Stephen David Daldry CBE (born 2 May 1960) is an English director and producer of film, theatre, and television. He has won three

Olivier Awards The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

for his work in the West End and three

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

s for his work on Broadway. He has received three Academy Awards nominations for Best Director, for films '' Billy Elliot'' (2000), '' The Hours'' (2002), and ''

The Reader ''The Reader'' (german: Der Vorleser) is a novel by German law professor and judge Bernhard Schlink, published in Germany in 1995 and in the United States in 1997. The story is a parable, dealing with the difficulties post-war German generations ...

'' (2008). From 2016 to 2020, he produced and directed the Netflix television series ''

The Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differ ...

'', for which he received one Producers Guild Award nomination, one Producers Guild Award win, two

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

nominations, and one Primetime Emmy Award win for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series and Outstanding Drama Series. Daldry joined an elite group of directors by receiving nominations for direction in theatre, television, and film.

Early years

Daldry was born in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

, the son of singer Cherry (née Thompson) and bank manager Patrick Daldry. The family moved to

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

, where his father died of cancer when Daldry was aged 14. Daldry joined a youth theatre group in Taunton, Somerset. and performed as Sandy Tyrell in ''

Hay Fever Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. Signs and symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, red, i ...

'' for the local amateur society, Taunton Thespians. At age 18, he won a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

scholarship to read English at the

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

, where he became chairman of the Sheffield University Theatre Group. After graduation, he spent a year travelling through

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, where he became a

clown A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms. History The most ancient clowns have been found in ...

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

. He then trained as an actor on the postgraduate course at

East 15 Acting School East 15 Acting School (East 15) is a British drama school in Loughton, Essex.Its degrees are awarded by the University of Essex, with which it merged on 1 September 2000. As of 2020, Essex University, where East 15 is located, has been ranked N ...

from 1982 to 1983, now part of the University of Essex.

Career

Daldry began his career as an apprentice at the Sheffield Crucible from 1985 to 1988, working under artistic director

Clare Venables Clare Rosamund Venables (17 March 1943 – 17 October 2003) was an English theatre director. She was artistic director of regional theatres in Lincoln, Stratford East (London), and Sheffield; she became Director of Education at the Royal Shakespea ...

. He also headed productions at the

Manchester Library Theatre Manchester Central Library is the headquarters of the city's library and information service in Manchester, England. Facing St Peter's Square, it was designed by E. Vincent Harris and constructed between 1930 and 1934. The form of the buildin ...

, Liverpool Playhouse, Stratford East, Oxford Stage, Brighton and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He was Artistic Director of the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

from 1992–98, where he headed the £26 million development scheme. He was also Artistic Director of London's Gate Theatre (1989–92) and the Metro Theatre Company (1984–86). He is currently on the Board of the Young and Old Vic Theatres and remains an Associate Director of the Royal Court Theatre. He was the Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre for 2002 at St Catherine's College, Oxford. Daldry made his feature film directorial debut with '' Billy Elliot'' (2000), which launched the film career of Jamie Bell. His next film was '' The Hours'', which earned Nicole Kidman her first Best Actress win at the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. He went on to direct a stage musical adaptation of ''Billy Elliot'', and in 2009 his work earned him a Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical. He has also made a film version of ''

'' (2008), based on the book of the same name and starring

Kate Winslet Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, inc ...

, David Kross and Ralph Fiennes. The film won Best Actress at the Academy Awards for Kate Winslet. Daldry's fourth film was '' Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close'', an adaptation of the book of the same name written by

Jonathan Safran Foer Jonathan Safran Foer (; born February 21, 1977) is an American novelist. He is known for his novels '' Everything Is Illuminated'' (2002), '' Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close'' (2005), '' Here I Am'' (2016), and for his non-fiction works ''Eati ...

, starring

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

Sandra Bullock Sandra Annette Bullock (; born July 26, 1964) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, Bullock was the world's highest-paid actress in 2010 and 2014. In 2010 ...

, and Max von Sydow. The screenplay was written by Eric Roth. The film received a nomination for Best Picture at the 84th Academy Awards and a nomination for von Sydow for Best Supporting Actor. Daldry was initially slated to direct a Star Wars spin off film about the iconic ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...

'' character Obi Wan Kenobi but the film was later scrapped due to the commercial failure of '' Solo: A Star Wars Story'' with Daldry saying the cancellation of the film crushed him and Hossein Amini . However, ideas from Daldry's originally planned film were repurposed for the ''Obi Wan Kenobi''

Disney + Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television ...

limited series directed by Deborah Chow and released in 2022 for which Daldry received credit as a consulting producer. In July 2022, it was revealed that Daldry would work with Sonia Friedman to develop a play based on the hit

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

television show ''

Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American science fiction horror drama television series created by the Duffer Brothers, who also serve as showrunners and are executive producers along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. Produced by Monkey Massacre Pr ...

''. No plot, story, or character details for the potential play have yet been disclosed

Personal life

Daldry was in a relationship with set designer Ian MacNeil for 13 years. They met at an outdoor production of ''Alice in Wonderland'' in Lancaster in 1988, and after settling in

Camberwell Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This ...

, began collaborating on theatrical productions. Greatly impacted by the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

in the United States, Daldry decided he wanted to start a family and married American performance artist and magazine editor Lucy Sexton, with whom he has a daughter. Despite this, he continues to refer to himself as gay because the public "don't like confusion."

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Broadway West End *'' The Audience'' with

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom ...

, Gielgud Theatre (2013) **'' The Audience'' with

Kristin Scott Thomas Dame Kristin Ann Scott Thomas (born 24 May 1960) is a British actress who also holds French citizenship. A five-time BAFTA Award and Olivier Award nominee, she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for '' Four Weddings ...

, Apollo Theatre (2015) * '' The Inheritance'', Noël Coward Theatre (2019) * ''

A Number ''A Number'' is a 2002 English play by Caryl Churchill. The story, set in the near future, is structured around the conflict between a father (Salter) and his sons (Bernard 1, Bernard 2, and Michael Black) – two of whom are clones of the first ...

'',

* '' Far Away'' (also Albery Theatre and

New York Theatre Workshop __NOTOC__ New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) is an Off-Broadway theatre noted for its productions of new works. Located at 79 East 4th Street between Second Avenue and Bowery in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, it hou ...

) * '' Via Dolorosa'' (also the Duchess Theatre) * ''

Rat in the Skull Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' (pack rats), ''Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...

'', RCT * ''Body Talk'', RCT * '' The Kitchen'', RCT * ''The Editing Process'', RCT * '' Search And Destroy'', RCT * '' An Inspector Calls'',

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

* '' Machinal'', Royal National Theatre * '' Billy Elliot: The Musical'', Victoria Palace Theatre * ''

Skylight A skylight (sometimes called a rooflight) is a light-permitting structure or window, usually made of transparent or translucent glass, that forms all or part of the roof space of a building for daylighting and ventilation purposes. History Open ...

'', Wyndham's Theatre Detailed theatreography * '' The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists'', Liverpool Playhouse, Liverpool, England, then Theatre Royale, Stratford, England, 1988 * '' An Inspector Calls'', York Theatre Royal, 1988 * ''Judgement Day'', Old Red Lion Theatre, London, 1989 * ''Figaro Gets Divorced'', Gate Theatre, London, 1990 * ''Cutting Room'', Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, London, 1990 * ''Our Man in Marzibah'' and ''Rousseau's Tale'' (double-bill), Gate Theatre, 1991 * ''Damned for Despair'', Gate Theatre, 1991 * ''

Jerker ''Jerker, or The Helping Hand: A Pornographic Elegy with Redeeming Social Value and a Hymn to the Queer Men of San Francisco in Twenty Telephone Calls, Many of Them Dirty'' (commonly known simply as ''Jerker'') is a 1986 one-act play by Robert Ch ...

'', Gate Theatre, 1991 * (With

Annie Castledine Ann "Annie" Castledine (26 February 1939 – 4 June 2016), was a British theatre director, teacher and dramaturg. Described in ''The Guardian'' as "one of the arts world's best-known secrets" who "shaped some of the most influential players in B ...

) ''

Pioneers in Ingolstadt ''Pioneers in Ingolstadt'' (german: Pioniere in Ingolstadt) is a play by German playwright Marieluise Fleißer, which premiered on 25 March 1928 in Dresden. The play is set in 1926 and is described as a comedy in 14 Scenes. Fleißer based the play ...

'', Gate Theatre, 1991 * (With

) ''Purgatory in Ingolstadt'', Gate Theatre, 1991 * '' Manon Lescaut'', Dublin Grand Opera, 1992 * '' An Inspector Calls'', National Theatre Company, Lyttelton Theatre, London, 1992, then Royale Theatre, New York City, 1994–1995, *later Garrick Theatre, London, 1995, finally Playhouse Theatre, London, 2016–17 * ''Search and Destroy'', Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, 1993 * '' Machinal'', National Theatre Company, Lyttelton Theatre, 1993 * ''The Europeans'', 1993 * ''The Kitchen'', Royal Court Theatre, 1994 * ''The Editing Process'', Royal Court Theatre, 1994 * ''Rat in the Skull'', Duke of York's Theatre, London, 1995 * ''The Libertine'', Royal Court Theatre, 1995 * ''

The Man of Mode ''The Man of Mode, or, Sir Fopling Flutter'' is a Restoration comedy by George Etherege, written in 1676. The play is set in Restoration London and follows the womanizer Dorimant as he tries to win over the young heiress Harriet and to disenga ...

'', Royal Court Theatre, 1995 * ''Body Talk'', Royal Court Theatre, 1996 * ''This Is a Chair'', in London International Festival of Theatre, London, 1997 * ''Via Dolorosa'' (solo show), Royal Court Theatre, 1998, then Booth Theatre, New York City, 1999 * ''Far Away'', Royal Court Theatre, 2000, then New York Theatre Workshop, New York City, 2002–2003 * ''

'', Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, Royal Court Theatre, 2002, then New York Theatre Workshop, 2002–2003 * ''

The Jungle ''The Jungle'' is a 1906 novel by the American journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair. Sinclair's primary purpose in describing the meat industry and its working conditions was to advance socialism in the United States. However, most readers we ...

'',

Young Vic The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Kwame Kwei-Armah has been Artistic Director since February 201 ...

, 2017–2018, then

St. Ann's Warehouse St. Ann's Warehouse is a performing arts institution in Brooklyn, New York City. Formerly the Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity on Montague Street, in 1980 the site was converted into a venue for classical music. Initially known as ''Arts a ...

, 2018

Awards and honours

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Daldry, Stephen 1960 births Living people Alumni of East 15 Acting School Alumni of the University of Sheffield BAFTA winners (people) Bisexual artists Bisexual men Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Drama Desk Award winners English film directors English film producers English theatre directors Fellows of St Catherine's College, Oxford Helpmann Award winners Laurence Olivier Award winners LGBT film directors LGBT television directors LGBT theatre directors LGBT people from England People from Dorset People from Taunton Tony Award winners English-language film directors Primetime Emmy Award winners