David Hugh Jones (19 February 1934 – 19 September 2008) was an English stage, television and film director.

Life and career

Jones was born in

Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...

, Dorset, the son of John David Jones and his wife Gwendolen Agnes Langworthy (Ricketts), and was educated at Taunton School and

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 170 graduate students. The college was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as ...

. Originally a television director, he first worked for BBC producer Huw Wheldon working on the '' Monitor'' arts television series from 1958 to 1964. His first London stage production was a triple-bill of T.S. Eliot's ''

Sweeney Agonistes ''Sweeney Agonistes'' by T. S. Eliot was his first attempt at writing a verse drama although he was unable to complete the piece. In 1926 and 1927 he separately published two scenes from this attempt and then collected them in 1932 in a small ...

'',

W.B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

's '' Purgatory'' and

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...

's '' Krapp's Last Tape'' at the Mermaid Theatre in 1961. He directed his first production 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 produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

at the Arts Theatre in 1962, Boris Vian's ''The Empire Builder'', and two years later accepted the administrative post Artistic Controller at the

(RSC), helping to plan programmes of new plays and European classics at the Aldwych Theatre in London. He also took over responsibility for running the Aldwych from 1969 to 1972, and again in 1975–77. During this period he championed the plays of David Mercer and Maxim Gorky. For

BBC television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

he directed ''Ice Age'', ''The Beaux Stratagem'' and ''

Langrishe, Go Down ''Langrishe, Go Down'', the novel by Aidan Higgins (1966), was adapted for the screen by Harold Pinter, directed by David Jones, filmed for BBC Television in association with Raidió Teilifís Éireann, and first broadcast in September 1978 as ...

'' (1978). He also produced '' Play of the Month'' (1977–79). He left the

in 1979, taking up an appointment as an artistic director at the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

and to found a resident theatre company modelled on the RSC (Beauman 344). After teaching at the Yale School of Drama in 1981, he returned to England, where for the BBC Television Shakespeare series he directed ''

The Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...

'' (1982), and '' Pericles, Prince of Tyre'' (1984), and made his debut as a feature film director with '' Betrayal'' (1983), based on

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spanne ...

's screenplay adaptation of his 1978 play '' Betrayal''. From 1973 to 1978, Jones was Artistic Director of the

(RSC), at the Aldwych Theatre, where he directed plays by William Shakespeare,

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

, Seán O'Casey, Maxim Gorky, Harley Granville-Barker, Graham Greene, and others, and became an honorary associate director of the RSC in 1991. From 1979 to 1981, he was Artistic Director of the BAM Theater Company (1979–1981). He also directed three productions at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, in Williamstown, Massachusetts: '' On the Razzle'' (1981), by Tom Stoppard (2005); '' Sweet Bird of Youth'' (1959), by Tennessee Williams (2006), and ''

The Autumn Garden ''The Autumn Garden'' is a 1951 play by Lillian Hellman. The play is set in September, 1949 in a summer home in a resort on the Gulf of Mexico, about 100 miles from New Orleans. The play is a study of the defeats, disappointments and diminished ex ...

'' (1951), by Lillian Hellman (2007).

Private life

Jones married the British actress Sheila Allen in 1964 with whom he had two sons, Jesse (of Brooklyn, New York) and Joseph (of Tucson, Arizona). After his divorce from Allen, Jones's partner of the last 20 years of his life was photographer Joyce Tenneson; the couple lived in New York at the time of his death.

Theatre

*''The Empire Builders'' (Boris Vian) RSC Arts Theatre, 1962 *''The Governor's Lady'' (David Mercer) Aldwych, 1965 *''Saint's Day'', Stratford East, 1965 *''

The Investigation ''The Investigation'' (original title ''Śledztwo'') is a science fiction/ detective/ thriller novel by the Polish writer Stanisław Lem. The novel incorporates a philosophical discourse on explanation of unknown phenomena. It was first publis ...

'' (Peter Weiss) co-directed with Peter Brook, Aldwych, 1965 *''Belcher's Luck'' (David Mercer) Aldwych, 1966; *''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

'', Stratford, 1967; Aldwych, 1967; Los Angeles, 1968; Stratford, 1968 *''

Diary of a Scoundrel ''Enough Stupidity in Every Wise Man'' (russian: На всякого мудреца довольно простоты; Transliteration, translit. Na vsyakogo mudretsa dovolno prostoty) is a five-Act (drama), act Comedy (drama), comedy by Alek ...

'' ( Alexander Ostrovsky), Liverpool, 1968 *'' The Tempest'', Chichester, 1968 *'' The Silver Tassie'' (Sean O'Casey) Aldwych, 1969 *''After Haggerty'' (David Mercer) Aldwych and Criterion Theatre, 1970 *'' The Plebeians Rehearse the Uprising'' (

Günter Grass Günter Wilhelm Grass (born Graß; ; 16 October 1927 – 13 April 2015) was a German novelist, poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist, sculptor, and recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was born in the Free City of Da ...

) Aldwych, 1970 *'' Enemies'' (Maxim Gorky) Aldwych, 1971 *'' The Lower Depths'' (Maxim Gorky) Aldwych, 1972 *''The Island of the Mighty'' ( John Arden) Aldwych, 1972 *''

Love's Labour's Lost ''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Elizabeth I of England, Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and ...

'' Stratford, 1973; New York and Aldwych 1975 *''Duck Song'' (David Mercer) Aldwych, 1974 *'' Summerfolk'' (Maxim Gorky) Aldwych, 1974; New York, 1975 *''The Marrying of Anne Leete'' ( Harley Granville-Barker) Aldwych, 1975 *''

The Return of A. J. Raffles ''The Return of A. J. Raffles'', first produced and published in 1975, is an Edwardian comedy play in three acts, written by Graham Greene and based somewhat loosely on E. W. Hornung's characters in ''The Amateur Cracksman''. Set in the late summe ...

'' ( Graham Greene) Aldwych, 1975; Stratford 1976 *'' Twelfth Night'', Stratford, Ontario, 1975 *''The Zykovs'' (Maxim Gorky) Aldwych, 1976 *''

Ivanov Ivanov, Ivanoff or Ivanow (masculine, bg, Иванов, russian: ИвановSometimes the stress is on Ива́нов in Bulgarian if it is a middle name, or in Russian as a rare variant of pronunciation), or Ivanova (feminine, bg, Иванов ...

'' (

) Aldwych, 1976 *''

All's Well That Ends Well ''All's Well That Ends Well'' is a play by William Shakespeare, published in the ''First Folio'' in 1623, where it is listed among the comedies. There is a debate regarding the dating of the composition of the play, with possible dates rangin ...

'', Stratford, Ontario, 1977 *'' Cymbeline'' Stratford 1979 *'' Baal'' (

)

The Other Place "Another place" or "the other place" is a euphemism used in many bicameral parliaments using the Westminster system, including Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. A member of one house will not usually refer directly to the other, but ...

, Stratford 1979; Donmar Warehouse, 1980 *'' The Winter's Tale'', BAM Theatre Company, 1980 *'' Jungle of Cities'' (Bertolt Brecht) BAM Theatre Company, 198
Theater
*'' The Custom of the Country'' ( Nicholas Wright) RSC

Barbican A barbican (from fro, barbacane) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer fortifications, defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes. Europe ...

The Pit The Pit may refer to: Places * The Pit, a commonly used name for a mosh pit * The Pit (arena), the main indoor arena at the University of New Mexico * The Pit (memorial), "Яма" the Holocaust memorial in Minsk, Belarus * Elder 'The Pit' Stadiu ...

, 1983 *'' Old Times'' (

), starring

Liv Ullmann Liv Johanne Ullmann (born 16 December 1938) is a Norwegian actress and film director. Recognised as one of the greatest European actresses of all time, Ullmann is known as the muse and frequent partner of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. She acted in m ...

, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre and

Theatre Royal Haymarket The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foot ...

, 1985 *''Principia Scriptoriae'' ( Richard Nelson) The Pit, 1986 *'' Barbarians'' (Maxim Gorky) Aldwych, 1990 *''Misha's Party'' (Richard Nelson and Alexander Gelman) The Pit, 1993 *''

No Man's Land No man's land is waste or unowned land or an uninhabited or desolate area that may be under dispute between parties who leave it unoccupied out of fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dump ...

'' (Harold Pinter) New York, 1994 *'' The Hothouse'' (Harold Pinter) Minerva Theatre, Chichester and Comedy Theatre, 1995 *'' Taking Sides'' ( Ronald Harwood) New York, 1996
Taking Sides, a CurtainUp review
*'' The Caretaker'' (Harold Pinter) New York, 200
The Caretaker, a CurtainUp review
*''Triptych'' ( Edna O'Brien) Irish Repertory Theatre, New York, 200
Triptych, a CurtainUp review
*'' On the Razzle'' ( Tom Stoppard), Williamstown Theatre Festival, 200
Williamstown Theatre Festival
*'' Sweet Bird of Youth'' ( Tennessee Williams), Williamstown Theatre Festival, 200
Sweet Bird of Youth, a CurtainUp Berkshire Review
*'' The Last Confession'' ( Roger Crane) Minerva Theatre, Chichester, May 2007,

, July 200
Theatre review: The Last Confession at Theatre Royal Haymarket
*''

'' ( Lillian Hellman), Williamstown Theatre Festival, August 200
Williamstown Theatre Festival--Summer 2007

Films

*''

'' (1970; adapt. for TV 1978; film release 2002) *'' Betrayal'' (1983) *''

84 Charing Cross Road ''84, Charing Cross Road'' is a 1970 book by Helene Hanff, later made into a stage play, television play, and film, about the twenty-year correspondence between the author and Frank Doel, chief buyer of Marks & Co antiquarian booksellers, locate ...

'' (1987) *'' Jacknife'' (1989) *'' The Trial'' (1993) *''

Time to Say Goodbye? ''Time to Say Goodbye?'' is a 1997 American made-for-television drama film directed by David Jones and starring Eva Marie Saint. The film is centered on the decision of an elderly family patriarch to end his life, when faced with the degradat ...

'' (1997) *'' The Confession'' (starring Ben Kingsley) (1999)

Television

Produced and presented the BBC arts magazine '' Monitor'' (1958–1964) and ''Review'' (1971–1972). Also produced ''

Kean Kean may refer to: * Kean (name) * Kean (play), ''Kean'' (play), 1838 play by Alexandre Dumas père based on the life of the actor Edmund Kean, and its adaptations: ** Kean (1921 film), ''Kean'' (1921 film), a German silent historical film ** Kean ...

'' ( Jean-Paul Sartre, 1954) for BBC television (starring Anthony Hopkins and directed by James Cellan Jones) (1978). Directed the following productions: *''

'' (starring Judi Dench and Jeremy Irons) (1978) *'' Look Back in Anger'' (co-directed with Lindsay Anderson and starring Malcolm McDowell) (1980) *''

'' (starring

Richard Griffiths Richard Thomas Griffiths (31 July 1947 – 28 March 2013) was an English actor of film, television, and stage. For his performance in the stage play ''The History Boys'', Griffiths won a Tony Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, the Drama Desk Aw ...

as Falstaff) (1982) *'' Pericles, Prince of Tyre'' (1984) *'' The Devil's Disciple (1987) *'' The Christmas Wife'' (starring Jason Robards and Julie Harris) (1988) *''Fire in the Dark'' (starring Olympia Dukakis) (1991) *'' And Then There Was One'' (1994) *'' Is There Life Out There?'' (1994) *''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas C ...

'' (1999) Also various episodes of: *'' Picket Fences'' (1992) *''

Chicago Hope ''Chicago Hope'' is an American medical drama television series, created by David E. Kelley. It originally aired on CBS from September 18, 1994, to May 4, 2000. The series is set in a fictional private charitable hospital in Chicago, Illinois. ...

'' (1994) *'' The Practice'' (''The Civil Right'') (1997) *'' Law & Order: SVU'' (1999) *'' 7th Heaven'' (2003) *'' Bones'' (''The Man on Death Row'') (2005)

Notes

References

* Beauman, Sally. ''The Royal Shakespeare Company: A History of Ten Decades''. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1982. , 978-0-19-212209-4 * Billington, Michael
"Obituary: David Jones: Theatre, Television and Film Director Famed for His Interpretations of Gorky and Pinter"
''

Guardian.co.uk TheGuardian.com, formerly known as Guardian.co.uk and ''Guardian Unlimited'', is a British news and media website owned by the Guardian Media Group. It contains nearly all of the content of the newspapers ''The Guardian'' and ''The Observer'', ...

''. 23 September 2008. Accessed 9 February 2009. *Katz, Ephraim. ''The Macmillan International Film Encyclopedia''. 2nd ed. London: Macmillan, 1994. , *''Who's Who in the Theatre''. 17th ed. New York: Gale, 1981. *''Halliwell's Television Companion''. 3rd ed. London: Grafton, 1986. *''Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies''. Ed. John Walker. 4th ed. New York: HarperCollins, 2006. *'' Theatre Record'' and ''Theatre Record'' annual indexes.

External links

*. *. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, David 1934 births 2008 deaths Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge British film directors English television directors English theatre directors People from Poole People educated at Taunton School Royal Shakespeare Company members