Dirty Pretty Things

Born 1941, Leicester, UK. Frears studied law at Cambridge University before turning to the arts. He became involved with London’s Royal Court Theatre, where he served as an assistant to director Lindsay Anderson and to actor Albert Finney. He started his career in the film industry as an assistant director to Karel Reisz, with whom he worked from 1966 until 1972. In 1971, Frears made his directorial debut with Gumshoe. Frears helmed a few made-for-television films and, in 1985, he had his breakthrough directing My Beautiful Laundrette, - written for the screen by Hanif Kureshi. Frears and Kureshi again collaborated on Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987), a film about the faltering relationship between a London couple. Frears’ next three films proved to be some of the most successful in his career. The first, Prick up Your Ears (1987), was a biographical drama about the celebrated and controversial English playwright Joe Orton. A year later, a Best Director BAFTA nomination and a number of international honors greeted Frears for Dangerous Liaisons his adaptation of Choderlos de Laclo, with John Malkovich and Glenn Close. Frears gained more international acclaim and a Best Director Oscar nomination in 1990 for The Grifters. In 2002, Frears made one of his very best films, Dirty Pretty Things, a biting yet hopeful drama-thriller about illegal aliens working, living, and surviving in London. The film Queen in 2006 to 2007 presented in dozens of film festivals. Helen Mirren, portraying Elizabeth II, won over 30 major awards for best actress. In 2009, Frears started filming Chéri drama (based on the novel Cheri by French author Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette). The following year his another film (Tamara Drewe) was released, premiered at the 2010 Cannes IFF.A new drama by him, Philomena, is expected in 2014.