John Irvin

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John Irvin (born 7 May 1940) is an English film director. Born in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

, he began his career by directing a number of documentaries and television works, including the

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adaptation of

John le Carré David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 193112 December 2020), better known by his pen name John le Carré ( ), was a British and Irish author, best known for his espionage novels, many of which were successfully adapted for film or television. ...

's ''

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' is a 1974 spy novel by British author John le Carré. It follows the endeavours of taciturn, aging spymaster George Smiley to uncover a Soviet mole in the British Secret Intelligence Service. The novel has receive ...

''. He made several Hollywood films in the 1980s, including '' The Dogs of War'' (1980), '' Ghost Story'' (1981) and ''

Hamburger Hill ''Hamburger Hill'' is a 1987 American war film set during the Battle of Hamburger Hill, a May 1969 assault during the Vietnam War by the U.S. Army's 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) "Screaming Eagles" on a rid ...

'' (1987). Irvin is a graduate of London Film School.

Career

Irvin directed his first films in the 1960s, such as the short subjects ''Gala Day'' (1963), ''Carousella'' (1965), the made-for-TV film ''East of Howard'' (1966), ''Bedtime'' (1967) and ''Mafia No!'' (1967). In the 1970s, Irvin directed exclusively for television, including drama episodes and made-for-TV films. In the mid-1970s, he made ''Possessions'' (1974) and ''Haunted: The Ferryman'' (1974) and the pilot for '' The Nearly Man'' (1974) and seven episodes in 1975. In 1977, he directed an episode for ''

ITV Playhouse ''Playhouse'' is a British television anthology series that ran from 1967 to 1983, which featured contributions from playwrights such as Dennis Potter, Rhys Adrian and Alan Sharp. The series began in black and white, but was later shot in colour ...

'' and did the adaptation of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

's '' Hard Times'' series. In the 1980s, Irvin made '' The Dogs of War'' (1980), starring Christopher Walken, which depicted a mercenary team attacking an

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

n country. After that, Irvin made the horror film '' Ghost Story'' (1981), an adaptation of

Peter Straub Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

's novel. Irvin's other films from that period include ''

Champions A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

'' (1984), starring

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in t ...

and '' Turtle Diary'' (1985), a romantic-comedy film based on the novel of the same name that starred

Glenda Jackson Glenda May Jackson (born 9 May 1936) is an English actress and former Member of Parliament (MP). She has won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice: for her role as Gudrun Brangwen in the romantic drama ''Women in Love'' (1970); and again for ...

and

Ben Kingsley Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning five decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, and tw ...

. The story tells of a lonely man and woman from London who help a couple of turtles escape from a zoo. Soon afterwards, Irvin made '' Raw Deal'' (1986), an

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

film, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger about an FBI agent who extracts a bloody revenge against a

Mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...

organisation. After that, Irvin's next film was the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

story ''

'' (1987), about a violent

close-quarters battle Close combat means a violent physical confrontation between two or more opponents at short range.''MCRP 3-02B: Close Combat'', Washington, D.C.: Department Of The Navy, Headquarters United States Marine Corps, 12 February 1999Matthews, Phil, CQB ...

in which US soldiers attacked a well-fortified

North Vietnamese Army The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; vi, Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam, QĐNDVN), also recognized as the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) or the Vietnamese Army (), is the military force of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the armed win ...

position. Irvin then directed '' Next of Kin'' (1989), an action film starring

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...

about a police officer who starts a clan feud against a Mafia family to exact revenge for his brother's death. In the 1990s, Irvin directed ''

Eminent Domain Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...

'' (1990), starring

Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (born 17 July 1935) is a Canadian actor whose film career spans over six decades. He has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films '' Citizen X'' (1995) a ...

and Anne Archer. After that, he made ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

'' (1991), which starred

Patrick Bergin Patrick Connolly Bergin (born 4 February 1951) is an Irish actor and singer perhaps best known for his leading role opposite Julia Roberts in '' Sleeping with the Enemy'' (1991), the title character in Robin Hood (1991 film), terrorist Kevin ...

and

Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress and former model. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 an ...

. Irvin's other films from the 1990s include ''

Freefall In Newtonian physics, free fall is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it. In the context of general relativity, where gravitation is reduced to a space-time curvature, a body in free fall has no force acting on i ...

'' (1994), ''

Widows' Peak ''Widows' Peak'' is a 1994 British-Irish mystery film directed by John Irvin and starring Mia Farrow, Joan Plowright, Natasha Richardson, Adrian Dunbar and Jim Broadbent. The film is based on an original screenplay by Hugh Leonard and Tim Hayes ...

'' (1994), ''

A Month by the Lake ''A Month by the Lake'' is a 1995 romantic comedy film starring Vanessa Redgrave, Edward Fox (actor), Edward Fox and Uma Thurman. The picture is directed by John Irvin and is based on the story by H.E. Bates. The supporting cast features Alida Val ...

'' (1995), '' Crazy Horse'' (1996), the acclaimed '' City of Industry'' (1997), starring Harvey Keitel and Timothy Hutton, '' When Trumpets Fade'' (1998) and ''

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'' (1999). In the 2000s, Irvin directed '' Shiner'' (2000), which starred

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

. The story tells about a boxing promoter searching for his son's killer. Irvin then directed '' The Fourth Angel'' (2001), an action film starring

Jeremy Irons Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor and activist. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969 and has appeared in many West End theatre ...

and

Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. After making his f ...

. Irvin's other films from the 2000s include '' The Boys from County Clare'' (2003), ''Dot.Kill'' (2004), '' The Fine Art of Love: Mine Ha-Ha'' (2005) and '' The Moon and the Stars'' (2007). Irvin released ''

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'' (2008), starring

Mena Suvari Mena Alexandra Suvari (; born February 13, 1979) is an American actress, producer, fashion designer and model. After beginning her career as a model and guest-starring on several television shows, she made her film debut in the 1997 drama '' Now ...

and Jack Huston. Irvin appears as himself in the documentary feature '' The Writer with No Hands'' (2014), talking about the screenwriter

Gary DeVore Gary Martin DeVore (September 17, 1941 – June 28, 1997) was a Hollywood screenwriter, best known for witty action films and for his own bizarre death in 1997. Early career DeVore began his writing career in the late 1960s on shows like Chuck B ...

with whom he worked on '' The Dogs of War'' and '' Raw Deal''. Irvin's next film was the biopic '' Mandela's Gun'' (2016), relating Nelson Mandela's times as a guerrilla fighter. Irvin is currently in talks to direct a Falklands War film about the true story of the

Battle of Goose Green The Battle of Goose Green was fought in May 28–29, 1982, by British and Argentine forces during the Falklands War. Located on East Falkland's central isthmus, the settlement of Goose Green was the site of an airfield. Argentine forces ...

Filmography

Honours

* Nominated - ''Mafia No!'' - BAFTA Best Short Film (1967) * Nominated - '' Hard Times'' (TV) - BAFTA Best Drama Series (1977) * Nominated - '' Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'' (TV) - BAFTA Best Drama Series (1979) * Nominated - ''

'' -

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...

Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The win ...

Award (1984) * Nominated - ''

'' - Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Crystal Globe Award (1994) * Winner - ''

'' - Austin Film Festival Best Film (1995) * Nominated - '' City of Industry'' - MystFest Best Film (1997) * Winner - '' When Trumpets Fade'' - Biarritz International Festival Silver FIPA Award (1999) * Winner - '' Mandela's Gun'' - Harlem International Film Festival Best Director (2018)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Irvin, John 1940 births English film directors English television directors English-language film directors Living people People from Newcastle upon Tyne Alumni of the London Film School