Mike Leigh, British director and scriptwriter, was born on February 20, 1943, in Salford. At first he wanted to become an actor. While he
was studying at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he got interested
in directing and scriptwriting, so he transferred to the London Film School. His
career as director and scriptwriter began in the theatre. After having directed
several projects on TV (in 1964 and 1970), in 1971 he directed his first film,
Bleak Moments, which attracted the attention of the critics but not of
the public. He returned to the theatre and directed several notable TV films.
Some of them were screened in cinemas, others on video, such as Meantime
(1981), Four Days in July (1984), Nuts in May (1976), Who's Who
(1978). The film High Hopes (1989) is considered as his first directorial
success. Four years later, with Naked, he received international acclaim.
In 1996, he shot Secrets and Lies, which won 5 Oscar nominations (among
others for best director). In 1997, he directed the poorly received drama
Career Girls, and two years later came Topsy-Turvy, that won two
Oscars out of four nominations. In 2002, he directed the widely praised feature
film All or Nothing.