Stephen Daldry

Stephen David Daldry, CBE, born 2 May 1960 is an English theatre and film director and producer, as well as a three-time Academy Award nominated and Tony Award winning director, most known for films like Billy Elliot (2000), The Hours (2002) and The Reader (2008).


Daldry was born in Dorset, England, the son of bank manager Patrick Daldry and singer Cherry (née Thompson). The family moved to Taunton, Somerset, where when Daldry was aged 14, his father died of cancer.
After this, Daldry joined a youth theatre group in Taunton, and then aged 18 won a Royal Air Force scholarship to University of Sheffield to study English, where he became chairman of SuTCo (Sheffield University Theatre Company).


Daldry began his career at the Sheffield Crucible with Artistic Director Clare Venables where he directed many productions. He also headed many productions at the Manchester Library Theatre, Liverpool Playhouse, Stratford East, Oxford Stage, Brighton and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He was also Artistic Director of the Royal Court Theatre from 1992-8, where he headed the £26 million development scheme. He was also Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre, London (1989–92) and the Metro Theatre Company (1984-6). He is currently on the Board of the Young and Old Vic Theatres and remains an Associate Director of the Royal Court Theatre. He was the Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre for 2002 at St Catherine's College, Oxford. He won awards on Broadway as well as the West End.
Daldry made his feature film directorial debut in 2000 with Billy Elliot. His next film was The Hours, and it won Best Actress at the Academy Awards for Nicole Kidman. Recently, he directed a stage musical adaptation of Billy Elliot, and in 2009 his work on Billy Elliot the Musical earned him a Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical. He has also done a film version of The Reader, based on the book of the same name and starring Kate Winslet, David Kross, and Ralph Fiennes. Again, it won Best Actress at the Academy Awards for Kate Winslet. He has received an Academy Award nomination for directing each of his three films.


Daldry describes himself as a gay man because people prefer it ("they don't like confusion"), has been married since 2001 to American performance artist and magazine editor Lucy Sexton, with whom he has a daughter, Annabel Clare (born 2003).
He was previously in a relationship with set designer Ian MacNeil for 13 years.[11] They met at an outdoor production of Alice in Wonderland in Lancaster in 1988, and after settling in a bedsit in Camberwell, began collaborating on theatrical productions.


1993: Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director of a Play – An Inspector Calls
1994: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play – An Inspector Calls
1994: Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director of a Play – Machinal
1994: Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play – An Inspector Calls
2000: BAFTA Award for Best British Film – Billy Elliot
2002: Vancouver Film Critics Circle Best Director – The Hours
2009: Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical - Billy Elliot the Musical
Nominations
2000: Academy Award for Best Director – Billy Elliot
2000: BAFTA Award Best Director – Billy Elliot
2001: César Award for Best Foreign Film – Billy Elliot
2002: Directors Guild of AmericaOutstanding Directing – Motion Pictures – The Hours
2002: Golden Globe Award for Best Director – Motion Picture – The Hours
2002: Satellite Award for Best Director – The Hours
2002: Academy Award for Best Director – The Hours
2002: BAFTA Award for Best British Film – The Hours
2002: BAFTA Award for Best Director – The Hours
2004: César Award for Best Foreign Film – The Hours
2008: Academy Award for Best Director – The Reader
2008: BAFTA Award for Best Director – The Reader
2008: Golden Globe Award for Best Director of a Motion Picture – The Reader
2008: Satellite Award for Best Director – The Reader