Alan Parker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sir Alan Parker CBE
Alan Parker, April 2008
Born	Alan William Parker (1944-02-14)14 February 1944 Islington, London, England
Died	31 July 2020(2020-07-31) (aged 76) London, England
Education	Dame Alice Owen's School
Occupation	Filmmaker
Years active	1971–2003
Spouse(s)	Annie Inglis ​ ​ (m. 1966; div. 1992)​ Lisa Moran
Children	5, including Nathan

Sir Alan William Parker (born February 14, 1944 – died July 31, 2020) was a very talented English filmmaker. He started his career making TV commercials. Many of these ads won awards for being creative. After about ten years, he began writing and directing movies.

Parker was famous for using many different filmmaking styles. He worked on all sorts of movies. These included musicals like Bugsy Malone (1976) and Fame (1980). He also directed true-story dramas such as Midnight Express (1978). Other films were family dramas, horrors, and thrillers.

His films won many important awards. These included nineteen BAFTA awards, ten Golden Globes, and six Academy Awards (Oscars). His movie Birdy won a special prize at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival. Alan Parker was honored with a CBE and was knighted in 2002. This means he became "Sir Alan Parker" for his great work in the British film industry.

Early Life and First Steps

Alan Parker was born in Islington, North London. His family was working-class. His mother was a dressmaker, and his father was a house painter. He grew up on a council estate. This made him feel connected to his working-class roots.

Parker said he always felt like he was studying for exams. His friends were often out having fun. He didn't plan to become a film director. No one in his family was involved in movies. But he did enjoy photography, which was a hobby inspired by his uncles.

He went to Dame Alice Owen's School. He focused on science in his last year. At eighteen, he left school to work in advertising. He hoped this would be a good way to meet people.

Alan Parker's Career Journey

Starting in Advertising (1962–1975)

Alan Parker's first job was in the mailroom of an advertising agency. This was Ogilvy & Mather in London. He really wanted to write. He would write essays and ads after work. Soon, he became a copywriter at the company.

Over the next few years, Parker worked for different agencies. He became very good at writing ads. At one agency, Collett Dickenson Pearce, he met David Puttnam and Alan Marshall. These two would later produce many of his films. Parker said Puttnam encouraged him to write his first film script, Melody (1971).

By 1968, Parker was directing many successful TV commercials. In 1970, he and Marshall started their own company. It became one of Britain's best commercial production houses. They won many awards for their ads. One famous ad was for Cinzano vermouth. It starred Joan Collins and Leonard Rossiter.

After writing Melody in 1971, Parker directed his first short film. It was called No Hard Feelings (1973). He also wrote the script for it. This film was a sad love story set during the Blitz in London. The Luftwaffe bombed the city for 57 nights in a row. Parker was born during these bombings. He said the baby in the film "could well have been me."

He couldn't find money to make the film. So, he used his own savings and mortgaged his house. The BBC liked the film and showed it on TV in 1976. The BBC also hired Parker to direct The Evacuees (1975). This was another World War II story. It was about children being moved away from Manchester for safety. The Evacuees won a BAFTA award for best TV drama. It also won an Emmy for best International Drama.

Parker then wrote and directed his first full-length movie. This was Bugsy Malone (1976). It was a funny take on old American gangster films and musicals. But all the actors were children! The film received eight British Academy Award nominations. It won five awards, including two BAFTAs for Jodie Foster.

Big Successes (1978–1990)

Parker's next film was Midnight Express (1978). It was based on a true story. It was about Billy Hayes being in a Turkish prison and escaping. Parker wanted to make a very different film from Bugsy Malone. He wanted to show he could direct many styles.

The script was written by Oliver Stone. He won his first Academy Award for it. The music was by Giorgio Moroder, who also won his first Oscar. Midnight Express made Parker a top director. Both he and the film were nominated for Oscars. Its success meant he could choose which films to direct next.

Then came Fame (1980). This movie followed eight students at a performing arts high school in New York City. It was a huge hit at the box office. It even led to a TV show with the same name.

Actress Irene Cara said Alan Parker let the actors feel like real classmates. However, Parker was not allowed to film at the actual school. The school district worried he would make their high schools look bad, like he did with Turkish prisons in Midnight Express.

Parker's next film was Shoot the Moon (1982). It was about a couple breaking up in Northern California. Parker called it his "first grown-up film." He liked directing different types of movies. He felt it kept him "creatively fresher." The film's stars, Albert Finney and Diane Keaton, were nominated for Golden Globe awards.

This film was very personal for Parker. He said it made him think about his own marriage. He worked with writer Bo Goldman to make the story realistic. He said his marriage became "infinitely stronger" after making the film.

Also in 1982, Parker directed Pink Floyd – The Wall. This was a film version of the famous Pink Floyd rock opera. It starred Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof. Parker later said filming it was "one of the most miserable experiences" of his creative life. It wasn't a huge box office hit, but critics liked it. It became a cult classic.

Parker directed Birdy (1984). It starred Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage. The story was about two friends who returned from the Vietnam War. They were both hurt, mentally and physically. Parker loved the book by William Wharton. But he wasn't sure how to turn its poetry into a movie.

The film was a big success with critics. Many said it was one of Parker's best movies. The film's message was about "joyously life-affirming" ideas. This was a common theme in Parker's work. Critics noted his films combined "strong story and elegant frame."

With Mississippi Burning (1988), Parker was nominated for his second Oscar for Best Director. This film was based on a true story from 1964. It was about the murders of three civil rights workers. It starred Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe. Hackman was nominated for Best Actor. The film was nominated for five other Oscars and won for Best Cinematography.

Later Films (1991–2003)

In 1991, Parker directed The Commitments. This was a comedy about working-class people in Dublin. They form a soul band. The film was a success around the world. Its soundtrack album was also very popular.

To find actors, Parker visited many bands in Dublin. He met over 3,000 musicians. He chose young musicians, not famous actors. Most had no acting experience. He wanted the film to feel "truthful to the story." Parker said he could relate to the struggles of young Dubliners. He came from a similar background in London.

Film critic David Thomson said Parker showed "an unusual fondness for people, place, and music" in The Commitments. Parker said it was the "most enjoyable" film he ever made.

Evita (1996) was another musical. It starred Madonna, Antonio Banderas, and Jonathan Pryce. The music was from the earlier musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Parker remembered how much Madonna wanted to play Evita. She said she would "sing, dance and act her heart out," and she did. Evita was nominated for five Academy Awards. It won for Best Original Song, sung by Madonna.

Parker's next film was Angela's Ashes (1999). This drama was based on the real childhood of Frank McCourt. His family had to move from the United States back to Ireland. They faced many problems because of money troubles.

Colm Meaney, who was in The Commitments, noticed how different Parker's films were. He said Parker could go from Evita to Angela's Ashes. Parker explained that Angela's Ashes was his "reaction against a big film" like Evita. He tried to avoid "obvious movies." He wanted his films to stay with people. He felt the worst thing was to make "just another movie."

When Parker spoke to young filmmakers, he told them that new technology was less important than having something to say. He said, "If you haven't got something to say, I don't think you should be a filmmaker."

British film critic Geoff Andrew called Parker a "natural storyteller." He used dramatic lighting and strong characters. He often showed sympathy for people who were struggling.

Parker produced and directed The Life of David Gale (2003). This was a crime thriller. It starred Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet. It was about a man who fought against the capital punishment (death penalty). But then he was accused of murder and put on death row. The film got mostly negative reviews.

Personal Life

Alan Parker was married twice. First to Annie Inglis from 1966 to 1992. Then to producer Lisa Moran. He was married to Lisa until he passed away. He had five children, including the writer Nathan Parker.

Alan Parker died in London on July 31, 2020. He was 76 years old. He had been ill for a long time.

Honours and Awards

Alan Parker was nominated for many awards. These included eight BAFTA awards, three Golden Globes, and two Oscars. He helped start the Directors Guild of Great Britain. He also gave talks at film schools around the world.

In 1985, the British Academy gave him the Michael Balcon Award. This was for his great work in British Cinema. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1995. He was knighted in 2002 for his services to the film industry. In 1999, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of Great Britain.

He became chairman of the British Film Institute (BFI) in 1998. In 1999, he was the first chairman of the new UK Film Council. In 2005, he received an honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Sunderland. In 2013, he received the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award. This is the highest honor the British Academy can give a filmmaker.

The British Film Institute (BFI) honored Parker in 2015. They showed many of his films. He also gave an interview on stage. This event happened when he gave all his work materials to the BFI National Archive.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Alan Parker para niños