John Duigan (born 19 June 1949) is an Australian film director and screenwriter. He is mostly known for his two autobiographical films '' The Year My Voice Broke'' and '' Flirting'', and the 1994 film '' Sirens'', which stars Hugh Grant.

Biography

Duigan was born in Hartley Wintney,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

, England to an Australian father, and emigrated to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

in 1961. He is related to many Australian performers, being the brother of novelist Virginia Duigan (wife of director Bruce Beresford) and uncle of Trilby Beresford. Duigan studied at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb ...

, where he resided at Ormond College and graduated in 1973 with a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in Philosophy. While at university, he worked extensively as an actor and director in theatre, and acted in a number of films (including ''Brake Fluid'', '' Bonjour Balwyn'' and ''Dalmas''). He began directing films in 1974, with early successes including '' Mouth to Mouth'', winner of the Jury Prize at the Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards and ''

Winter of our Dreams ''Winter of Our Dreams'' is a 1981 Australian drama film directed by John Duigan. Judy Davis won the Best Actress in a Lead Role in the AACTA Awards, AFI Awards for her performance in the film. The film was nominated in 6 other categories also. It ...

'', for which he won an Australian Writers' Guild award for Best Screenplay. His 1981 film ''

Winter of Our Dreams ''Winter of Our Dreams'' is a 1981 Australian drama film directed by John Duigan. Judy Davis won the Best Actress in a Lead Role in the AACTA Awards, AFI Awards for her performance in the film. The film was nominated in 6 other categories also. It ...

'' was entered into the

13th Moscow International Film Festival The 13th Moscow International Film Festival The Moscow International Film Festival (russian: Моско́вский междунаро́дный кинофестива́ль, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; ab ...

. The multi-award-winning mini-series ''

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

'' followed in 1987; it was one of Nicole Kidman's first major roles. Subsequently, Duigan worked in the United States and Europe, returning to Australia to make '' Sirens'', winner of Best Film at the St. Petersburg Film Festival. In the United States, he directed '' Romero'', starring Raul Julia, which won the Humanitas Award, and ''

Lawn Dogs A lawn is an area of soil-covered land planted with grasses and other durable plants such as clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawnmower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic and recreational purposes. L ...

'', winner of numerous prizes in European festivals. In England he directed ''

The Leading Man ''The Leading Man'' is a 1996 British romantic drama film directed by John Duigan. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 1996 but was not released in the United States until March 1998. The film is set in London in the win ...

'', from a screenplay by his sister Virginia, '' The Parole Officer'' with

Steve Coogan Stephen John Coogan (; born 14 October 1965) is an English actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. He is most known for creating original characters such as Alan Partridge, a socially inept and politically incorrect media personality, whi ...

, and in Canada/France/UK '' Head in the Clouds'' with

Charlize Theron Charlize Theron ( ; ; born 7 August 1975) is a South African and American actress and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actresses, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 20 ...

and Penélope Cruz, winner in Canada of four Genie Awards and Best Film at the Milan Film Festival. Between 2005 and 2010, he took time off from the film industry to work on a book on secular ethics, returning to Australia to direct ''

Careless Love "Careless Love" is a traditional song, with several popular blues versions. It has been called a "nineteenth-century ballad and Dixieland standard". The death referenced in an old version was the son of a Kentucky governor. Although published acc ...

'' in 2011/12.

Filmography

Director

* '' The Firm Man'' (1975) * ''

The Trespassers ''The Trespassers'' is a 1976 film directed by John Duigan and starring Judy Morris and Briony Behets. Premise In 1970, political journalist Richard lives with Penny but is having an affair with actress Dee. The two women meet and become friend ...

'' (1976) * '' Mouth to Mouth'' (1978) * '' Dimboola'' (1979) * ''

'' (1981) * ''

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The t ...

'' (1982) * ''

One Night Stand A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...

'' (1984) * '' Winners'' (1985 TV series) - episode "Room to Move" * '' Room to Move'' (1987 TV movie) * '' The Year My Voice Broke'' (1987) * '' Vietnam (miniseries)'' (1987) * '' Fragments of War: The Story of Damien Parer'' (1988, TV) * '' Romero'' (1989) * '' Flirting'' (1991) * '' Wide Sargasso Sea'' (1993) * '' Sirens'' (1994) * '' The Journey of August King'' (1995) * ''

'' (1996) * ''

'' (1997) * '' Molly'' (1999) * '' Paranoid'' (2000) * '' The Parole Officer'' (2001) * '' Head in the Clouds'' (2004) * ''

'' (2012)

Actor

* '' Bonjour Balwyn'' (1971)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Duigan, John 1949 births Living people Australian film directors People from Hart District