Bruce Robinson (born 2 May 1946) is an English actor, director, screenwriter and novelist. He wrote and directed the cult classic ''
Withnail and I
''Withnail and I'' is a 1987 British black comedy film written and directed by Bruce Robinson. Loosely based on Robinson's life in London in the late 1960s, the plot follows two unemployed actors, Withnail and "I" (portrayed by Richard E. Gran ...
'' (1987), a film with comic and tragic elements set in London in the late 1960s, which drew on his experiences as a struggling actor, living in poverty in
Camden Town.
As an actor, he has worked with
Franco Zeffirelli
Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post-World War II era, ...
,
Ken Russell and
François Truffaut.
Early life
Bruce Robinson was born in London. He grew up in
Broadstairs, Kent, where he attended the
Charles Dickens Secondary Modern School. His parents were Mabel Robinson and American lawyer Carl Casriel, who had a short-term relationship during World War II. His father was a Lithuanian Jew.
As a child, Robinson was constantly brutally abused by his stepfather Rob (an ex RAF navigator and a wholesale newsagent), who knew the boy was not his son.
He had an elder sister Elly, whom he asked to teach him some French.
Film career
In his youth, Robinson aspired to be an actor and was admitted to the
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students. It became a ...
in London. His first film role was as Benvolio in
Franco Zeffirelli
Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post-World War II era, ...
's film adaptation of ''
Romeo and Juliet'' (1968). He then appeared in
Ken Russell's ''
The Music Lovers
''The Music Lovers'' is a 1971 British drama film directed by Ken Russell and starring Richard Chamberlain and Glenda Jackson. The screenplay by Melvyn Bragg, based on ''Beloved Friend'', a collection of personal correspondence edited by Cath ...
'' (1970),
Barney Platts-Mills
Barney Platts-Mills (15 October 1944 – 5 October 2021) was a British film director, best known for his award-winning films, ''Bronco Bullfrog'' and ''Private Road''.
Biography
Platts-Mills was born in 1944 in Colchester, England, a son of b ...
's ''
Private Road
A private road is a road owned or controlled by a private person, persons or corporation rather than a road open to the public and owned by a government. Private roads can be on private land or can be constructed on government land for use by go ...
'' (1971) and
François Truffaut's ''
The Story of Adèle H.'' (1975). After spending several years out of work and living on social security payments, he became disenchanted and began writing screenplays. He was soon commissioned by
David Puttnam
David Terence Puttnam, Baron Puttnam, CBE, HonFRSA, HonFRPS, MRIA (born 25 February 1941) is a British film producer, educator, environmentalist and former member of the House of Lords. His productions include ''Chariots of Fire'', which wo ...
to write the screenplay for
Roland Joffé
Roland Joffé (born 17 November 1945) is a British director and producer of film and television, known for the Academy Award-winning films ''The Killing Fields'' and '' The Mission''. He began his career in television, his early credits inclu ...
's ''
The Killing Fields'' (1984). Robinson was nominated for an
Academy Award
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 ...
and won a
BAFTA for his work. In 1989, Robinson wrote again for Joffé on ''
Fat Man and Little Boy
''Fat Man and Little Boy'' (released in the United Kingdom as ''Shadow Makers'') is a 1989 epic historical
war film directed by Roland Joffé who co-wrote the script with Bruce Robinson. The story follows the Manhattan Project, the secret All ...
''. He returned to acting briefly in 1998, taking a role in the film ''
Still Crazy
''Still Crazy'' is a 1998 British comedy film directed by Brian Gibson (his final film before his death in 2004). The plot concerns a fictional 1970s rock band named Strange Fruit, who, after being split up for two decades, are persuaded to get ...
''.
He is perhaps best known as the creative force behind the loosely autobiographical film ''
Withnail and I
''Withnail and I'' is a 1987 British black comedy film written and directed by Bruce Robinson. Loosely based on Robinson's life in London in the late 1960s, the plot follows two unemployed actors, Withnail and "I" (portrayed by Richard E. Gran ...
'' (1987) which he based on his time as a struggling out-of-work actor. The character 'Withnail' is reportedly based on his friend,
Vivian MacKerrell
Vivian Alan James MacKerrell (23 May 1944 – 2 March 1995) was a British actor of the 1960s and 1970s. He was the basis for the character of Withnail in the film ''Withnail and I''.
Early life
Vivian MacKerrell was the son of Janetta Mary Boyn ...
, the character 'I' (Marwood), on himself. Though unsuccessful at the box office, because of its success on video it has since been described as "one of Britain's biggest cult films". The film also launched the acting career of
Richard E. Grant.
Robinson's next two outings as a director (''
How to Get Ahead in Advertising
''How to Get Ahead in Advertising'' is a 1989 British black comedy fantasy film written and directed by Bruce Robinson and starring Richard E. Grant and Rachel Ward. The title is a pun and can be literally taken as "How to Get a ''Head'' in Adv ...
'', teaming him again with Richard E. Grant and ''
Jennifer 8
''Jennifer 8'' is a 1992 American thriller film written and directed by Bruce Robinson and starring Andy García, Uma Thurman, and John Malkovich.
Plot
Former Los Angeles policeman John Berlin is teetering toward burnout after the collapse of hi ...
'', a Hollywood thriller) were not as well received. Robinson became disillusioned with the restrictive film-making practices of Hollywood and stopped directing to concentrate solely on writing. He wrote the screenplays for the films ''
Return to Paradise'' (1998) and ''
In Dreams'' (1999), but both were altered drastically by their producers, leaving Robinson once again disappointed.
Robinson eventually returned to directing with an adaptation of
Hunter S. Thompson's novel ''
The Rum Diary'', with the main role performed by
Johnny Depp. With
Aaron Eckhart
Aaron Edward Eckhart (born March 12, 1968) is an American actor. Born in Cupertino, California, Eckhart moved to the United Kingdom at an early age. He began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Australia for his h ...
and
Richard Jenkins
Richard Dale Jenkins (born May 4, 1947) is an American actor who is well known for his portrayal of deceased patriarch Nathaniel Fisher on the HBO funeral drama series '' Six Feet Under'' (2001–2005). He began his career in theater at the Tr ...
also on board, filming started on 25 March 2009 in
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
. It was released in 2011. In 2012, Robinson's comic novella ''Paranoia in the Launderette'' was substantially filled out and adapted for the screen as ''
A Fantastic Fear of Everything'' starring
Simon Pegg
Simon John Pegg (né Beckingham; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. H ...
. Robinson has completed a screenplay for his novel ''The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman'' and a book on
Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in the autumn of 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer w ...
, titled ''They All Love Jack'', in which he names the real culprit as
Michael Maybrick
Michael Maybrick (31 January 1841 – 26 August 1913) was an English composer and singer, best known under his pseudonym Stephen Adams as the composer of " The Holy City", one of the most popular religious songs in English.
Early life
Maybri ...
, otherwise best known as a composer of songs such as "
The Holy City" and brother of another Ripper suspect,
James Maybrick
James Maybrick (25 October 1838 – 11 May 1889) was a Liverpool cotton merchant. After his death, his wife, Florence Maybrick, was convicted of murdering him by poisoning in a sensational trial. The "Aigburth Poisoning" case was widely report ...
.
Author
Robinson is also a successful author. His first published work was the semi-autobiographical novel ''The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman'' in 1998, based on his own childhood growing up in
Broadstairs,
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
. In 2000, ''Smoking in Bed: Conversations with Bruce Robinson'', edited by Alistair Owen, was published, made up of a selection of interviews given by Robinson. Meanwhile, since becoming a father, Robinson has also written two children's books, ''The Obvious Elephant'' (2000) and ''Harold and the Duck'' (2005), both illustrated by his wife. The former is also available as an audiobook edition (2003), read by
Lorelei King
Lorelei King is an American actress, screenwriter and development executive who has been based in the United Kingdom since 1981. She has narrated audiobooks, acted in radio plays for BBC Radio 4 and appeared on television.
Early life
King spe ...
and
Michael Maloney.
He spent about 15 years collecting and researching the materials on the mystery of
Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in the autumn of 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer w ...
, which later became his book ''They All Love Jack: Busting the Ripper'' (2015).
Personal life
Robinson married the artist Sophie Windham in 1984, and they reside in England. They have a daughter Lily and a son Willoughby.
Robinson claimed to have been the target of
unwanted sexual advances by
Franco Zeffirelli
Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post-World War II era, ...
during the filming of ''
Romeo and Juliet'', in which Robinson played
Benvolio
Benvolio is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. He is Lord Montague's nephew and Romeo's cousin. Benvolio serves as an unsuccessful peacemaker in the play, attempting to prevent violence between the Capule ...
. Robinson says that he later based the lecherous character of Uncle Monty in the film ''
Withnail and I
''Withnail and I'' is a 1987 British black comedy film written and directed by Bruce Robinson. Loosely based on Robinson's life in London in the late 1960s, the plot follows two unemployed actors, Withnail and "I" (portrayed by Richard E. Gran ...
'' on Zeffirelli.
Filmography
Director/Writer
Actor
* ''
Romeo and Juliet'' (1968) as Benvolio
* ''
The Other People'' (1968) as Colin
* ''
Baby Love
"Baby Love" is a song by American music group the Supremes from their second studio album, '' Where Did Our Love Go''. It was written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland and was released on September 17, 1964 ...
'' (1969) as Man in Nightclub (uncredited)
* ''
Tam-Lin'' (1970) as Alan
* ''
The Music Lovers
''The Music Lovers'' is a 1971 British drama film directed by Ken Russell and starring Richard Chamberlain and Glenda Jackson. The screenplay by Melvyn Bragg, based on ''Beloved Friend'', a collection of personal correspondence edited by Cath ...
'' (1971) as Alexei Sofronov
* ''
Private Road
A private road is a road owned or controlled by a private person, persons or corporation rather than a road open to the public and owned by a government. Private roads can be on private land or can be constructed on government land for use by go ...
'' (1971) as Peter Morrissey
* ''
The Story of Adèle H.'' (1975) as Lt Albert Pinson
* ''Los viajes escolares'' (1976) as Óscar
* ''The Brute'' (1977) as Mark
* ''
Kleinhoff Hotel'' (1977) as Karl Axel
* ''
Harry's War'' (1981) as IRS Agent #2
* ''
How to Get Ahead in Advertising
''How to Get Ahead in Advertising'' is a 1989 British black comedy fantasy film written and directed by Bruce Robinson and starring Richard E. Grant and Rachel Ward. The title is a pun and can be literally taken as "How to Get a ''Head'' in Adv ...
'' (1989) as The Boil (voice, uncredited)
* ''
Still Crazy
''Still Crazy'' is a 1998 British comedy film directed by Brian Gibson (his final film before his death in 2004). The plot concerns a fictional 1970s rock band named Strange Fruit, who, after being split up for two decades, are persuaded to get ...
'' (1998) as Brian Lovell
Bibliography
* ''Paranoia in the Launderette'' (1998)
* ''The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman'' (1998)
* ''The Obvious Elephant'' (2000)
* ''Harold and the Duck'' (2005)
* ''They All Love Jack: Busting the Ripper'' (2015)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Bruce
1946 births
Living people
Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Best Adapted Screenplay BAFTA Award winners
English film directors
English male screenwriters
English people of American-Jewish descent
English people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent
English screenwriters
People from Broadstairs
Writers Guild of America Award winners