Stephan Elliott (born 27 August 1964) is an Australian

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 ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. His best-known film internationally is '' The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'' (1994).

Career

Elliott began his career as an

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...

working in the boom of the Australian film industry of the 1980s. His first two feature films, '' Frauds'' (starring musician

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

) and '' The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'', along with his lesser known, shorter films ''Fast'' and ''The Agreement'' were produced by Rebel Penfold-Russell's Australian production company Latent Image Productions. ''Frauds'', ''The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'' and '' Welcome to Woop Woop'' were all officially selected to screen at the Cannes Film Festival, with "Priscilla" winning the ''Prix du public'' as well as an Academy Award for Best Costume Design, among numerous other accolades. For a time during 1982/83, Stephan and Troy Tempest presented The Blues Brothers, every Friday night for over a year, at the heritage listed Cremorne Orpheum theatre. Dressed as Jake and Elwood, Stephan and Troy appeared on TV several times, along with their Bluesmobile. In 2004, Elliott was involved in a skiing accident which saw him hospitalised for several months. He credits the accident with rediscovering his sense of humour. This may go part way to explaining why, in 2007 Elliott worked with Fred Nassiri to create one of the most expensive music videos of all time. Shot in over 15 countries, with seven directors the song "Love Sees No Colour" aspires to spread a message of peace and love. His film '' Easy Virtue'', was written with co-writer

Sheridan Jobbins Sheridan Jobbins (born 2 July 1960) is an Australian journalist, television presenter and screenwriter. Life and career Jobbins was born in Melbourne, Australia. She was educated at Ascham School, Edgecliff. She is a third generation Australian ...

, and is based on the

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

play of the same name. It stars

Colin Firth Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English actor and producer. He was identified in the mid-1980s with the " Brit Pack" of rising young British actors, undertaking a challenging series of roles, including leading roles in '' A M ...

Kristin Scott Thomas Dame Kristin Ann Scott Thomas (born 24 May 1960) is a British actress who also holds French citizenship. A five-time British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA Award and Laurence Olivier Award, Olivier Award nominee, she won the BAFTA Award for Best ...

, Jessica Biel and Ben Barnes. It was produced by Barnaby Thompson for Ealing Studios in the UK, and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2008. It has also screened in the Rio Film Festival, Rome Film Festival and London Film Festival to great acclaim. His next film, '' A Few Best Men'' starring Xavier Samuel and Olivia Newton-John was released in 2012. Other writing credits include the script for the stage play of '' Priscilla'', which premiered in 2007 at

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

's Lyric Theatre in Star City to excellent reviews. Later in the year, it moved The Regent Theatre in Melbourne and in May 2008 to Auckland's The Civic theatre in New Zealand, and then in London's

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

Personal life

Elliott came out as gay during his presentation at the inaugural

AACTA The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) is a professional organisation of film and television practitioners in Australia. The Academy's aim is "to identify, award, promote, and celebrate Australia's greatest achievements i ...

Awards in Sydney on 31 January 2012. He has been in a relationship with his partner, Wil Bevolley, since the late 1980s. They had a civil partnership ceremony in London in 2008.

Filmography

*'' Frauds'' (1993) *'' The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'' (1994) *'' Welcome to Woop Woop'' (1997) *'' Eye of the Beholder'' (1999) *'' Easy Virtue'' (2008) *'' A Few Best Men'' (2011) *''

Rio, I Love You ''Rio, I Love You'' ( pt, Rio, Eu Te Amo) is a 2014 Brazilian anthology film starring an ensemble cast of actors of various nationalities. It's the fourth film in the ''Cities of Love'' franchise (following 2006's '' Paris, je t'aime'', the 2008 ...

'' (2014) *'' Swinging Safari'' (2017)

References

External links

*
Unofficial fansiteOfficial website for 'Priscilla' the stage musicalToronto Film Festival review of Easy VirtueCompiled news articles about Stephan Elliott
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Stephan 1964 births Australian film directors Australian male screenwriters Australian LGBT screenwriters Australian gay writers LGBT film directors Gay screenwriters Living people People from Sydney People educated at Sydney Grammar School