Leslie "Les" Blair (born 23 October 1941,

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

) is a

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 ...

winning

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

and

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

. He was educated at Salford Grammar School, where he was a friend of

Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English screenwriter, producer, director and former actor with a film, theatre, and television career spanning more than 60 years. His accolades include prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlin In ...

, later producing Leigh's first feature film, '' Bleak Moments'' (1971). Michael Coveney, ''The World According to Mike Leigh'' (London: HarperCollins Publishers, 1996), pp. 7, 45 Gaining notoriety for his controversial

mini-series In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

'' Law And Order'' (shown in 1978 on

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...

), Blair has gone on to direct films characterised by their political and social awareness. Blair graduated from and currently teaches at

London Film School London Film School (LFS) is a film school in London, United Kingdom, and is situated in Covent Garden, London, neighbouring Soho, a hub of the UK film industry. It is the oldest film school in the UK.

. In 2019, he was made Honorary Associate of

Filmography

*''Blooming Youth'' (BBC ''

Play for Today ''Play for Today'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage ...

'', 1973) (TV) *''Bet Your Life'' (BBC ''

'', 1976) (TV) *'' Law And Order'' (1978) (TV) *''Only A Game'' (1981) (TV) *''Four in a Million'' (1982) (TV) *''The Nation's Health'' (1983) (TV) *''Number One'' (1985) *''Honest Decent And True'' (1986) (TV) *'' London's Burning: The Movie'' (1986) (TV) *''Leave To Remain'' (1988) (TV) *''The Accountant'' (1989) *''News Hounds'' (1990) (TV) *''Filipina Dreamgirls'' (1991) *'' Tracey Ullman: A Class Act'' (1992) (TV) *'' Bad Behaviour'' (1993) *''Merrihill Millionaires'' (1993) (TV) *''Bliss'' (1995) (TV) *'' Jump the Gun'' (1997) *''Stand And Deliver'' (1998) (TV) *'' H3'' (2001)

References

External links

* 1941 births Living people English television directors Film directors from London Mass media people from Manchester Alumni of the London Film School {{UK-film-director-stub