Jim O'Brien (15 February 1947 – 13 February 2012) was a Scottish-born television and stage director. Born in Dundee, his mother worked as a jute weaver while his father was a building labourer with

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

sympathies, his family relocated to South London when O'Brien was two. Leaving Beaufoy’s Boys’ School in Lambeth at 15 without qualifications, he worked in casual jobs and became interested in acting. He trained as an actor at the Guildhall School and later as a film and television director at the

National Film and Television School The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is a film, television and games school established in 1971 and based at Beaconsfield Studios in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England. It is featured in the 2024 ranking by ''The Hollywood Repo ...

(NFTS), in the early 1970s. "I was interested in the scale of the arena, the scale of story telling", he said later. At the

Nottingham Playhouse Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in 1948 when it operated from a former cinema in Goldsmith Street. Directors during this period included Val May and F ...

, his performance in Barry Reckord's ''Skivers'' resulted in a Critics’ Nomination for Most Promising Newcomer to the English stage. He also directed productions at the Nottingham theatre. O'Brien was best known for co-directing (with Christopher Morahan) the much acclaimed 14-part serial '' The Jewel in the Crown'' (

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

, 1984), based on Paul Scott's novel sequence ''

The Raj Quartet ''The Raj Quartet'' is a four-volume novel sequence, written by Paul Scott, about the concluding years of the British Raj in India. The series was written during the period 1965–75. ''The Times'' called it "one of the most important l ...

''. The BBC's '' The Monocled Mutineer'' (1986), from scripts by

Alan Bleasdale Alan George Bleasdale (born 23 March 1946) is an English screenwriter, best known for social realist drama serials based on the lives of ordinary people. A former teacher, he has written for radio, stage and screen, and has also written novels ...

had a more mixed reception. Although O'Brien's skill as a director gained positive attention, the BBC's billing of the four-part serial's billing as a "true-life story" antagonised conservative critics as, although essentially factually based, it contains dramatic license. The feature film '' The Dressmaker'' (1988) is based on novel by

Beryl Bainbridge Dame Beryl Margaret Bainbridge (21 November 1932 – 2 July 2010) was an English writer. She was primarily known for her works of psychological fiction, often macabre tales set among the English working class. She won the Whitbread Awards priz ...

and set in Liverpool during the

second world war World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. His last television work was an adaptation of

Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Gerald du Maurier, Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her gra ...

's ''

Rebecca Rebecca () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical tradition, Rebecca's father was Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram, also called Aram-Naharaim. Rebecca's brother was Laban (Bi ...

'' (1997). From the late 1990s, he also taught at the NFTS. O'Brien married Christine Hauch in 1972; the couple had two sons.

Other credits

* ''

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ''The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'' (sometimes referred to as ''Young Indy'') is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 4, 1992, to July 24, 1993. Filming took place in various locations around the world, with "Old Indy" ...

'' ("Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal", TV, 1992)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien, Jim 1947 births 2012 deaths Mass media people from Dundee Male actors from Dundee