Tom Harper (born 7 January 1980) is a British film and television

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

, producer and writer. He is best known for his work on '' The Aeronauts,'' '' Wild Rose'', ''

Peaky Blinders The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingham, England, which operated from the 1880s until the 1910s. The group consisted largely of young criminals from lower- to middle-class backgrounds. They engaged in robbery, violence, racke ...

'', and the BBC TV mini-series '' War & Peace''.

Early life and education

Harper grew up in a Quaker family. He "credits Quakerism with setting the tone in his attitudes towards pacifism and non-violence." Harper attended Acland Burghley School before going on to study at

The University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

Career

Harper began his career making short films. He wrote and directed ''Cubs'' in 2006 about urban fox hunting which was nominated for a BAFTA in the Best Short Film category and won a BIFA. Harper then moved on to direct a range of film and television work which includes '' Misfits'', ''

The Scouting Book for Boys ''The Scouting Book for Boys'' is a 2009 British drama-thriller film directed by Tom Harper, produced by Ivana MacKinnon, and written by Jack Thorne. It stars Thomas Turgoose, Holliday Grainger, Rafe Spall, Susan Lynch, Tony Maudsley, and Steve ...

''(2009), ''

This Is England '86 ''This Is England '86'' is a 2010 British drama miniseries written by Shane Meadows and Jack Thorne, a spin-off from the 2006 film ''This Is England''. Set three years later, it focuses on the mod revival scene rather than the skinhead subcu ...

'', '' The Borrowers'' (2011), ''

'' (2013) and '' The Woman in Black: Angel of Death''. In 2014, Harper re-teamed with Jack Thorne, the writer of ''

'', to make '' War Book'', which premiered at the London Film Festival and had its international premiere as the opening film of the International Festival of Film Rotterdam. The film received critical acclaim with ''The List'' calling it a "powerful, provocative and essential piece of modern British cinema". Harper was also a producer on the film. He directed the 2016 BBC TV mini-series '' War & Peace'', starring

Paul Dano Paul Franklin Dano (; born June 19, 1984) is an American actor. He began his career on Broadway before making his film debut in ''The Newcomers'' (2000). He won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance for his role in '' L.I.E.' ...

Lily James Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson (born 5 April 1989), better known by her stage name Lily James, is an English actress. She studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and began her career in the British television series ''Ju ...

and James Norton for BBC1 and The Weinstein Company. The series topped ratings and won rave reviews. The series was nominated for 6 BAFTAs (including Best Drama Series) and won for Best Production Design. Harper next directed the pilot episode of ''The Son'' for AMC based on Phillip Meyer's acclaimed novel.

Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 (''GoldenEye'', ''Tomorrow ...

played the lead, replacing

Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. Neill's near-50 year career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he has been regarded as one o ...

(with whom Harper previously worked on ''Peaky Blinders'') who was forced to pull out for "personal reasons." The series was picked up for a second season in May 2017. In 2017, Harper teamed up with Jack Thorne again, to make "The Commuter," starring

Timothy Spall Timothy Leonard Spall (born 27 February 1957) is an English actor and presenter. He became a household name in the UK after appearing as Barry Spencer Taylor in the 1983 ITV comedy-drama series ''Auf Wiedersehen, Pet''. Spall performed in '' S ...

, the third episode of the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

/ Amazon Video

anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a differ ...

'' Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams''. '' Wild Rose'' starring Jessie Buckley (with whom Harper had worked previously on ''War and Peace'') and

Julie Walters Dame Julia Mary Walters (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress. She is the recipient of four British Academy Television Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two International Emmy Awards, a ...

, and written by Nicole Taylor, was filmed in Glasgow, Scotland, and Nashville, USA, in the summer of 2017.

Owen Gleiberman Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for ''Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...

described it in ''Variety'' as "a happy-sad drama of starstruck fever that lifts you up and sweeps you along, touching you down in a puddle of well-earned tears." '' The Aeronauts'', based on James Glaisher and

Henry Coxwell Henry Tracey Coxwell (2 March 1819 – 5 January 1900) was an English aeronaut and writer about ballooning active over the British Isles and continental Europe in the mid-to late nineteenth century. His achievements included having established ...

's famous 1862 flight, and starring

Eddie Redmayne Edward John David Redmayne (; born 6 January 1982) is an English actor. Known for his roles in biopics and blockbusters, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Olivier Awards. He ...

and

Felicity Jones Felicity Rose Hadley Jones (born 17 October 1983) is a British actress. She started her professional acting career as a child, appearing in '' The Treasure Seekers'' (1996) at age 12. She went on to play Ethel Hallow for one series of the tele ...

started its shoot in the summer of 2018. The script was written by Jack Thorne, their fifth collaboration, and Harper along with

Todd Lieberman Todd Darren Lieberman (born February 20, 1973) is an American film and television producer. He founded Hidden Pictures Media in 2022 and won an Emmy for Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers in 2022. He co-founded Mandeville Films and Television with ...

produced the film for Amazon Studios. Until March 2020, ''The Aeronauts'' was the most watched film of all time on

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service from Amazon which is available in various countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services include same, one- ...

Filmography

References

External links

*
Interviews with Tom Harper
British Film Institute {{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Tom Film directors from London 1980 births Living people English Quakers