Works of Mike Leigh

Last updated
Mike Leigh at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival Mike Leigh (Berlinale 2012).jpg
Mike Leigh at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival

Mike Leigh is an English director and writer known for his work in film, television and stage.

Contents

Film

YearTitleDirectorWriterDistributionRef.
1971 Bleak Moments YesYes BBC Films [1]
1983 Meantime YesYesPremiered at London Film Festival
Screened on Channel 4
[2]
1985 Four Days in July YesYesBBC Films [3]
1988 High Hopes YesYes Palace Pictures [4]
1990 Life Is Sweet YesYes [5]
1993 Naked YesYes First Independent Films [6]
1996 Secrets & Lies YesYes FilmFour Distributors [7]
1997 Career Girls YesYes [8]
1999 Topsy-Turvy YesYes Pathé Distribution [9]
2002 All or Nothing YesYes UGC Films UK [10]
2004 Vera Drake YesYes Momentum Pictures [11]
2008 Happy-Go-Lucky YesYes [12]
2010 Another Year YesYes [13]
2014 Mr. Turner YesYes [14]
2018 Peterloo YesYes Entertainment One/Amazon [15]
2024 Hard Truths YesYes StudioCanal [16]

Short films

YearTitleDirectorWriterNotes
1982"The Birth of the Goalie of the 2001 F.A. Cup Final"
"Old Chums"
"Probation"
"A Light Snack"
"Afternoon"
YesYes5-part BBC series of short films
entitled Five Minute Films
1987"The Short and Curlies"YesYesScreened on Channel 4
1992"A Sense of History"YesNoScreened on Channel 4
2012"A Running Jump"YesYesReleased 24 June 2012 (UK)

Acting roles

Television

Plays

YearTitleDirectorWriterNotes
1973 Hard Labour YesYes BBC Play for Today
1975"The Permissive Society"YesYesBBC Second City Firsts
1976 Nuts in May YesYesBBC Play for Today
Knock for Knock YesYesBBC Second City Firsts, lost
1977 Kiss of Death YesYesBBC Play for Today
1977 Abigail's Party YesYesBBC Play for Today
1979Who's WhoYesYes
1980 Grown-Ups YesYes BBC2 Playhouse
1982 Home Sweet Home YesYes BBC Play for Today

Series

YearTitleDirectorWriterNotes
1963 Maigret NoNoActor: "Paul"
Dir: Series 4, Episode 6: "The Flemish Shop"
1973 Scene YesNoDir: "A Mug's Game?" (8 March 1973)
2009Teatr telewizjiNoYesEpisode: "Przyjecie" (25 May 2009)

Theatre

YearTitleVenue
1965 The Box Play Midlands Art Centre, Birmingham
1966My Parents Have Gone to Carlisle
The Last Crusade of Five Little Nuns
1968Individual Fruit PiesEast–15 Acting School, London
Down Here Up There Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, London
1969Glum Victoria and the Lad with Specs Manchester Youth Theatre
1970 Bleak Moments Open Space Theatre, London
1971A Rancid PongBasement Theatre, London
1973 Dick Whittington and His Cat Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, London
Wholesome Glory
The Jaws of Death Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh
1974Babies Grow Old Royal Shakespeare Company
The Silent Majority Bush Theatre
1977 Abigail's Party Hampstead Theatre
1979 Too Much of a Good Thing Radio Play
Ecstasy Hampstead Theatre, London
1981
1998
Goose-Pimples Garrick Theatre, London
Judith Anderson Theater, Off-Broadway [17]
1988Smelling a Rat Hampstead Theatre, London
1989 Greek Tragedy Belvoir St Theatre, Australia
Edinburgh Festival
Theatre Royal, Stratford East
1993It's a Great Big Shame! Theatre Royal, Stratford East
2005Two Thousand Years National Theatre, London
2011Grief Cottesloe Theatre, London

Recurring collaborators

The following is a list of actors which collaborated with Mike Leigh on an ongoing basis. The list only includes Leigh’s feature films.

Work
Actor
19831988199019931996199719992002200420082010201420182024
Dorothy Atkinson Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Michele Austin Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Marion Bailey Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Mark Benton Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Elizabeth Berrington Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Jim Broadbent Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Katrin Cartlidge Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Eileen Davies Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Phil Davis Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Edna Doré Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Karina Fernandez Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Vincent Franklin Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Marianne Jean-Baptiste Black x.svgBlack x.svg
Paul Jesson Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Sam Kelly Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Sally Hawkins Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Oliver Maltman Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Eddie Marsan Black x.svgBlack x.svg
Lesley Manville Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Sinead Matthews Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Martin Savage Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Judith Scott Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Ruth Sheen Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Timothy Spall Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Imelda Staunton Black x.svgBlack x.svg
Alison Steadman Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Peter Wight Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg

Reception

TitleRating
Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
Bleak Moments71 (7 reviews) [18]
Meantime80% (10 reviews) [19] 69 (unknown reviews) [20]
Four Days in July
High Hopes92% (13 reviews) [21] 84 (12 reviews) [22]
Life is Sweet93% (15 reviews) [23] 88 (18 reviews) [24]
Naked88% (60 reviews) [25] 85 (21 reviews) [26]
Secrets & Lies96% (45 reviews) [27] 92 (27 reviews) [28]
Career Girls88% (25 reviews) [29] 76 (25 reviews) [30]
Topsy-Turvy90% (89 reviews) [31] 90 (31 reviews) [32]
All or Nothing82% (93 reviews) [33] 72 (31 reviews) [34]
Vera Drake93% (161 reviews) [35] 83 (40 reviews) [36]
Happy-Go-Lucky93% (163 reviews) [37] 84 (34 reviews) [38]
Another Year92% (173 reviews) [39] 81 (36 reviews) [40]
Mr. Turner97% (196 reviews) [41] 94 (44 reviews) [42]
Peterloo67% (162 reviews) [43] 66 (34 reviews) [44]

Related Research Articles

Katrin Juliet Cartlidge was an English actress. She first appeared on screen as Lucy Collins in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside (1982–1983), before going on to win the 1997 Evening Standard Film Award for Best Actress for the Mike Leigh film Career Girls. Her other film appearances included Leigh's Naked (1993), Before the Rain (1994), Breaking the Waves (1996) and From Hell (2001).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Broadbent</span> British actor (born 1949)

James Broadbent is an English actor. A graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 1972, he came to prominence as a character actor for his many roles in film and television. He's received various accolades including an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Leigh</span> English writer and director (born 1943)

Mike Leigh is an English writer-director with a career spanning film, theatre and television. He has received numerous accolades, including prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, the Venice International Film Festival, three BAFTA Awards, and nominations for seven Academy Awards. He also received the BAFTA Fellowship in 2014, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1993 Birthday Honours for services to the film industry.

<i>Topsy-Turvy</i> 1999 British film by Mike Leigh

Topsy-Turvy is a 1999 British musical period drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh, starring Jim Broadbent as W. S. Gilbert and Allan Corduner as Sir Arthur Sullivan, along with Timothy Spall, Lesley Manville and Ron Cook. The story concerns the 15-month period in 1884 and 1885 leading up to the premiere of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado. The film focuses on the creative conflict between playwright and composer, and their decision to continue their partnership, which led to their creation of several more Savoy operas.

<i>Vera Drake</i> 2004 British film

Vera Drake is a 2004 British period drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh and starring Imelda Staunton, Phil Davis, Daniel Mays and Eddie Marsan. It tells the story of a working-class woman in London in 1950 who performs illegal abortions. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and it was nominated for three Academy Awards and won three BAFTAs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Spall</span> English actor (born 1957)

Timothy Leonard Spall is an English actor and presenter. Spall gained recognition for his character actor roles on stage and screen. He is known for his collaborations with director Mike Leigh, acting in six of his films: Home Sweet Home (1982), Life is Sweet (1990), Secrets & Lies (1996), Topsy-Turvy (1999), All or Nothing (2002), and Mr. Turner (2014). He was nominated for the BAFTA for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his role in Secrets and Lies, and received the Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award for his portrayal of J. M. W. Turner in Mr. Turner. In 2000, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison Steadman</span> British actress (born 1946)

Alison Steadman is an English actress. She received the 1991 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress for the Mike Leigh film Life Is Sweet and the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for her role as Mari in the original production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice. In a 2007 Channel 4 poll, the ‘50 Greatest Actors’ voted for by other actors, she was ranked 42.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesley Manville</span> British actress (born 1956)

Lesley Ann Manville is an English actress known for her frequent collaborations with Mike Leigh, appearing in the films Grown-Ups (1980), High Hopes (1988), Secrets & Lies (1996), Topsy-Turvy (1999), All or Nothing (2002), Vera Drake (2004), Another Year (2010), and Mr. Turner (2014). She has been nominated for two British Academy Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in Another Year (2010) and Phantom Thread (2017), with her performance in the latter earning her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Georgina Lowe is a British film and television producer, who has produced director Mike Leigh's films since 2009.

<i>Happy-Go-Lucky</i> (2008 film) 2008 British film

Happy-Go-Lucky is a 2008 British comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh. The screenplay focuses on a cheerful and optimistic primary school teacher and her relationships with those around her. The film was well received by critics and resulted in a number of awards for Mike Leigh's direction and screenplay, lead actress Sally Hawkins's performance, and Eddie Marsan's performance in a supporting role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marion Bailey</span> British actress

Marion Bailey is an English actress. She is best known for her work with her partner, filmmaker Mike Leigh, including the films Meantime (1983), All or Nothing (2002), Vera Drake (2004), Mr. Turner (2014), for which she was nominated Supporting Actress of the Year by the London Film Critics' Circle, and Peterloo (2018). In 2019 and 2020, she portrayed Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in the third and fourth seasons of The Crown on Netflix, for which she won a Screen Actors Guild award winner for best ensemble in 2020 and 2021.

Heather Craney is an English actress, known for portraying Joyce Drake in Vera Drake, Alison Weaver in Life of Riley and Emily Holroyd in Torchwood.

The 34th National Society of Film Critics Awards, given on 8 January 2000, honored the best filmmaking of 1999.

Thin Man Films is a British film production company, based in London. It was founded in 1988 by director Mike Leigh and producer Simon Channing Williams to produce Mike Leigh's films. They chose the company name because both founders were the opposite of it.

Eve Stewart is a British production designer. She grew up in Camden Town and later trained in film, originally working in theatre. She later became a set designer, starting with Naked in 1993. In 1999, she received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Production Design for Topsy-Turvy. She later began a collaboration with director Tom Hooper, working on Elizabeth I, The Damned United, The King's Speech, Les Misérables, and The Danish Girl.

<i>Mr. Turner</i> 2014 film by Mike Leigh

Mr. Turner is a 2014 biographical drama film based on the last 25 years of the life of artist J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851). Written and directed by Mike Leigh, the film stars Timothy Spall in the title role, with Dorothy Atkinson, Paul Jesson, Marion Bailey, Lesley Manville, and Martin Savage. It premiered in competition for the Palme d'Or at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, where Spall won the award for Best Actor and Dick Pope received a special jury prize for the film's cinematography.

Francesca Jaynes is an English choreographer and movement director who works in many disciplines within the entertainment industry, including feature films, theatre and commercials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy Atkinson</span> English actress and singer

Dorothy Caroline Atkinson is an English actress and singer. She has appeared in several plays by playwright Alan Ayckbourn and in films by Mike Leigh, including Topsy-Turvy, All or Nothing, and Mr. Turner, which premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, and for which she was nominated for the BIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress.

<i>Peterloo</i> (film) 2018 film directed by Mike Leigh

Peterloo is a 2018 British historical drama, written and directed by Mike Leigh, based on the Peterloo Massacre of 1819. The film was selected to be screened in the main competition section of the 75th Venice International Film Festival. The film received its UK premiere on 17 October 2018, as part of the BFI London Film Festival, at HOME in Manchester. The screening marked the first time that the festival had held a premiere outside London. Leigh said he was delighted that Peterloo would be premiered "where it happened".

References

  1. "Bleak Moments (1971)". screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  2. "Meantime (1983)". screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  3. "FOUR DAYS IN JULY". mubi.com. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  4. "High Hopes (1988)". screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  5. "Life is Sweet (1990)". screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  6. "Naked (1993)". screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  7. "Secrets and Lies (1996)". screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  8. "CAREER GIRLS (1997)". tcm.com. Archived from the original on 6 September 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  9. "Topsy-Turvy (1999)". bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  10. "All or Nothing (2002)". screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  11. "VERA DRAKE (2004)". bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  12. "Happy-go-lucky (2007)". bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  13. "Another Year (2010)". bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  14. "Mr. Turner (2014)". bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  15. Bleasdale, John (2 September 2018). "Peterloo first look: Mike Leigh's cudgel for a massacre". bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  16. Andreas, Wiseman (14 May 2023). "Mike Leigh Underway On New Movie, Plot Detail Revealed". deadline.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  17. "Leigh's Goose-Pimples To Rise Again at NY's Intar, Jan. 23". Playbill. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  18. "Bleak Moments". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  19. "MEANTIME". Fandango Media . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  20. "Meantime". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  21. "HIGH HOPES". Fandango Media . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  22. "High Hopes". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  23. "LIFE IS SWEET". Fandango Media . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  24. "Life is Sweet". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  25. "NAKED". Fandango Media . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  26. "Naked". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  27. "SECRETS & LIES". Fandango Media . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  28. "Secrets & Lies". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  29. "CAREER GIRLS". Fandango Media . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  30. "Career Girls". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  31. "TOPSY-TURVY". Fandango Media . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  32. "Topsy-Turvy". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  33. "ALL OR NOTHING". Fandango Media . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  34. "All or Nothing". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  35. "VERA DRAKE". Fandango Media . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  36. "Vera Drake". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  37. "HAPPY-GO-LUCKY". Fandango Media . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  38. "Happy-Go-Lucky". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  39. "ANOTHER YEAR". Fandango Media . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  40. "Another Year". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  41. "MR. TURNER". Fandango Media . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  42. "Mr. Turner". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  43. "PETERLOO". Fandango Media . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  44. "Peterloo". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 December 2023.