Ulrich "Uli" Edel (; born 11 April 1947) is a German film and television director, best known for his work on films such as ''Last Exit to Brooklyn'' and '' Body of Evidence.'' His '' Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny'' won a Golden Globe for Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture made for TV.

Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakesp ...

in the titular role won an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

and a

Golden Globe 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 ...

for Best Actor.

Ian McKellen Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. His career spans seven decades, having performed in genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. Regarded as a British cultural i ...

, playing Tsar Nicholas II, won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.

Life and career

Edel was born in

Neuenburg am Rhein Neuenburg am Rhein ( High Alemannic: ''Neiburg am Rhi'') is a town in the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Geography Geographical location Neuenburg is elevated on the right bank of the Altrhein on a ...

, South Baden. He attended Jesuit Boarding School ''Kolleg Sankt Blasien'' from 1957 to 1966. After studying theatre science in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

, he was accepted into Munich Film School alongside

Bernd Eichinger Bernd Eichinger (; 11 April 194924 January 2011) was a German film producer, director, and screenwriter. Life and career Eichinger was born in Neuburg an der Donau. He attended the University of Television and Film Munich in the 1970s and bou ...

. Uli befriended him and they started working together on their exercise movies, sharing a love for the nouvelle vague and

Italian neorealism Italian neorealism ( it, Neorealismo), also known as the Golden Age, is a national film movement characterized by stories set amongst the poor and the working class. They are filmed on location, frequently with non-professional actors. They pri ...

as well as popular U.S. mainstream cinema. While still enrolled in film school, Edel started taking acting lessons. He wanted to know about the

Stanislavski Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski ( Alekseyev; russian: Константин Сергеевич Станиславский, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin sʲɪrˈgʲejɪvʲɪtɕ stənʲɪˈslafskʲɪj; 7 August 1938) was a seminal Soviet Russian t ...

and Strasberg theories. After finishing the studies Uli worked as assistant director with

Douglas Sirk Douglas Sirk (born Hans Detlef Sierck; 26 April 1897 – 14 January 1987) was a German film director best known for his work in Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s. Sirk started his career in Germany as a stage and screen director, but he left for ...

and directed two TV productions. In 1980 he joined

(production) and

Herman Weigel Herman Weigel (born 22 March 1950 in Moers) is a German film producer and screenwriter. He is one of the writers and producer of the television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a telev ...

(screenplay) for the authentic story of adolescent drug addict Christiane Felscherinow, '' Christiane F. – Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo''. It turned out to be a big domestic and international success when it was released a year later. Six years later the three reactivated their partnership once more for another film—''

Last Exit to Brooklyn ''Last Exit to Brooklyn'' is a 1964 novel by American author Hubert Selby Jr. The novel takes a harsh, uncompromising look at lower class Brooklyn in the 1950s written in a brusque, everyman style of prose. Critics and fellow writers praised ...

'', based on

Hubert Selby Hubert "Cubby" Selby Jr. (July 23, 1928 – April 26, 2004) was an American writer. Two of his novels, ''Last Exit to Brooklyn'' (1964) and ''Requiem for a Dream'' (1978) explore worlds in the New York area and were adapted as films, both of whi ...

's dark, controversial 1964 novel about life on the breadline in 1952

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. The musical score was provided by

Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...

of rock band

Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and per ...

Jennifer Jason Leigh Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow; February 5, 1962) is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough as Stacy Hamilton in '' Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982). Sh ...

won Best Supporting Actress awards from the

New York Film Critics Circle The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) is an American film critic organization founded in 1935 by Wanda Hale from the New York ''Daily News''. Its membership includes over 30 film critics from New York-based daily and weekly newspapers, magaz ...

and Boston Society of Film Critics for her performance as the tough, hard-drinking neighborhood prostitute Tralala, who is

gang-rape Gang rape, also called serial gang rape, group rape, or multiple perpetrator rape in scholarly literature,Ullman, S. E. (2013). 11 Multiple perpetrator rape victimization. Handbook on the Study of Multiple Perpetrator Rape: A Multidisciplinary Re ...

d in the story's tragic

climax Climax may refer to: Language arts * Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work * Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance Biology * Climax community, a biological community t ...

. Further works include '' Body of Evidence'', which was nominated for six

Razzie Awards The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, ...

; ''

Tyson Tyson is a male given name of old French origin meaning 'high-spirited', 'fire'. It is from this that a surname arose 'son of Tyson'. Surname *Alan Tyson (1926–2000), British musicologist *Barbara Tyson (born 1964), Canadian actress *Bill Tyso ...

''; '' Rasputin'', which won the Golden Globe for Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV as well awards for Best Actor (

) and Best Supporting Actor (

); '' The Little Vampire''; ''

Purgatory Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...

'', starring

Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American actor, playwright, author, screenwriter, and director whose career spanned half a century. He won 10 Obie Awards for writing and directing, the most by any write ...

and

Eric Roberts Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18, 1956) is an American actor. His career began with a leading role in '' King of the Gypsies'' (1978) for which he received his first Golden Globe Award nomination. He was nominated again at the Golden Globes ...

; the 2001 mini series ''

The Mists of Avalon ''The Mists of Avalon'' is a 1983 historical fantasy novel by American writer Marion Zimmer Bradley, in which the author relates the Arthurian legends from the perspective of the female characters. The book follows the trajectory of Morgaine (M ...

''; and the 2002 mini series ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

'' starring

Jeremy Sisto Jeremy Merton Sisto (born October 6, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Billy Chenowith in HBO's '' Six Feet Under'', NYPD Detective Cyrus Lupo in NBC's ''Law & Order'', George Altman in the ABC sitcom '' Suburgatory'', ...

Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Prolific in film, television and on stage, Walken is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Awa ...

and the late

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in '' This Sporting ...

in his penultimate role. In 2004 he directed a TV two-parter '' Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King'', based on the Volsunga saga and the

Nibelungenlied The ( gmh, Der Nibelunge liet or ), translated as ''The Song of the Nibelungs'', is an epic poem written around 1200 in Middle High German. Its anonymous poet was likely from the region of Passau. The is based on an oral tradition of Germani ...

. In 2008, his film ''

The Baader Meinhof Complex ''The Baader Meinhof Complex'' (german: Der Baader Meinhof Komplex, ) is a 2008 German drama film directed by Uli Edel. Written and produced by Bernd Eichinger, it stars Moritz Bleibtreu, Martina Gedeck, and Johanna Wokalek. The film is based ...

'' was released in Germany. The critically acclaimed drama was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

Filmography

Director * ''Der kleine Soldat'' (1971, short) * ''Tommy kehrt zurück'' (1973) * ''Der harte Handel'' (1978, TV film) — (based on a novel by

Oskar Maria Graf Oskar Maria Graf (July 22, 1894 – June 28, 1967) was a German-American writer who wrote several narratives about life in Bavaria, mostly autobiographical. In the beginning, Graf wrote under his real name Oskar Graf. After 1918, his works for ...

) * ' (1979, TV film) — (based on a novel by Franz Josef Wagner) * ''

Christiane F. Christiane Vera Felscherinow (born 20 May 1962) is a German actress and musician who is best known for her contribution to the 1978 autobiographical book ''Christiane F.'' (original title: ), and the film and television miniseries based on the ...

'' (1981) — (based on the non-fiction book by

Kai Hermann Kai Hermann (born 29 January 1938) is a German journalist,Literauratlas: Kai Her ...

and Horst Rieck about

) * ''

A Kind of Anger ''A Kind of Anger'' is a novel by British thriller writer Eric Ambler, first published in 1964. Like many of Ambler's post-war novels the thriller plot is laced with elements of comedy. Plot summary A car comes hurtling down the drive of a rem ...

'' (1984, TV film) — (based on the novel ''

'' by

Eric Ambler Eric Clifford Ambler OBE (28 June 1909 – 22 October 1998) was an English author of thrillers, in particular spy novels, who introduced a new realism to the genre. Also working as a screenwriter, Ambler used the pseudonym Eliot Reed for bo ...

) * ''

'' (1989) — (based on the novel ''

'' by Hubert Selby Jr.) * ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cancellation in 1991. The show returned in 2017 ...

: Double Play'' (1991, TV series episode) * '' Body of Evidence'' (1992) * ''

Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

: Came the Dawn'' (1993, TV series episode) * '' Confessions of a Sorority Girl'' (1994, TV film) * ''

'' (1995, TV film) — (based on the non-fiction book by José Torres about

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is con ...

) * '' Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny'' (1996, TV film) — (biographical film about

Grigori Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (; rus, links=no, Григорий Ефимович Распутин ; – ) was a Russian Mysticism, mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Nicholas II of Russia, Nicholas II, the ...

) * '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' (1997–1998, TV series, 4 episodes) * '' Oz: Ancient Tribes'' (1998, TV series episode) * ''

'' (1999, TV film) * '' The Little Vampire'' (2000) — (based on the ''

Der kleine Vampir ''The Little Vampire'' (German: "''Der kleine Vampir''") is the title of a series of children's fantasy books created in 1979 by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg. The overall plot deals with the friendship between a human boy called Anton and Rüdiger, a ...

'' books by

Angela Sommer-Bodenburg Angela Sommer-Bodenburg (born December 18, 1948) is the author of a number of fantasy books for children. Her most famous contribution to the field of children's fantasy is '' The Little Vampire'' series, which has sold over 10 million copies and ...

) * ''

'' (2001, TV film) — (based on the novel ''

'' by

Marion Zimmer Bradley Marion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley (June 3, 1930 – September 25, 1999) was an American author of fantasy, historical fantasy, science fiction, and science fantasy novels, and is best known for the Arthurian fiction novel ''The Mists of Avalon'' an ...

) * '' King of Texas'' (2002, TV film) — (loosely based on

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane a ...

'') * ''

'' (2002, TV film) — (biographical film about

) * ''

Evil Never Dies ''Evil Never Dies'' is the debut studio album of thrash metal band Toxic Holocaust Toxic Holocaust is an American thrash metal music, thrash metal band from Portland, Oregon. History Joel Grind founded Toxic Holocaust in 1999. He originall ...

'' (2003, TV film) * '' Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King'' (2004, TV film) — (based on the ''

'') * ''

'' (2008) — (based on the non-fiction book by Stefan Aust about the

Red Army Faction The Red Army Faction (RAF, ; , ),See the section "Name" also known as the Baader–Meinhof Group or Baader–Meinhof Gang (, , active 1970–1998), was a West German far-left Marxist-Leninist urban guerrilla group founded in 1970. The ...

) * '' Times Change You'' (2010) — (based on the autobiography of the German rapper

Bushido is a moral code concerning samurai attitudes, behavior and lifestyle. There are multiple bushido types which evolved significantly through history. Contemporary forms of bushido are still used in the social and economic organization of Japan. ...

) * '' Hotel Adlon: A Family Saga'' (2013, TV miniseries) — (historical film about the

Hotel Adlon The Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin is a luxury hotel in Berlin, Germany. It is on Unter den Linden, the main boulevard in the central Mitte district, at the corner with Pariser Platz, directly opposite the Brandenburg Gate. The original Hotel Adlo ...

) * ''

Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...

'' (2014, TV film) — (biographical film about

Harry Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American Escapology, escape artist, Magic (illusion), magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his Escapology, escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to ...

) * ''

Pay the Ghost ''Pay the Ghost'' is a 2015 American thriller supernatural horror film directed by Uli Edel. The screenplay was written by Dan Kay, based on a short story of the same name by Tim Lebbon. The film stars Nicolas Cage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Veroni ...

'' (2015) — (based on a novelette by

Tim Lebbon Tim Lebbon (born 28 July 1969, London) is a British horror and dark fantasy writer. Life Lebbon was born in London. He lived in Devon until he was eight and then in Newport until the age of 26. He now lives in Goytre, Monmouthshire with his ...

) * '' The Club of the Singing Butchers'' (2019, TV film) — (based on the novel '' The Master Butchers Singing Club'' by

Louise Erdrich Louise Erdrich ( ; born Karen Louise Erdrich, June 7, 1954) is an American author of novels, poetry, and children's books featuring Native American characters and settings. She is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indian ...

) * '' Under the Pear Tree'' (2019, TV film) — (based on a novella by

Theodor Fontane Theodor Fontane (; 30 December 1819 – 20 September 1898) was a German novelist and poet, regarded by many as the most important 19th-century German-language realist author. He published the first of his novels, for which he is best known to ...

) Screenwriter * ''Perahim – die zweite Chance'' (dir. Hans W. Geißendörfer, 1974, TV film) — (based on a novel by C. Virgil Gheorghiu)

Awards

*1989

Bavarian Film Awards The Bavarian Film Awards (german: Bayerischer Filmpreis) have been awarded annually since 1979 by the state government of Bavaria in Germany for “exceptional achievement in German filmmaking.” Along with the German Film Awards, these are th ...

, Best Directo

*1997

Golden Globes 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 ...

, Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edel, Uli 1947 births Living people People from Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald University of Television and Film Munich alumni English-language film directors Mass media people from Baden-Württemberg Best Director German Film Award winners