David Furnish

Last updated

David Furnish
David Furnish 2015.jpg
Furnish in 2015
Born
David James Furnish

(1962-10-25) 25 October 1962 (age 61)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada [1]
Education
Occupation(s)Filmmaker, producer, director
Years active1997present
Spouse
(m. 2014)
(civil partnership in 2005)
Children2

David James Furnish (born 25 October 1962) is a Canadian-British filmmaker and former advertising executive. He is the husband of English singer, pianist and composer Sir Elton John. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

David Furnish was born at Women's College Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Gladys and Jack Furnish, a director at the Bristol-Myers pharmaceutical company. [3] He has an older brother, John, and a younger brother, Peter. Furnish graduated from the Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute in 1981 and received an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration (HBA) from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario in 1985. [4]

Career

After graduation, he was recruited by the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather Canada in Toronto. At 27, he asked his firm to transfer him to their UK principal offices in London. Furnish flourished in England, becoming the firm's youngest Director of Account Services. [4]

Furnish is co-chief of Rocket Pictures along with his husband, Sir Elton John. Furnish serves on the board of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, attending fundraisers and other events in support of that cause.[ citation needed ]

Furnish is a contributing editor for Tatler magazine and also is a regular columnist for Interview and GQ .[ citation needed ]

In 2015, he was named one of GQ 's 50 best dressed men in Britain. [5]

In June 2019, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, Queerty named him, along with John, as one of the Pride50 "trailblazing individuals who actively ensure society remains moving towards equality, acceptance and dignity for all queer people". [6]

Personal life

Furnish began a relationship with singer Elton John in 1993. John proposed to Furnish in May 2005 at a dinner party with friends and family at one of their homes in Old Windsor. Furnish and John entered into a civil partnership on 21 December 2005, the first day that civil partnerships could be performed in England, in the town of Windsor, Berkshire. [7] Their first child, son Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, was born on 25 December 2010 in California via surrogacy. [7]

On 11 January 2013, the couple's second son, Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John, was born through the same surrogate. [8] After same-sex marriage became legal in England and Wales in March 2014, Furnish and John retroactively converted their civil partnership into a marriage and marked the occasion with a ceremony in Windsor on 21 December 2014, the ninth anniversary of their civil partnership. [9]

In 2016, Furnish sought an anonymised privacy injunction in the case PJS v News Group Newspapers Ltd . [10]

Filmography

Television

Theatre

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernie Taupin</span> British songwriter (born 1950)

Bernard John Taupin is an English-American lyricist and visual artist. He is most well known for his songwriting partnership with Elton John, recognised as one of the most successful partnerships of its kind in history. Taupin is behind the majority of John's songs, dating back to the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Hall (playwright)</span> British writer

Lee Hall is an English writer and lyricist. He is best known for writing the screenplay for the film Billy Elliot (2000) and the book and lyrics for its adaptation as a stage musical of the same name. In addition, he wrote the play The Pitmen Painters (2007), and the screenplays for the films War Horse and Rocketman (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dexter Fletcher</span> British actor and director

Dexter Fletcher is an English film director and actor. He has appeared in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, as well as in television shows such as the comedy drama Hotel Babylon and the HBO series Band of Brothers and, earlier in his career, starred as Spike Thomson in the comedy drama Press Gang. His earliest acting role was playing Baby Face in the 1976 film Bugsy Malone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Bell</span> English actor (born 1986)

Andrew James Matfin "Jamie" Bell is an English actor. He rose to prominence for his debut role in Billy Elliot (2000), for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, becoming one of the youngest winners of the award. He is also known for his leading roles as Tintin in The Adventures of Tintin (2011) and as Ben Grimm / Thing in Fantastic Four (2015).

John Reid is a music manager, known for being the manager and former partner of singer Elton John, as well as for managing the British rock band Queen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Gunn</span> American author, academic, and television personality

Timothy MacKenzie Gunn is an American author, academic, and television personality. He served on the faculty of Parsons School of Design from 1982 to 2007 and was chair of fashion design at the school from August 2000 to March 2007, after which he joined Liz Claiborne as its chief creative officer. Over 16 seasons, Gunn has become well known as the on-air mentor to designers on the reality television program Project Runway. Gunn's popularity on Project Runway led to two spin-off shows; Bravo's Tim Gunn's Guide to Style and Lifetime's Under the Gunn, as well as five books. In addition to being an executive producer, Gunn has served as mentor for the teen designers on Project Runway: Junior. He also provides the voice of Baileywick, the castle steward in the Disney Junior television show Sofia the First and narrated the sitcom Mixology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elton John</span> British singer, composer and pianist (born 1947)

Sir Elton Hercules John is a British singer, pianist and composer. Acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his work during the 1970s and for his lasting impact on the music industry, his music and showmanship have had a significant impact on popular music. His songwriting partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin is one of the most successful in history.

<i>Gnomeo & Juliet</i> 2011 computer-animated romantic comedy film

Gnomeo & Juliet is a 2011 British-Canadian animated romantic comedy film directed by Kelly Asbury from a screenplay by Rob Sprackling and John Smith. It is loosely based on the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and features the voices of James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Jason Statham, Maggie Smith, Ashley Jensen, Stephen Merchant, Matt Lucas, Jim Cummings, Julie Walters, Richard Wilson, Patrick Stewart, and Ozzy Osbourne. The story follows Gnomeo and Juliet, a pair of garden gnomes who fall in love, but due to the feud between their respective families, they must find a way to keep their blossoming romance a secret.

<i>Gnomeo & Juliet</i> (soundtrack) 2011 soundtrack album by Elton John, James Newton Howard and Chris Bacon

Gnomeo & Juliet is the soundtrack to the 2011 film Gnomeo & Juliet released on February 1, 2011 by Walt Disney Records' imprint label Buena Vista Records. The album featured music from Elton John, who was also the film's executive producer, who also composed two original songs for the film with lyrics by Bernie Taupin. The album also featured selections from James Newton Howard and Chris Bacon's score compositions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard James (tailor)</span>

Richard James is a bespoke Savile Row tailors and contemporary menswear company. It was founded in 1992 by designer Richard James, a graduate of Brighton College of Art and a former buyer for the London boutique Browns, and his business partner Sean Dixon. The Design and Brand Director is Toby Lamb, a graduate of Central Saint Martins. Richard James has won both the British Fashion Council's Menswear Designer of the Year and Bespoke Designer of the Year awards.

Rocket Pictures is a British film company founded in 1996 by Elton John to produce family and music-themed film and TV projects.

<i>Sherlock Gnomes</i> 2018 film by John Stevenson

Sherlock Gnomes is a 2018 3D animated mystery comedy film directed by John Stevenson. Based on the character Sherlock Holmes created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, it is a sequel to Gnomeo & Juliet (2011). The main cast all reprise their roles from the first film with the exception of Jason Statham, including James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Maggie Smith, Michael Caine, Ashley Jensen, Matt Lucas, Stephen Merchant, Ozzy Osbourne, Kelly Asbury, Julio Bonet, Julie Walters, and Richard Wilson, alongside new voice cast members including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mary J. Blige, Jamie Demetriou, Eve Webster, James Hong, Dan Starkey, Dexter Fletcher, Javone Prince, and Johnny Depp. The animation is provided by Mikros Image and Reel FX Creative Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taron Egerton</span> Welsh actor (born 1989)

Taron Egerton is a Welsh actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he performed in stage plays. Egerton gained recognition for his starring role as Gary "Eggsy" Unwin, a spy, in the action comedy films Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) and Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017).

Nico Santos is a Filipino-American actor known for portraying Oliver T'sien in Crazy Rich Asians and sales associate Mateo Liwanag in the NBC series Superstore. On December 10, 2018, Santos was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

<i>Rocketman</i> (film) 2019 film based on the life of Elton John

Rocketman is a 2019 biographical jukebox musical drama film based on the life, music and career of British musician Elton John. Directed by Dexter Fletcher and written by Lee Hall, the film tells the story of John in his early days in England as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music through his musical partnership with Bernie Taupin. The story is told through his music and is titled after John's 1972 song "Rocket Man". The film stars Taron Egerton as John, with Jamie Bell as Taupin, Richard Madden as John Reid, and Bryce Dallas Howard as Sheila Eileen, John's mother.

Gypsy Sport is an American fashion brand. The company is based in New York City and was founded in 2012 by its creative director Rio Uribe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunter Schafer</span> American actress and model (born 1998)

Hunter Schafer is an American actress and model. She made her acting debut as transgender high school student Jules Vaughn in the HBO teen drama television series Euphoria (2019–present). In 2023, she portrayed Tigris Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy O. Harris</span> American playwright and actor (born 1989)

Jeremy O. Harris is an American playwright, actor, and philanthropist. Harris gained prominence for his 2018 Slave Play, which received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Play. Harris is also known for his work in film and television. He produced and co-wrote the A24 film Zola (2021), for which he received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay. He acted in the HBO Max series Gossip Girl (2021), the Netflix series Emily in Paris (2022), and in the film The Sweet East (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again</span> 2019 single by Elton John and Taron Egerton

"(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" is a song from the 2019 biopic Rocketman. Written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, the song was performed by John and Taron Egerton, who portrayed John in the film. The song is heard in the end credits of the film. The official music video features both archival clips from John's early career as well as scenes from the film. The song won numerous accolades including "Best Original Song" at the 77th Golden Globe Awards, "Best Song" at the 25th Critics' Choice Awards, "Best Original Song" at the 24th Satellite Awards, and Best Original Song at the 92nd Academy Awards.

<i>Rocketman: Music from the Motion Picture</i> 2019 soundtrack album by Taron Egerton

Rocketman: Music from the Motion Picture is a soundtrack album released by Virgin EMI (UK) and Interscope Records (US) on CD and digital formats on 24 May 2019 and is the official soundtrack album to the 2019 biographical musical film of English musician Elton John entitled Rocketman. The album contains 22 tracks of several hits performed by the cast of the film and a newly written track "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" featuring vocals by Taron Egerton and John together. This is the only song featuring Elton. The song won the 2019 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song & the 2020 Academy Award for Best Original Song. The soundtrack was also released by Interscope Records on vinyl on 23 August 2019.

References

  1. Talk Talk. "David Furnish bio at TalkTalk.co.uk" . Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  2. "Photos: Sir Elton John and David Furnish marry · PinkNews". Pinknews.co.uk. 21 December 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  3. "Matt & Andrej Koymasky - Famous GLTB - David Furnish". andrejkoymasky.com. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Pride grand marshal David Furnish reflects on growing up gay in a very different Toronto". Toronto Star. 26 June 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  5. "50 Best Dressed Men in Britain 2015". GQ. 5 January 2015. Archived from the original on 7 January 2015.
  6. "Queerty Pride50 2019 Honorees". Queerty. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Elton John and David Furnish are dads". CNN. 28 December 2010. Archived from the original on 19 March 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  8. "Special Announcement". 16 January 2013. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  9. "Sir Elton John and David Furnish marry". BBC. 21 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  10. "British papers can report Furnish's infidelity". The Straits Times. 20 April 2016.
  11. Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras , retrieved 10 June 2019
  12. Elley, Derek (11 October 1999). "Women Talking Dirty". Variety. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  13. "In my view: Sex and Fashion: Inside Gucci". Manchester Evening News . 13 January 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  14. "Inside Versace Fame and Fashion (2002)". BFI. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  15. French, Philip (31 December 2006). "It's a Boy Girl Thing". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  16. Child, Ben (17 February 2009). "Pride and Predator to give Jane Austen an extreme makeover". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  17. "Gnomeo and Juliet: Exclusive interview with Elton John and David". The Independent. 9 February 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  18. "David Furnish". Billy Elliot Tour. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  19. Wagmeister, Elizabeth (27 January 2015). "HBO Orders Musical Period Drama Pilot From Elton John & 'True Blood' Creator". Variety. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  20. "British Council Film: Sherlock Gnomes". film.britishcouncil.org. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  21. "David Furnish says Elton John biopic Rocketman is giving him 'sleepless nights'". Irish Independent. 22 February 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  22. "Elton John Documentary 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' Lands At Disney In Mega Deal For Hybrid Release". Deadline. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.

Further reading