Bruce Robinson

Last updated

Bruce Robinson
Hayfestival-2016-Bruce-Robinson-portrait.jpg
Robinson in 2016
Born (1946-05-02) 2 May 1946 (age 77)
London, England
Alma mater Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Occupations
  • Actor
  • screenwriter
  • director
Years active1967–present
Spouse
Sophie Windham
​
(m. 1984)​
Partner(s) Lesley-Anne Down
(1977–1979)
Children2
Awards BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
1984 The Killing Fields

Bruce Robinson (born 2 May 1946) is an English actor, director, screenwriter and novelist. He wrote and directed Withnail and I (1987), a film with comic and tragic elements set in London in the late 1960s, which drew on his experiences as a struggling actor, living in poverty in Camden Town. [1]

Contents

As an actor, he has worked with Franco Zeffirelli, Ken Russell and François Truffaut.

Early life

Bruce Robinson was born in London. He grew up in Broadstairs, Kent, where he attended the Charles Dickens Secondary Modern School. His parents were Mabel Robinson and American lawyer Carl Casriel, who had a short-term relationship during World War II. His father was a Lithuanian Jew. [2] As a child, Robinson was constantly brutally abused by his stepfather Rob (an ex RAF navigator and a wholesale newsagent), who knew the boy was not his son. [2] He had an elder sister Elly, whom he asked to teach him some French. [3]

Film career

Bruce Robinson and Lesley-Anne Down in the late 1970s Lesley-Anne Down & Bruce Robinson.jpg
Bruce Robinson and Lesley-Anne Down in the late 1970s
Robinson at the premiere of The Rum Diary Bruce Robinson 2011.jpg
Robinson at the premiere of The Rum Diary

In his youth, Robinson aspired to be an actor and was admitted to the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. His first film role was as Benvolio in Franco Zeffirelli's film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet (1968). He then appeared in Ken Russell's The Music Lovers (1970), Barney Platts-Mills's Private Road (1971) and François Truffaut's The Story of Adèle H. (1975). After spending several years out of work and living on social security payments, he became disenchanted and began writing screenplays. He was soon commissioned by David Puttnam to write the screenplay for Roland Joffé's The Killing Fields (1984). Robinson was nominated for an Academy Award and won a BAFTA for his work. In 1989, Robinson wrote again for Joffé on Fat Man and Little Boy . He returned to acting briefly in 1998, taking a role in the film Still Crazy .

He is perhaps best known as the creative force behind the loosely autobiographical film Withnail and I (1987) which he based on his time as a struggling out-of-work actor. [4] The character 'Withnail' is reportedly based on his friend, Vivian MacKerrell, the character 'I' (Marwood), on himself. Though unsuccessful at the box office, because of its success on video it has since been described as "one of Britain's biggest cult films". [5] The film also launched the acting career of Richard E. Grant.

Robinson's next two outings as a director ( How to Get Ahead in Advertising , teaming him again with Richard E. Grant, and Jennifer 8 , a Hollywood thriller) were not as well received. [6] Robinson became disillusioned with the restrictive film-making practices of Hollywood and stopped directing to concentrate solely on writing. He wrote the screenplays for the films Return to Paradise (1998) and In Dreams (1999), but both were altered drastically by their producers, leaving Robinson once again disappointed. [7]

Robinson eventually returned to directing with an adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's novel The Rum Diary , with the main role performed by Johnny Depp. [8] With Aaron Eckhart and Richard Jenkins also on board, filming started on 25 March 2009 in Puerto Rico. [9] It was released in 2011. In 2012, Robinson's comic novella Paranoia in the Launderette was substantially filled out and adapted for the screen as A Fantastic Fear of Everything starring Simon Pegg. Robinson has completed a screenplay for his novel The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman and a book on Jack the Ripper, titled They All Love Jack.

Author

Robinson is also a successful author. His first published work was the semi-autobiographical novel The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman in 1998, based on his own childhood growing up in Broadstairs, Kent. In 2000, Smoking in Bed: Conversations with Bruce Robinson, edited by Alistair Owen, was published, made up of a selection of interviews given by Robinson. Meanwhile, since becoming a father, Robinson has also written two children's books, The Obvious Elephant (2000) and Harold and the Duck (2005), both illustrated by his wife. The former is also available as an audiobook edition (2003), read by Lorelei King and Michael Maloney. He spent about 15 years collecting and researching the materials on the mystery of Jack the Ripper, which later became his book They All Love Jack: Busting the Ripper (2015). Robinson identified songwriter Michael Maybrick as his prime suspect for the killings. [10]

Personal life

Robinson married the artist Sophie Windham in 1984, and they reside in England. They have a daughter Lily and a son Willoughby.[ citation needed ]

Robinson claimed to have been the target of unwanted sexual advances by Franco Zeffirelli during the filming of Romeo and Juliet , in which Robinson played Benvolio. Robinson says that the lecherous character of Uncle Monty in the film Withnail and I was influenced by Zeffirelli. [11]

Filmography

Director/Writer

YearTitleDirectorWriterNotes
1984 The Killing Fields NoYes
1987 Withnail and I YesYes
1989 How to Get Ahead in Advertising YesYes
Fat Man and Little Boy NoYes
1992 Jennifer 8 YesYes
1998 Return to Paradise NoYes
1999 In Dreams NoYes
2011 The Rum Diary YesYes
2012 A Fantastic Fear of Everything NoNovellaBased on Paranoia in the Launderette (1998)

Actor

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<i>Romeo and Juliet</i> Tragedy by William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franco Zeffirelli</span> Italian filmmaker (1923–2019)

Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post–World War II era, gaining both acclaim and notoriety for his lavish stagings of classical works, as well as his film adaptations of the same. A member of the Forza Italia party, he served as the Senator for Catania between 1994 and 2001.

<i>Romeo and Juliet</i> (1968 film) Film by Franco Zeffirelli

Romeo and Juliet is a 1968 period romantic tragedy film, based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare. Directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli, the film stars Leonard Whiting as Romeo and Olivia Hussey as Juliet. Laurence Olivier spoke the film's prologue and epilogue and dubs the voice of Antonio Pierfederici, who played Lord Montague but was not credited on-screen. The cast also features Milo O'Shea, Michael York, John McEnery, Bruce Robinson, and Robert Stephens.

<i>Romeo + Juliet</i> 1996 film directed by Baz Luhrmann

William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet is a 1996 romantic crime film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It is a modernized adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name, albeit still utilizing Shakespearean English. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the title roles of two teenagers who fall in love, despite their being members of feuding families. Brian Dennehy, John Leguizamo, Miriam Margolyes, Harold Perrineau, Pete Postlethwaite, Paul Sorvino and Diane Venora also star in supporting roles. It is the third major film version of the play, following adaptations by George Cukor in 1936 and by Franco Zeffirelli in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivia Hussey</span> English actress (born 1951)

Olivia Hussey is an English film, stage, and television actress. Her awards include a Golden Globe Award and a David di Donatello Award. The daughter of Argentine opera singer Andrés Osuna, Hussey was born in Buenos Aires and spent most of her early life in her mother's native England. She aspired to become an actress at a young age and studied drama for five years at Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London.

<i>Romeo and Juliet</i> (1936 film) 1936 film by George Cukor

Romeo and Juliet is a 1936 American film adapted from the play by William Shakespeare, directed by George Cukor from a screenplay by Talbot Jennings. The film stars Leslie Howard as Romeo and Norma Shearer as Juliet, and the supporting cast features John Barrymore, Basil Rathbone, and Andy Devine.

<i>Withnail and I</i> 1987 British film by Bruce Robinson

Withnail and I is a 1987 British black comedy film written and directed by Bruce Robinson. Loosely based on Robinson's life in London in the late 1960s, the plot follows two unemployed actors, Withnail and "I" who share a flat in Camden Town in 1969. Needing a holiday, they obtain the key to a country cottage in the Lake District belonging to Withnail's eccentric uncle Monty and drive there. The weekend holiday proves less recuperative than they expected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tybalt</span> Character in Romeo and Juliet

Tybalt is a character in William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. He is the son of Lady Capulet's brother, Juliet's short-tempered first cousin, and Romeo's rival. Tybalt shares the same name as the character Tibert / Tybalt "the prince of cats" in the popular story Reynard the Fox, a point of mockery in the play. Mercutio repeatedly calls Tybalt "prince of cats", in reference to his sleek, yet violent manner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benvolio</span> Character in Romeo and Juliet

Benvolio is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet. He is Lord Montague's nephew and Romeo's cousin. Benvolio serves as an unsuccessful peacemaker in the play, attempting to prevent violence between the Capulet and Montague families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Count Paris</span> Character in Romeo and Juliet

Count Paris or County Paris is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. He is a suitor of Juliet. He is handsome, wealthy, and a kinsman to Prince Escalus.

Roy Trevor Holder was an English film and television actor who appeared in various programmes including Ace of Wands, Z-Cars, Spearhead, the Doctor Who serial The Caves of Androzani. His first notable appearance on the screen was in the 1961 film Whistle Down the Wind and he then appeared in Franco Zeffirelli's The Taming of the Shrew (1967), and Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1967).

Dyson Lovell is a British film producer and actor. He produced amongst others, Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet, starring Mel Gibson (1990), and Francis Ford Coppola's 1984 box-office flop The Cotton Club, starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane. He has received four Emmy Award, and three Golden Globe nominations for his work as a producer in television.

<i>Romeo and Juliet</i> (1954 film) 1954 film by Renato Castellani

Romeo and Juliet is a 1954 film adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy of the same name. It is directed and written for the screen by Renato Castellani, and stars Laurence Harvey as Romeo and newcomer Susan Shentall as Juliet, with Flora Robson, Mervyn Johns, Bill Travers, Sebastian Cabot, Enzo Fiermonte and John Gielgud. A British and Italian co-production, it was released in the United Kingdom by General Film Distributors on September 1, 1954.

<i>Romeo and Juliet</i> on screen

William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet may be one of the most-screened plays of all time. The most notable theatrical releases were George Cukor's multi-Oscar-nominated 1936 production Romeo and Juliet, Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film Romeo and Juliet, and Baz Luhrmann's 1996 MTV-inspired Romeo + Juliet. The latter two were both, at the time, the highest-grossing Shakespeare films. Cukor featured the mature actors Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard as the teenage lovers while Zeffirelli populated his film with beautiful young people, and Baz Luhrmann produced a heavily cut fast-paced version aimed at teenage audiences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Warwick</span> British actor (1945–1997)

Richard Warwick was an English actor.

Keith Skinner is a British actor, crime historian and author.

A film à clef is a film describing real life, behind a façade of fiction. "Key" in this context means a table one can use to swap out the names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauderdale Maitland</span> British actor

Lauderdale Valentine John Maitland was a British stage and film actor.

<i>Romeo & Juliet</i> (2013 film) 2013 film

Romeo & Juliet is a 2013 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy. Written by Julian Fellowes and directed by Carlo Carlei, it stars Douglas Booth, Hailee Steinfeld, Damian Lewis, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ed Westwick, Stellan Skarsgård and Paul Giamatti. The film opened in the United Kingdom and the United States on 11 October 2013. While remaining faithful to the original plot, it uses only some of the dialogue written by Shakespeare. This has led to several critics denouncing the film on the grounds that it loses the essence of the play. The film grossed $3 million.

<i>Private Road</i> 1971 film

Private Road is a 1971 British drama film directed by Barney Platts-Mills and starring Susan Penhaligon and Bruce Robinson. It was Platts-Mills second feature, following his debut with Bronco Bullfrog.

References

  1. ↑ Interview by Robert Chalmers (20 February 2011). "The Independent on Sunday, The New Review, p.15, 20 February 2011". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  2. 1 2 Brown, Mick (2 October 2015). "Jack the Ripper: Has Bruce Robinson solved the world's most famous crime?". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  3. ↑ "How one man revealed Jack the Ripper's identity: the full story". GQ. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  4. ↑ "BFI Screenonline: Withnail and I (1986)". Screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  5. ↑ Russell, Jamie. "How "Withnail & I" Became a Cult". BBC. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  6. ↑ "BFI Screenonline: Robinson, Bruce (1946–) Biography". Screenonline.org.uk. 2 May 1946. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  7. ↑ "Bruce Robinson | Britmovie | Home of British Films". Britmovie. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  8. ↑ "Withnail's Bruce Robinson To Direct The Rum Diary | Movie News | Empire". Empireonline.com. 5 December 2006. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  9. ↑ "The Rum Diary Now Filming". IGN . 2 April 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  10. ↑ Smith, P.D. (3 October 2015). "They All Love Jack: Busting the Ripper by Bruce Robinson review – a huge establishment cover-up". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  11. ↑ Murphy, Peter. "Interview with Bruce Robinson". Archived from the original on 7 July 2007. Retrieved 7 August 2007.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.