Ocassional director Stephen Daldry has a Midas touch with actors, having launched the career of Jamie Bell and directed Nicole Kidman to Best Actress Oscar winning effect.
Stephen Daldry
Born: May 2nd 1961
Where: Dorset, UK

With three movies in eight years British stage and film director Stephen Daldry clearly picks up the megaphone only when the mood takes him.  

He spent part of his formative years as a member of a youth drama group in Taunton, and during his time at Sheffield University he joined a program run by the Royal Air Force but met Eddie Izzard and decided that showbiz was his thing.

He became chair of the university's drama club and then worked as an associate artist for Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, where his interest in the arts was really nurtured.

In 1989, Stephen began directing stage productions at The Gate Theatre in West London, where he worked until 1992. He then moved on to the position of artistic director at the Royal Court Theatre, also in London, where he first achieved some critical recognition with his interpretation of An Inspector Calls.

In 1994 Stephen debuted on Broadway with An Inspector Calls, which won him a Tony award, and after another couple of plays, he turned to TV.

Towards the end of the 90s Stephen's professional interest in the world of film grew and he signed a three-year directing deal with Working Title Films, and later formed Stephen Daldry Films.

His first BAFTA nomination was for the short film Eight, after which he turned back to the stage to direct David Hare in the one-person show Via Dolorosa in London and on Broadway.

Stephen's feature debut as director came fifteen years into his career. The film was called Dancer, and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The title was later changed to Billy Elliot - a film which won him a best director Oscar nomination and huge critical recognition.  It also launched Jamie Bell onto the world stage.

In 2002 his next film, The Hours, was equally well received, garnering nine Academy Award nominations, including a second Best Director nod, and a win for Nicole Kidman. 

He directed a stage version of Billy Elliott before returning to film in 2008 for an adaptation of the controversial German book, The Reader, which has received the large numbers of award nominations that have become standard for a Stephen Daldry film.