Daniel Barber (born 1965 in London) is a British director. Having begun his career as director of commercials, he 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 ...

in 2008 for his short film ''The Tonto Woman''. In 2009 he directed

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

in '' Harry Brown''.

Career

Barber was born in 1965 in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. He studied graphic design at St Martins School of Art, where he graduated in 1988. He subsequently joined the TV department at Lambie-Naim & Co, where he designed and directed title sequences, including those for the BBC Nine O'Clock News. In 1991, he completed new identities for BBC1 and BBC2, for which he won a BAFTA and a D&AD award. In 1993, he joined Rose Hackney Productions where he directed commercials full-time. His work was showcased at the

Cannes International Advertising Festival The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (formerly the International Advertising Festival) is a global event for those working in creative communications, advertising, and related fields. It is considered the largest gathering of the ...

and in 1994, he was named as a Creative Face of the Future by Campaign magazine and as one of the UK's "Hotshot" commercial directors. By 1995, he became a partner and Rose Hackney became Rose Hackney Barber. He has won dozens of awards for his commercials both in Europe and The United States of America. In 2003, his work was also included in the top ten of Channel 4's ''100 Greatest Commercials''. In 2006, Barber became a partner at London-based film production company Knucklehead, where he continues to direct commercials. His most recent work includes commercials for Adidas, Audi, The BBC, Estee Lauder, Sony, BMW, Orange, O2, Hewlett Packard, SAP, DHL and the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

. Barber's first film was ''The Tonto Woman'', a 35-minute western based on a short story by

Elmore Leonard Elmore John Leonard Jr. (October 11, 1925August 20, 2013) was an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. His earliest novels, published in the 1950s, were Westerns, but he went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thri ...

. The film is about a cattle rustler who becomes involved in the life of a woman who has been held captive by Mojave Indians for the past 11 years and is now living in isolation. The film won Best Film at Palm Springs 2007, Best of Festival at LA Shorts 2008 and was nominated for an Oscar in 2008. Following ''The Tonto Woman'', Barber directed his first full-length feature, '' Harry Brown'' starring

, who plays a widowed ex-marine whose retirement is disrupted when a gang of vicious thugs take over his neighbourhood and murder his best friend. Described as a modern urban western, it reflects the stark realities of youth crime in the 21st century. It had its World Premiere as a Special Presentation at the 2009

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

and was received with standing ovations. The film was released theatrically on 11 November 2009 at the

Odeon Leicester Square The Odeon Luxe Leicester Square is a prominent cinema building in the West End of London. Built in the Art Deco style and completed in 1937, the building has been continually altered in response to developments in cinema technology, and was the ...

Personal life

Barber was married to Sandra Barber, who died of cancer in 2015.
Sandra Barber (1964–2015)
'. In: twitter.com, 23 September 2015. He has a son. His sister Lauren Barber is married to

Gary Kemp Gary James Kemp (born 16 October 1959) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known as the lead guitarist, backing vocalist, and principal songwriter for the New Romantic band Spandau Ballet. Kemp wrote the lyrics and music ...

Filmography

* ''The Tonto Woman'' (

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

) * '' Harry Brown'' (

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

) * ''

The Keeping Room ''The Keeping Room'' is a 2014 American Western film directed by Daniel Barber and written by Julia Hart. The film stars Brit Marling, Hailee Steinfeld, Muna Otaru, Sam Worthington, Amy Nuttall, and Ned Dennehy. It was screened in the Special ...

'' (2014)

References

External links

*
Daniel Barber
at knucklehead.tv {{DEFAULTSORT:Barber, Daniel 1965 births Living people British film directors