Peter Howitt (; born 5 May 1957) is a British actor and
film director
A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...
.
Biography
Early life
Howitt was born on 5 May 1957, the son of Frank Howitt, a renowned
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was na ...
journalist who, in 1963, broke the infamous
Profumo Scandal
The Profumo affair was a major scandal in twentieth-century British politics. John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan's Conservative government, had an extramarital affair with 19-year-old model Christine Keeler begi ...
by getting the exclusive story from call girl
Christine Keeler
Christine Margaret Keeler (22 February 1942 – 4 December 2017) was an English model and showgirl. Her meeting at a dance club with society osteopath Stephen Ward drew her into fashionable circles. At the height of the Cold War, she became s ...
of her illicit affair with a high ranking government minister.
Howitt grew up in
Eltham
Eltham ( ) is a district of southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three wards of Elt ...
,
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 ...
and
Bromley
Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011.
Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...
,
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 ...
. He was educated at Wyborne Primary School in New Eltham and
Colfe's Grammar School
Colfe's School, previously Colfe's Grammar School is a co-educational independent day school in Lee in the London Borough of Lewisham, in southeast London, England, and one of the oldest schools in London. The school is a member of the Headmast ...
in
Lee, South London
Lee, also known as Lee Green, is an area of South East London, England, straddling the border of the London Borough of Lewisham and the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is located northwest of Eltham and southeast of Lewisham. It is within the h ...
. While in Eltham he was a member of the Priory Players amateur dramatics group. Howitt spent a brief time at
Paisley Grammar School
Paisley Grammar School is a secondary school in Paisley, the largest town in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The school was founded in 1576 by royal charter of King James VI and is situated on Glasgow Road. The school is recognised as one of Scotland's ...
in
Paisley, Scotland in 1970. He studied at the
Drama Studio London
Drama Studio London (DSL) is a British drama school in London. It is accredited by the Federation of Drama Schools.
The Drama Studio London was founded in 1966 by actor and director Peter Layton, focusses on developing individual talent nurture ...
in 1976.
Career
Howitt's first notable TV role was in the 1984–85 series of
Yorkshire Television
ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...
's long-running programme for schools ''
How We Used To Live'', where he starred alongside
Brookside Brookside may refer to:
Geography Canada
* Brookside, Edmonton
* Brookside, Newfoundland and Labrador
* Brookside, Nova Scotia
United Kingdom
* Brookside, Berkshire, England
* Brookside, Telford, an area of Telford, England
United States
* Br ...
actress
Sue Jenkins
Susan Elizabeth Jenkins (born 31 July 1955) is an English actress. She is most widely known for her roles as Gloria Todd in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (1985–1988) and as Jackie Corkhill in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Brookside' ...
. However, he is much better known for playing Joey Boswell in the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
TV series ''
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...
''. In 1998, he wrote and directed his first film, ''
Sliding Doors
A sliding door is a type of door which opens horizontally by sliding, usually horizontal to a wall. Sliding doors can be mounted either on top of a track below or be suspended from a track above. Some types slide into a space in the parallel w ...
'' (1998). Since then, he has directed several films, including ''
Antitrust
Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...
'' (2001), ''
Johnny English
''Johnny English'' is a 2003 spy
Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the ...
'' (2003), ''
Laws of Attraction
''Laws of Attraction'' is a 2004 American romantic comedy film directed by Peter Howitt, based on a story by Aline Brosh McKenna and screenplay by Robert Harling and McKenna. It stars Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore.
Plot
High-powered divor ...
'' (2004), and ''
Dangerous Parking
''Dangerous Parking'' is a 2007 drama film written and directed by Peter Howitt based on the novel of the same name by Stuart Browne, who died in 1999.
Plot
''Dangerous Parking'' tells the story of Noah Arkwright, a cult director in the indie f ...
'' (2008). He adapted the latter film from the novel by Stuart Browne, as well as produced and directed it, and played the lead role.
Personal life
Howitt has two children, Luke (born 1990) and Amy (born 2008). He currently resides in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, Canada.
Filmography
Film
Television
Awards
*
European Film Award
The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European film, cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which th ...
(1998) – European Screenwriter (''
Sliding Doors
A sliding door is a type of door which opens horizontally by sliding, usually horizontal to a wall. Sliding doors can be mounted either on top of a track below or be suspended from a track above. Some types slide into a space in the parallel w ...
'')
*
Empire Awards
The Empire Awards was an annual British awards ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the local and global film industry. Winners were awarded the Empire Award statuette. The awards, first presented in 1996, were presented by the British f ...
(1999) – Best British Director (''
Sliding Doors
A sliding door is a type of door which opens horizontally by sliding, usually horizontal to a wall. Sliding doors can be mounted either on top of a track below or be suspended from a track above. Some types slide into a space in the parallel w ...
'')
*
Shanghai International Film Festival
The Shanghai International Film Festival (, French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai''), abbreviated SIFF, is one of the largest film festivals in East Asia.
"China's biggest film festival" according to the Hollywood Reporter. Nex ...
(2001) – Jin Jue Award for Best Director (''
AntiTrust
Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...
'')
[Shanghai International Film Festival official site](_blank)
, last accessed 21 November 2007
, last accessed 21 November 2007
*Shanghai International Film Festival (2001) – Jin Jue Award for Best Film (''AntiTrust'')
*
Tokyo International Film Festival
The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. Along with the Shanghai International Film Festival, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals, and is considered to be the ...
(2007) – Best Director (''
Dangerous Parking
''Dangerous Parking'' is a 2007 drama film written and directed by Peter Howitt based on the novel of the same name by Stuart Browne, who died in 1999.
Plot
''Dangerous Parking'' tells the story of Noah Arkwright, a cult director in the indie f ...
'')
Tokyo International Film Festival official site
, last accessed 21 November 2007
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howitt, Peter
1957 births
Living people
Alumni of the Drama Studio London
English film directors
English male film actors
European Film Award for Best Screenwriter winners
Male actors from Kent
People from Eltham