Jon Amiel (born 20 May 1948) is an English director who has worked in film and television in both the UK and the US. After receiving a

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...

nomination for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

series ''

The Singing Detective ''The Singing Detective'' is a six-part BBC television serial drama, written by Dennis Potter, starring Michael Gambon and directed by Jon Amiel. Its six episodes are "Skin", "Heat", "Lovely Days", "Clues", "Pitter Patter" and "Who Done It". ...

'' (1986), he went on to direct films, including '' Sommersby'' (1993), ''Copycat'' (1995), ''Entrapment'' (1999), ''

The Core ''The Core'' is a 2003 American science fiction disaster film directed by Jon Amiel and starring Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Delroy Lindo, Stanley Tucci, D. J. Qualls, Richard Jenkins, Tcheky Karyo, Bruce Greenwood, and Alfre Woodard. ...

'' (2003) and '' Creation'' (2009).

Biography

Amiel was born in London, to parents who grew up in the East End of London. Amiel's grandparents were immigrants Isaac and Mary Amiel – Polish and

Russian Jews The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest po ...

. He attended

William Ellis School William Ellis School is a voluntary aided secondary school and sixth form for boys located in Gospel Oak, London, England. Admissions The School is located near Hampstead Heath in north London. It is situated just east of Parliament Hill an ...

Highgate Highgate is a suburban area of N postcode area, north London in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden, London Borough of Islington, Islington and London Borough of Haringey, Haringey. The area is at the north-eastern corner ...

, before studying English literature at

Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Sidney Sussex College (historically known as "Sussex College" and today referred to informally as "Sidney") is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. The College was founded in 1 ...

, graduating in 1969. It was while at Cambridge that he became involved with local theatre, and after college he went on to direct for the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

. After having worked as a story editor for the BBC, he directed the documentary '' The Silent Twins'', and was chosen to direct the Dennis Potter serial ''

'', for which he was

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

nominated. He made his feature film debut in 1989 with ''Queen of Hearts''. One of his most notable films is 1993's

romantic drama Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...

'' Sommersby'', starring

Jodie Foster Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. Foster started her career as a child actor before establishing herself as leading actress in film. She has received List of awards and nominations re ...

and

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began appearing in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in ''Looking for Mr. Goodbar (film), Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Hea ...

. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $140 million worldwide.

Filmography

Film

Director * '' Queen of Hearts'' (1989) * '' Tune in Tomorrow'' (1990) * '' Sommersby'' (1993) * '' Copycat'' (1995) * '' The Man Who Knew Too Little'' (1997) * ''

Entrapment Entrapment is a practice in which a law enforcement agent or an agent of the state induces a person to commit a crime that the person would have otherwise been unlikely or unwilling to commit.''Sloane'' (1990) 49 A Crim R 270. See also agent prov ...

'' (1999) * ''

'' (2003) * '' Creation'' (2009) Producer * '' Simply Irresistible'' (1999)

Television

TV movies * ''Dear Janet Rosenberg, Dear Mister Kooning'' (1977) * ''Busted'' (1983) * '' Romance/Romance'' (1983) * ''The Last Evensong'' (1985) * '' Deliverance Creek'' (2014) (Also executive producer) TV series

Awards

*1987 BAFTA (British Academy Television Award) Nominee for Best Drama Series: ''The Singing Detective'' (1986) *1989 Montréal World Film Festival *Winner* of Montréal First Film Prize: '' Queen of Hearts'' *1990 Paris Film Festival *Winner* of Grand Prix: ''Queen of Hearts'' *1990 Deauville Film Festival *Winner* of Critics Award and Audience Award: '' Tune in Tomorrow'' *1996 Audience Award *Winner* at the Cognac Festival du Film Policier: '' Copycat''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Amiel, Jon 1948 births Film producers from London English television directors Living people Film directors from London English film producers Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge