Score and a BAFT A nomination for Best Film Score ). Doyle's score for Hamlet, a four hour epic directed by Kenneth Branagh for Castle Rock, received an Oscar nomination, and his score for Donnie Brasco, directed by Mike Newell, received an ASCAP award. Doyle also wrote the score for Great Expectations, directed by Alfonso Cuaron, and the animated feature The Quest for Camelot/The Silver Sword, directed by Frederik Du Chau. In 1997 Sony Classical commissioned Doyle to write apiece of music to accompany a children's story entitled The Face In The Lake. This piece was premiered in February 1998 at Camegie Hall, New York, along with two other stories with music written by Wynton Marsalis & Edgar Meyer. Sony Classical released a CD of the piece, narrated by Kate Winslet, together with a companion children' s book published by Viking Press. In 1999 Doyle completed the score for East West, directed by Regis Wargnier and starring Catherine Deneuve. The film received both an Academy Award and Golden Globe nomination in the category of best foreign film. Doyle wrote the music for Love's Labour's Lost, directed by Kenneth Branagh. Doyle completed the film, Blow Dry in 2000, and in 2001, the music for Bridget Jones's Diary, directed by Sharon Maguire, in addition to completing the score for Killing Me Softly for Montecito Pictures directed by Chen Kaige the same year. Since this time, Doyle has scored the film Gosford Park, directed by Robert Altman for which he was nominated as Composer of the Year at the AFI Film Awards. Doyle has also recently worked on the multi award winning comedy Calendar Girls, starring Helen Mirren and Julie WaIters; SecondHand Lions, starring Michael Caine and Robert Duvall; and Nouvelle France, starring Gerard Depardieu, Tim Roth and Jason Isaacs. |
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| 20TH JULY 2005
INTERVIEW WITH KIRK JONES Kirk Jones, director of Nanny McPhee, talks to Working Title about his experiences working on this project. (Kirk is pictured, left, on set with Emma Thompson and Colin Firth.) Nanny McPhee has been adapted from the Nurse Matilda books. Were you familiar with these books before you started on this project? I had no knowledge of the books and don't remember them as a child but I made a point of researching them. They had some strong elements but in truth were not structured in a way, which made them prime candidates for adapting as a screenplay. Their structure was very loose, they meandered and although very charming and atmospheric they lacked a sense of drama and structure. Emma's script took the essence of the Nurse Matilda stories and featured many of the established characters but she interpreted them in a way which made the screenplay more dramatic, humorous and emotionally involving. What was it that initially attracted you to Nanny McPhee? It made me laugh and it moved me emotionally. It had a sense of theatre and magic, (aside from the practical magic) and it was a script that was full of detail and wonderful characters. Clearly well written and structured, I also sensed that it had been nurtured and developed over a period of time. It came as no surprise to learn that Emma had been working on the project with Lindsay Doran, the producer for a number of years. What was the biggest challenge you faced in making this film? Without a doubt it was working within the constraints of regulations placed upon the hours that child actors can work. We had children aged 8 months to 12 years, which meant that every day, every scene had to be planned in military fashion. I was aware of when the babies needed feeding, when they needed a sleep and when they needed their nappies changed. With the older children, each day was planned around their breaks, lessons, rest periods and maximum time that they could spend on set. My first assistant director, Gareth Tandy and his team deserve full credit for making the shoot run as smoothly as it did. What was the most enjoyable part of the process? Despite the added stress and restrictions related to working with children, when they actually arrived on set, it was a joy to capture their individual performances. Most of them hadn't acted before but they never failed to deliver moments, which were full of naive charm, character and humour. The food fight was the most fun scene to shoot; it was a much welcome relief to spend a couple of days throwing jelly, cakes and pies at each other. Emma, Colin, Imelda, Kelly and myself all joined in. Did you stick to the script religiously, or did you improvise at all during filming? Emma is the first to admit that if ideas develop on the shoot, if locations or schedule or characters develop in a way, which suggests changing the script, then it should be changed. The script exists to be improved, not protected. She isn't precious in that way, she is very open and generous to change if she considers it to be an improvement. Angela Lansbury makes a welcome return to the big screen in Nanny McPhee. What was it like working with an actress of such immense experience? I had grown up watching Angela in 'Gaslight', 'Blue Hawaii' with Elvis and 'Bed knobs and Broomsticks' and couldn't quite believe that she was cast in our film. When she walked on set the atmosphere changed, there was such an enormous amount of respect and admiration for her. I spoke to her before the shoot and asked if she would consider wearing a false nose. Having never worn prosthetics before she was a little unsure at fist but soon got used to the idea and I think, by the end of the shoot, got quite attached to her huge conk. Emma Thompson wrote the screenplay and also stars in the film. What was it like working with a two-time Academy Award winner? Nerve-wracking for the first 60 seconds but for the two years that followed it has been an absolute pleasure. Aside from being an exceptional actor and writer she is incredibly grounded and generous. Her understanding of story structure, the rhythm of dialogue and her ability to present period dialogue in a way, which feels completely contemporary, meant that I always had someone to refer to on set. Above all she is enormous fun to work with, and like me, she appreciates that making films doesn't have to be a seriously stressful process. What elements do you think are important to emphasise in making a family film? It's no different to making any film that you want to be entertaining, humorous and emotionally involving except that a family film has to appeal to a much wider audience, potentially ranging in age from 5 to 60 years. It is easy to overestimate the gulf between children's taste and that of their parents and grandparents in a modern world but in truth, we are all drawn to the experience of watching a great story unfold, no matter what our age. Was the experience of working on Nanny McPhee what you expected? It was what I hoped it would be. I knew I was working with sane, confident, talented people. I knew the script was in good shape and that we had assembled a great crew. I had faith in the children and in the adult cast. I had heard good things about Working Title and Universal. What could possibly have gone wrong!! |
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| Cast
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Nanny McPhee (2005)
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Film Editing by
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Production Design by
Art Direction by
Set Decoration by
Costume Design by
Makeup Department
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