Mike Figgis
For Choice Brits, Mike Figgis introduces Simon Pummell’s Bodysong
Born in Carlisle, Cumbria, and with much of his early childhood spent in Kenya, Mike began work as a musician, first studying music in London and playing with the R&B band Gas Board, alongside lead singer Bryan Ferry.
He was a member of a British experimental theatre group - The People Show - before moving from theatre to direct The House, an acclaimed production for TV which led to his feature debut as writer/director, the Newcastle-set Stormy Monday (1988), a film noir starring Sting. He next headed for Hollywood where he directed the bad cop thriller Internal Affairs (1990) starring Richard Gere and Laurie Metcalf, and Liebestraum (1991) which followed the fortunes of two affairs a generation apart. Other subsequent features have included Mr. Jones (1993), again with Richard Gere, and the remake of Terrence Rattigan's The Browning Version (1994), before the hugely acclaimed Leaving Las Vegas (1995 which was showered with awards and nominations including nominations for both Oscar, Bafta and Golden Globe in 1996). The all-star One Night Stand (1997) was followed by The Loss of Sexual Innocence (1999), and Miss Julie (1999), before Mike revolutionised our idea of narrative possibilities with the split screen Timecode (2000) and multi-strand Hotel (2001). His creepy drama Cold Creek Manor (2003) starring Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone, opens in the UK in January.
Mike has continued to direct for television, with celebrated documentaries including Flamenco Women (1997) and The Battle of Orgreave (2001), as well as the recent Red, White and Blues section of the TV series The Blues this year.
In addition Mike’s career as writer/director, has been supplemented by spells as producer, and cinematographer, and significantly as composer, with his passion for music continuing with the composition of the scores for ten of his features from Stormy Monday to Cold Creek Manor.
Mike’s sister is Susie Figgis, the famed casting director who has worked with most of the UK’s finest directors including Richard Attenborough, Neil Jordan, Mike Newell, and Bill Forsyth . She cast brother Mike’s remake of The Browning Version in 1994.
For more about Mike Figgis see:
www.bbc.co.uk/films
www.film.guardian.co.uk
