Richard Starzak, previously known as Richard "Golly" Goleszowski, is an English animator, screenwriter, and film director.

Life and career

Starzak was born in Suffolk in 1959 and grew up in Ipswich, attending Northgate Grammar School. After completing a degree in Fine Art at

Exeter College of Art and Design Exeter College of Art and Design was an art college based in Exeter, Devon. Founded in 1854, it amalgamated with what would become Plymouth University in 1989. The main building was located at Earl Richards Road North Exeter from the 1970s w ...

specialising in animation, he experimented further with animation and DJing before joining

Aardman Animations Aardman Animations Limited, known simply as Aardman, is a British animation studio based in Bristol, England, United Kingdom. It is known for films and television series made using stop motion and clay animation techniques, particularly those fe ...

in 1983 as its first employee. During his first nine-year stretch at Aardman he worked on several short films and promos including " Morph", "

Sledgehammer A sledgehammer is a tool with a large, flat, massive, often metal head, attached to a long wooden or solid handle. The long handle is combined with a heavy head which allows the sledgehammer to pick up momentum during a swing and applying a large ...

" for

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...

, ''

Pee-wee's Playhouse ''Pee-wee's Playhouse'' is an American comedy children's television series starring Paul Reubens as the childlike Pee-wee Herman that ran from 1986 to 1990 on Saturday mornings on CBS, and airing in reruns until July 1991. The show was develop ...

'' in New York, his own film ''Ident'' (1989), which introduced the character Rex, and two ''

Rex the Runt ''Rex the Runt'' is a Stop motion claymation pixilation comedy series, primarily consisting of a television show and two short films produced by Aardman Animations and Egmont Imagination for BBC Bristol, with EVA Entertainment co-producing the ...

'' pilot films. His commercial work includes Domestos Big Dom, Grolsch, Cadbury's Creme Eggs, Weetos and Maltesers and several European commercials. In 1992, Starzak left Aardman to pursue a freelance career during which time he worked in New Zealand as Production Adviser for ''

Oscar and Friends ''Oscar and Friends'' is a New Zealand children's stop motion animated television series that aired from 1995 to 1996. The series was produced in Wellington, and was aimed at children who are 3 to 7 years of age. The series was produced by Gnome ...

'', and wrote and directed 13 episodes of ''Rex the Runt'' for

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 ...

, winning the Carlton Award for International Animation at The Indies in 2000. He then directed '' Robbie the Reindeer'' in 1999 for BBC Animation Unit. ''Robbie'' went on to win 19 international awards including a British Academy of Film and Television Arts award (BAFTA). Following the success of ''Robbie'', Starzak worked for two years on a project for Aardman's feature film department as well as directing and writing the second series of ''Rex the Runt''. In 2002, Starzak was honoured with the Award for Best TV Special for '' Robbie the Reindeer: Hooves of Fire'' at the 3rd International Festival of Animated Feature Films and TV Specials. From 2003, he directed two series of ''

Creature Comforts ''Creature Comforts'' is a British stop-motion comedy franchise originating in a 1989 animated short film of the same name. The film matched animated zoo animals with a soundtrack of people talking about their homes, making it appear as if the ...

'' – 2x13 episodes for ITV based on the Academy Award-winning

Nick Park Nicholas Wulstan Park (born 6 December 1958) is an English filmmaker and animator who created '' Wallace & Gromit'', '' Creature Comforts'', '' Chicken Run'', '' Shaun the Sheep'', and '' Early Man''. Park has been nominated for an Academy ...

short film. The first series went on to win 17 awards, and both series were nominated for a BAFTA. The second series includes a half-hour Christmas special. In between these two series, he devised ''

Shaun the Sheep ''Shaun the Sheep'' is a British stop-motion animated silent children's television series which is produced by Aardman Animations. A spin-off in the '' Wallace & Gromit'' franchise, the series focuses on the adventures of Shaun, the eponymou ...

'', writing and directing the pilot. In July 2005, Starzak rejoined Aardman as creative director of the Broadcast and Development department, writing scripts, and overseeing new projects in development. Aardman's children's TV series, ''Shaun the Sheep'', was directed by Goleszowski who also wrote several episodes. ''Shaun'' has sold to over 150 territories. In 2015, he co-wrote and co-directed ''

Shaun the Sheep Movie ''Shaun the Sheep Movie'' (marketed as ''Shaun the Sheep: The Movie'') is a 2015 animated adventure comedy film produced by Aardman Animations. Written and directed by Richard Starzak and Mark Burton, it is based on the British television seri ...

'' with

Mark Burton Mark Burton may refer to: * Mark Burton (politician) (born 1956), New Zealand politician * Mark Burton (footballer) (born 1974), New Zealand football (soccer) player * Mark Burton (filmmaker) (born 1960), British film and television screenwriter, ...

, for which they both received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Starzak, Richard Aardman Animations people English animators British animated film directors Stop motion animators Living people Mass media people from Ipswich 1959 births English people of Polish descent