Antonia Bird facts for kids

Antonia Jane Bird (born May 27, 1951 – died October 24, 2013) was a talented English director and producer. She made many TV shows and movies. She was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, which is a special honor.

Antonia Bird's Journey in Entertainment

Starting in Theatre

Antonia Bird began her career in 1968 when she was just 17 years old. She started working in theatre as an assistant stage manager at Coventry Rep. A repertory theatre is where actors perform different plays regularly.

She learned many different jobs in theatre. These included acting, managing the stage, handling publicity, and even directing plays. She directed a season of plays at The Studio at Chester Theatre. Later, she joined Leicester's Phoenix Theatre as a director.

Moving to Television

In 1978, Antonia became a resident director at the famous Royal Court Theatre in London. She was also put in charge of the Royal Court's Theatre Upstairs, which was a top place for new plays.

Her first TV show was Submariners in 1983. It was based on one of her theatre plays for the BBC. She was then asked to direct the popular TV series EastEnders in 1985. She directed 17 episodes, including a special episode with only two characters, Den Watts and Angie Watts.

Directing Popular TV Shows and Films

Antonia also helped direct Casualty when it first started in 1986. This show is about hospital emergencies. After that, she directed a six-part TV series called The Men's Room (1991).

Her next project was a film called A Masculine Ending (1992). Then came Safe (1993), a TV film about young homeless people in London's West End. Safe won a BAFTA award for Best Single Drama. It also won awards at film festivals, including the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

This film helped Antonia get noticed around the world. But her next film, Priest (1994), became even more famous.

Later Works and Awards

Antonia Bird continued to work on many exciting projects. She directed a gangster film called Face (1997). She also directed the horror film Ravenous (1999), which starred Guy Pearce and Robert Carlyle.

In 2005, she produced Faith, a film about the 1984–1985 national miners' strike. She was also an executive producer for the Iraqi film Son of Babylon in 2009.

Antonia won a BAFTA Children's Award in 2009 for her BBC documentary Off By Heart. This documentary was about a national poetry competition for schoolchildren.

In 2010, she directed A Passionate Woman for the BBC. Her last major work was directing the first four episodes of the BBC drama The Village in 2012. The second series of The Village included a special message in her memory.

Important Groups She Joined

Antonia Bird was a member of several important groups in the film and TV world. These included:

• The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (who give out the Oscars)
• The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (who give out the BAFTAs)
• The Directors Guild of America
• Directors UK
• BECTU (a union for entertainment workers)
• She was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Her Passing

Antonia Bird passed away on October 24, 2013, at the age of 62. She died from a rare type of thyroid cancer. She was survived by her husband, Ian Ilet.

See Also

In Spanish: Antonia Bird para niños