Frears, Stephen

   b. 1941, Leicester

   Film-maker

   Stephen Frears began his career in theatre direction before moving to television drama in the 1970s. He made his name in cinema as assistant director to Lindsay Anderson on If (1968). My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), his third film as director, was met with critical acclaim and, ultimately, helped launch a career in Hollywood. Although The Grifters (1990) and Dangerous Liaisons (1988) both received Oscar nominations, Frears’ proclivity towards ‘difficult’ social issues—reflected in earlier projects like Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987) and Prick Up Your Ears (1987) —has militated away from sustained commercial success in America. This emphasis on story over style has precipitated a return to less conspicuously mainstream ventures such as The Snapper (1993) and The Van (1996), both adapted from Roddy Doyle’s Barrytown Trilogy.

   MATTHEW GRICE