David Aukin (born 12 February 1942) is a theatrical and executive producer as well as a qualified solicitor. He has been nominated many times for
British Academy Television Awards
The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the BAFTA. They have been awarded annually since 1955.
Background
The first-ever Awards, given in 1955, consisted of six categories. Until ...
and has won twice for producing films about
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
: ''
The Government Inspector
''The Government Inspector'', also known as ''The Inspector General'' ( rus, links=no, Ревизор, Revizor, literally: "Inspector"), is a satirical play by Russian dramatist and novelist, Nikolai Gogol. Originally published in 1836, the pla ...
'' in 2005 and ''Britz'' in 2009.
While Head of Film at
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
he received the Michael Balcon Award from
BAFTA for the quality of its output. The films he commissioned at Channel 4 gathered numerous
Oscar nominations
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 they won for the ''
Madness of King George'', ''
Secrets & Lies'' and ''
Trainspotting''. ''Secrets & Lies'' also won the
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...
at
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
.
Personal life
David Aukin was born in
Harrow, London, on 12 February 1942, to parents Charles and Regina Aukin. He attended
St Paul's School and
St Edmund Hall, Oxford
St Edmund Hall (sometimes known as The Hall or informally as Teddy Hall) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. The college claims to be "the oldest surviving academic society to house and educate undergraduates in any universit ...
. He is married to
Nancy Meckler
Nancy Meckler is an American theatre and film director, known for her work in the United Kingdom with Shared Experience, where she was a joint artistic director alongside Polly Teale.
Life and career
Nancy Meckler was born and educated in the ...
.
They have two children, Daniel Aukin and Jethro Aukin.
Theatrical career
David Aukin served as the literary adviser at the
Traverse Theatre
The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1963 by John Calder, John Malcolm, Jim Haynes and Richard Demarco.
The Traverse Theatre company commissions and develops new plays or adaptations from contemporary pla ...
(1970–73). From 1970 to 1974, he served as Chairman of the
Oval House Arts Centre. Along with
David Hare and
Max Stafford-Clark
Maxwell Robert Guthrie Stewart "Max" Stafford-Clark (born 17 March 1941) is a British theatre director.
Life and career
Stafford-Clark was born in Cambridge, England. the son of David Stafford-Clark, a physician, and Dorothy Crossley (née Old ...
, Aukin co-founded the
Joint Stock Theatre Company The Joint Stock Theatre Company was founded in London 1974 by David Hare, Max Stafford-Clark Paul Kember and David Aukin. The director William Gaskill was also part of the company. It was primarily a company which presented new plays.
Joint Stock ...
in 1974. During this period he presented The Open Theatre and two seasons of Le Grand Magic Circus all at the Roundhouse Theatre and presented numerous fringe companies in the UK and abroad, including The Freehold, The
People Show, Pip Simmons Theatre Group and the premiere of Pam Gems' first stage play at the Cockpit Theatre. From 1974 through 1975, Aukin was an administrator with
Anvil Productions in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. In 1975, Aukin became an administrator at the
Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. Roxana Silbert has been the artistic director since ...
.
Three years later he was appointed to the position of
Artistic Director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...
there, a position he held until 1984. The numerous premiers he produced there include ''Translations'' by Brien Friel, ''Abigail's Party'', ''Goose-Pimples'', and ''Ecstasy'', all by Mike Leigh, ''The Hothouse'' written and directed by Harold Pinter and ''Dusa Fish Stas and Vi'' by Pam Gems.
He was then appointed artistic director of the Haymarket Theatre, Leicester where he premiered ''
Me and My Girl'' which went on to win many awards on the West End and Broadway. In 1986 he was appointed executive director of the National Theatre which he ran with
Richard Eyre
Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre (born 28 March 1943) is an English film, theatre, television and opera director.
Biography
Eyre was born in Barnstaple, Devon, England, the son of Richard Galfridus Hastings Giles Eyre and his wife, Minna Ma ...
until 1990 when he was headhunted to be Head of Film at Channel 4. He subsequently has produced intermittently in the West End, including ''
Dance of Death'' with
Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. His career spans seven decades, having performed in genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. Regarded as a British cultural i ...
, and ''
Onassis'' by
Martin Sherman
Martin Gerald Sherman (born December 22, 1938) is an American dramatist and screenwriter best known for his 20 stage plays which have been produced in over 60 countries. He rose to fame in 1979 with the production of his play '' Bent'', which e ...
with
Robert Lindsay. In 2002, Aukin produced the Broadway revival of ''
The Elephant Man
Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890), often erroneously called John Merrick, was an English man known for having severe deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "the Elephant Man" and then we ...
''.
Film work
From 1990 to 1998 he was Head of Film at Channel 4, during which time he commissioned over 100 feature films including ''
Trainspotting'', ''
The Madness of King George
''The Madness of King George'' is a 1994 British biographical historical comedy-drama film directed by Nicholas Hytner and adapted by Alan Bennett from his own 1991 play '' The Madness of George III''. It tells the true story of George III of G ...
'', ''
Secrets & Lies'', ''
Shallow Grave Shallow Grave may refer to:
* ''Shallow Grave'' (1987 film), an American slasher film
* ''Shallow Grave'' (1994 film), a British thriller film directed by Danny Boyle
* ''Shallow Grave'' (album), a 2008 album by The Tallest Man on Earth
{{disa ...
'', ''
Four Weddings and a Funeral
''Four Weddings and a Funeral'' is a 1994 British romantic comedy film directed by Mike Newell. It is the first of several films by screenwriter Richard Curtis to feature Hugh Grant, and follows the adventures of Charles (Grant) and his circle ...
'', ''
Brassed Off
''Brassed Off'' is a 1996 British comedy-drama film written and directed by Mark Herman and starring Pete Postlethwaite, Tara Fitzgerald and Ewan McGregor.
The film is about the troubles faced by a colliery brass band, following the closure of ...
'', and films by
Ken Loach
Kenneth Charles Loach (born 17 June 1936) is a British film director and screenwriter. His socially critical directing style and socialist ideals are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty (''Poor Cow'', 1967), homelessne ...
,
Peter Greenaway
Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a Welsh film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Flemish painting in particular. Common traits in his films are th ...
,
Tony Harrison
Tony Harrison (born 30 April 1937) is an English poet, translator and playwright. He was born in Beeston, Leeds and he received his education in Classics from Leeds Grammar School and Leeds University. He is one of Britain's foremost verse w ...
and many others. In 2005, Aukin was the executive producer of ''
The Government Inspector
''The Government Inspector'', also known as ''The Inspector General'' ( rus, links=no, Ревизор, Revizor, literally: "Inspector"), is a satirical play by Russian dramatist and novelist, Nikolai Gogol. Originally published in 1836, the pla ...
'', a television drama about the death of
David Kelly. The film was described by Rupert Smith in
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
as "...television drama in excelsis, hitting all the right buttons – action, comedy, pathos, satire – as well as having shedloads of righteous political anger...", though Mark Lawson criticised its portrayal of
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
strumming a guitar while "sending men to their deaths on the telephone". Aukin responded by insisting that the scene had been misinterpreted.
The film went on to win the 2005
BAFTA Award
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cer ...
for Best Single Drama.
At the 2007 BAFTA awards, two of Aukin's works were nominated: ''
The Trial of Tony Blair
''The Trial of Tony Blair'' is a satirical drama recounting war crimes proceedings brought against former British Prime Minister Tony Blair by an international tribunal, following his departure from 10 Downing Street. Directed by Simon Cell ...
'' for Best Single Drama and ''
Britz
Britz () is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') within the Berlin borough (''Bezirk'') of Neukölln.
History
The village of ''Britzig'' was first mentioned in 1273. It was incorporated by the 1920 Greater Berlin Act. It is known for being the sit ...
'' which won Best Drama Serial.
He executive produced ''
Endgame
Endgame, Endgames, End Game, End Games, or similar variations may refer to:
Film
* ''The End of the Game'' (1919 film)
* ''The End of the Game'' (1975 film), short documentary U.S. film
* ''Endgame'' (1983 film), 1983 Italian post-apocalyptic f ...
'' which won a
2009 Peabody Award.
He also produced or executive produced ''
The Promise'', ''
The Hamburg Cell
The Hamburg cell (german: Hamburger Zelle) or Hamburg terror cell (german: Hamburger Terrorzelle) was, according to United States, U.S. and Germany, German intelligence agencies, a group of radical Islamists based in Hamburg, Germany, that inc ...
'', ''
A Very Social Secretary'', ''
Mrs Henderson Presents
''Mrs Henderson Presents'' is a 2005 biographical musical film directed by Stephen Frears and written by Martin Sherman. It stars Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Kelly Reilly, and Will Young (in his acting debut). It tells the true story of Laura He ...
'', ''
Hyde Park on Hudson
''Hyde Park on Hudson'' is a 2012 British historical comedy-drama film directed by Roger Michell. The film stars Bill Murray as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth, and Laura Linney as Margaret "Daisy" Suckley, a cousi ...
'', and ''
True History of the Kelly Gang
''True History of the Kelly Gang'' is a novel by Australian writer Peter Carey, based loosely on the history of the Kelly Gang. It was first published in Brisbane by the University of Queensland Press in 2000. It won the 2001 Booker Prize an ...
''.
Notes
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aukin, David
1942 births
English theatre managers and producers
English film producers
Living people
People from Harrow, London
People educated at St Paul's School, London
Alumni of St Edmund Hall, Oxford