John Richard Schlesinger (; 16 February 1926 – 25 July 2003) was an English film and stage director. He won the

Academy Award for Best Director The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibi ...

for ''

Midnight Cowboy ''Midnight Cowboy'' is a 1969 American drama film, based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. The film was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, with notable smaller ...

'', and was nominated for the same award for two other films ('' Darling'' and '' Sunday Bloody Sunday'').

Early life

Schlesinger was born and raised in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough o ...

, London, in a Jewish family, the eldest of five children of distinguished

Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth I. The site on which the college sits was once a priory for Dominican m ...

-educated paediatrician and physician Bernard Edward Schlesinger (1896–1984), OBE, FRCP, who had also served in the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps ...

as a brigadier, and his wife Winifred Henrietta, daughter of Hermann Regensburg, a stockbroker from

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

. She had left school at 14 to study at the

Trinity College of Music Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a music and dance conservatoire based in London, England. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of two older institutions – Trinity College of Music and Laban Dance Centre. The conservatoire has ...

, and later studied languages at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

for three years. Bernard Schlesinger's father Richard, a stockbroker, had come to England in the 1880s from Frankfurt. After

St Edmund's School, Hindhead , established = 1874 , closed = , type = Independent prep and senior school(boarding and day) , religious_affiliation = , president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = A. J. Walliker MA ( Cantab.) ...

and Uppingham School (where his father had also been), Schlesinger enlisted in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. While serving with the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is head ...

, he made films on the war's front line. He also entertained his fellow troops by performing magic tricks. After his tour of duty, he continued making short films and acted in stage productions while studying at Balliol College,

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 ...

, where he was involved in the Oxford University Dramatic Society.

Career

Schlesinger's acting career began in the 1950s and consisted of supporting roles in British films such as '' The Divided Heart'' and '' Oh... Rosalinda!!'', and British television productions such as ''

BBC Sunday Night Theatre ''Sunday Night Theatre'' was a long-running series of televised live television plays screened by BBC Television from early 1950 until 1959. The productions for the first five years or so of the run were re-staged live the following Thursday, pa ...

'', '' The Adventures of Robin Hood'' and ''The Vise''. He began his directorial career in 1956 with the short documentary ''Sunday in the Park'' about London's Hyde Park. In 1958, Schlesinger created a documentary on

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

and the Aldeburgh Festival for the BBC's ''

Monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, West ...

'' TV programme, including rehearsals of the children's opera '' Noye's Fludde'' featuring a young Michael Crawford. In 1959, Schlesinger was credited as exterior or second unit director on 23 episodes of the TV series '' The Four Just Men'' and four 30-minute episodes of the series '' Danger Man''. He also appeared in ''Col March of Scotland Yard'' as "Dutch cook" in "Death and the Other Monkey" 1956. By the 1960s, he had virtually given up acting to concentrate on a directing career, and another of his earlier directorial efforts, the

British Transport Films British Transport Films was an organisation set up in 1949 to make documentary films on the general subject of British transport. Its work included internal training films, travelogues (extolling the virtues of places that could be visited via th ...

' documentary '' Terminus'' (1961), gained a

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

Gold Lion and a

British Academy 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 cere ...

. His first two fiction films, '' A Kind of Loving'' (1962) and ''

Billy Liar ''Billy Liar'' is a 1959 novel by Keith Waterhouse that was later adapted into a play, a film, a musical and a TV series. The work has inspired and been featured in a number of popular songs. The semi-comical story is about William Fisher, ...

'' (1963) were set in the

North of England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...

. ''A Kind of Loving'' won the Golden Bear award at the 12th Berlin International Film Festival in 1962. His third feature film, '' Darling'' (1965), tartly described the modern way of life in London and was one of the first films about '

swinging London The Swinging Sixties was a youth-driven cultural revolution that took place in the United Kingdom during the mid-to-late 1960s, emphasising modernity and fun-loving hedonism, with Swinging London as its centre. It saw a flourishing in art, mu ...

'. Schlesinger's next film was the period drama ''

Far from the Madding Crowd ''Far from the Madding Crowd'' (1874) is Thomas Hardy's fourth novel and his first major literary success. It originally appeared anonymously as a monthly serial in '' Cornhill Magazine'', where it gained a wide readership. The novel is set ...

'' (1967), an adaptation of

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Wor ...

's popular novel accentuated by beautiful English country locations. Both films (and ''Billy Liar'') featured Julie Christie as the female lead. Schlesinger's next film, ''

'' (1969), was internationally acclaimed. A story of two hustlers living on the fringe in the bad side of New York City, it was Schlesinger's first film shot in the US, and it won Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture. During the 1970s, he made an array of films that were mainly about loners, losers and people outside the mainstream world, such as '' Sunday Bloody Sunday'' (1971), ''

The Day of the Locust ''The Day of the Locust'' is a 1939 novel by American author Nathanael West set in Hollywood, California. The novel follows a young artist from the Yale School of Fine Arts named Tod Hackett, who has been hired by a Hollywood studio to do scen ...

'' (1975), '' Marathon Man'' (1976) and '' Yanks'' (1979). Later, came the major box office and critical failure of '' Honky Tonk Freeway'' (1981), followed by films that attracted mixed responses from the public, and low returns, although '' The Falcon and the Snowman'' (1985) made money and '' Pacific Heights'' (1990) was a box-office hit. In Britain, he did better with films like '' Madame Sousatzka'' (1988) and ''

Cold Comfort Farm ''Cold Comfort Farm'' is a comic novel by English author Stella Gibbons, published in 1932. It parodies the romanticised, sometimes doom-laden accounts of rural life popular at the time, by writers such as Mary Webb. Plot summary Following ...

'' (1995). Other later works include '' An Englishman Abroad'' (1983), the TV play '' A Question of Attribution'' (1991), '' The Innocent'' (1993) and ''

The Next Best Thing ''The Next Best Thing'' is a 2000 American comedy-drama film directed by John Schlesinger (his final feature film before his death in 2003) about two best friends who have a child together and a custody battle years after. Starring Madonna, Rup ...

'' (2000). Schlesinger also directed ''Timon of Athens'' (1965) 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 ...

and the musical ''

I and Albert ''I and Albert'' is a 1972 musical by composer Charles Strouse, and lyricist Lee Adams. The plot is based on the lives of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and was adapted for the stage by Jay Presson Allen. P ...

'' (1972) at London's Piccadilly Theatre. From 1973, he was an associate director of the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

, where he produced

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

's ''

Heartbreak House ''Heartbreak House: A Fantasia in the Russian Manner on English Themes'' is a play written by George Bernard Shaw, first published in 1919 and first played at the Garrick Theatre in November 1920. According to A. C. Ward, the work argues that "cu ...

'' (1975). He also directed several operas, beginning with '' Les contes d'Hoffmann'' (1980) and ''

Der Rosenkavalier (''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from the novel ''Les amours du chevalier de Faublas'' ...

'' (1984), both at

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

. Schlesinger also directed a party political broadcast for the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

in the general election of 1992, which featured Prime Minister

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament (MP) for Huntingdon, formerly Hunting ...

returning to

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th cent ...

south London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the boroughs, in whole or in part, of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Southwark, Sut ...

, where he had spent his teenage years, which highlighted his humble background, atypical for a Conservative politician. Schlesinger admitted to having voted for all three main political parties in the UK at one time or another. In 1991, Schlesinger made a brief return to acting, portraying the gay character 'Derek' in the TV adaptation of '' The Lost Language of Cranes'' for the BBC. Schlesinger had himself come out during the making of

. Schlesinger was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) in the 1970 Birthday Honours for services to film. A resident of

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by lan ...

Schlesinger had a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars dedicated to him in 2003.

Death

Schlesinger underwent a quadruple heart bypass in 1998, before suffering a

stroke A stroke is a disease, medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemorr ...

on New Year's Day 2001.Mann, 2004, p. 556 He was taken off

life support Life support comprises the treatments and techniques performed in an emergency in order to support life after the failure of one or more vital organs. Healthcare providers and emergency medical technicians are generally certified to perform basic ...

at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs on 24 July 2003, and he died early the following day at the age of 77. He was survived by his partner of over 30 years, photographer Michael Childers. A memorial service was held on 30 September 2003.

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards 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 ...

* Best Director (1966) ('' Darling'') – Nominated * Best Director (1970) (''

'') – Won * Best Director (1972) ('' Sunday Bloody Sunday'') – Nominated

BAFTA Awards 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 cere ...

* Best Short Film (1962) ('' Terminus'') – Won *

Best British Film Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

(1966) (''Darling'') – Nominated *

Best Direction The MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction is an award given to the artist, the artist's manager, and the director of the music video. From 1984 to 2006, the full name of the award was Best Direction in a Video, and in 2007, it was briefly rename ...

(1970) (''Midnight Cowboy'') – Won * Best Direction (1972) (''Sunday Bloody Sunday'') – Won * Best Direction (1980) ('' Yanks'') – Nominated * Best Single Drama (1984) ('' An Englishman Abroad'') – Won * Best Single Drama (1992) ('' A Question of Attribution'') – Won * BAFTA Fellowship (1996)

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

* Best Director (1966) (''Darling'') – Nominated * Best Director (1970) (''Midnight Cowboy'') – Nominated * Best Director (1977) ('' Marathon Man'') – Nominated

Filmography

Feature films

* '' A Kind of Loving'' (1962) * ''

'' (1963) * '' Darling'' (1965) * ''

Far From the Madding Crowd ''Far from the Madding Crowd'' (1874) is Thomas Hardy's fourth novel and his first major literary success. It originally appeared anonymously as a monthly serial in '' Cornhill Magazine'', where it gained a wide readership. The novel is set ...

'' (1967) * ''

'' (1969) * '' Sunday Bloody Sunday'' (1971) * ''

'' (1975) * '' Marathon Man'' (1976) * '' Yanks'' (1979) * '' Honky Tonk Freeway'' (1981) * '' The Falcon and the Snowman'' (1985) * '' The Believers'' (1987) * '' Madame Sousatzka'' (1988) * '' Pacific Heights'' (1990) * '' The Innocent'' (1993) * ''

'' (1995) * ''

Eye for an Eye "An eye for an eye" ( hbo, עַיִן תַּחַת עַיִן, ) is a commandment found in the Book of Exodus 21:23–27 expressing the principle of reciprocal justice measure for measure. The principle exists also in Babylonian law. In Roman c ...

'' (1996) * ''

'' (2000)

Television films

* ''Separate Tables'' (1983) (TV) * '' An Englishman Abroad'' (1983) (TV) * '' A Question of Attribution'' (1991) (TV) * ''

'' (1995) (TV) * '' The Tale of Sweeney Todd'' (1998) (TV)

Documentary films

* ''Sunday in the Park'' (1956) * '' Terminus'' (1961) * '' Israel: A Right to Live'' (1967) * '' Visions of Eight'' (segment, ''The Longest'') (1973)

References

Sources

* Mann, William .J (2004). ''Edge of Midnight: The Life of John Schlesinger''. London: Hutchinson.

External links

* * *
Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical Database

Literature on John Schlesinger

Interview at the British Entertainment History Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schlesinger, John 1926 births 2003 deaths 20th-century LGBT people Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford BAFTA fellows Best Directing Academy Award winners Best Director BAFTA Award winners British Army personnel of World War II Commanders of the Order of the British Empire David di Donatello winners Directors Guild of America Award winners Directors of Golden Bear winners English expatriates in the United States English film directors English Jews LGBT film directors LGBT Jews LGBT people from England LGBT theatre directors Male actors from London Male actors from Palm Springs, California People educated at St Edmund's School, Hindhead People educated at Uppingham School Royal Engineers soldiers