John Boorman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sir John Boorman CBE
Boorman in Paris in November 2014
Born	(1933-01-18) 18 January 1933 (age 92) Shepperton, Middlesex, England
Occupation	Film director, producer, writer
Years active	1962–present
Spouse(s)	Christel Kruse ​ (m. 1956⁠–⁠1990)​ Isabella Weibrecht ​ ​ (m. 1995, divorced)​
Children	7 (1 deceased), including Charley Boorman and Katrine Boorman

Sir John Boorman is a famous British film director, producer, and writer. He was born on January 18, 1933. He is well-known for directing many popular movies. Some of his most famous films include Deliverance (1972), Excalibur (1981), and Hope and Glory (1987).

John Boorman has directed 20 films. He has been nominated for five Academy Awards, which are also known as the Oscars. He was nominated twice for Best Director. He has also received many other awards, including a special lifetime achievement award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in 2004. In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II made him a knight for his great work in film.

John Boorman's Early Life

John Boorman was born in Shepperton, Middlesex, England. His father, George Boorman, was a pub landlord. John went to the Salesian School in Chertsey, Surrey.

Starting His Film Journey

After school, John Boorman served in the military. He worked as a clerical instructor in the British Army. Later, he worked as a journalist and even a drycleaner.

He then started working in television. He became the head of the BBC's documentary unit in Bristol. In 1963, he wrote and directed a documentary about professional football. It was called Six Days to Saturday. It showed a week in the life of the Swindon Town football team.

Boorman in 1974

A producer noticed Boorman's talent. He was given the chance to direct a film called Catch Us If You Can (1965). This movie was about a pop group called the Dave Clark Five. It helped him get started in the film industry.

John Boorman then moved to Hollywood to make bigger films. He directed Point Blank (1967). This movie starred Lee Marvin. Boorman also worked with Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune on Hell in the Pacific (1968). This film tells the story of two soldiers stuck on an island.

After returning to the United Kingdom, Boorman made Leo the Last (1970). This film won him a Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Big Movies and Famous Faces

One of Boorman's most successful films was Deliverance (1972). It was based on a novel by James Dickey. The movie is about four city men who go whitewater-rafting. They face unexpected dangers in the Appalachian Mountains. This film was a big hit and earned Boorman many award nominations.

In the early 1970s, Boorman wanted to make a film of The Lord of the Rings. He even talked to the author, J. R. R. Tolkien. But the movie would have been too expensive to make. However, some of his ideas for that film can be seen in his movie Excalibur (1981).

He also directed Zardoz (1974), a science fiction movie starring Sean Connery. It is set in the future, where society is divided into two very different worlds.

Boorman directed Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977). This was a sequel to The Exorcist. The film was not well-received by critics. Boorman later said that making this film was a mistake.

Boorman at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in September 2006

Excalibur (1981) was a dream project for Boorman. It tells the story of the Arthurian legend. He filmed it in the Republic of Ireland, where he lived. Many of his children worked on the film as actors or crew members. The movie was a moderate success.

In 1985, he directed The Emerald Forest. This film had good reviews. Boorman came up with a new way to promote the film for the Academy Awards. He made VHS copies available for free to Academy members. This idea later became very common in Hollywood during award season.

Hope and Glory (1987) is a very personal film for Boorman. It tells the story of his own childhood in London during The Blitz (when London was bombed during World War II). This film was a big success in the US. It received many nominations for Oscars, BAFTAs, and Golden Globes.

Boorman at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival

In 1998, Boorman won the Best Director Award at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival for The General. This movie was about a famous criminal in Dublin. Interestingly, Boorman himself had been a victim of this criminal's burglaries.

In 2013, Boorman started filming Queen and Country. This movie is a sequel to his 1987 film Hope and Glory. It was shown at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

John Boorman also wrote a novel called Crime of Passion, which was published in 2016.

His Family and Life

John Boorman lived in Ireland for a long time. In 2022, he decided to move back to Surrey, England. He has seven children. His son, Charley Boorman, is an actor. He is also known for his televised motorbike trips with actor Ewan McGregor. His daughter, Katrine Boorman, is an actress in France. Another daughter, Telsche, who sadly passed away in 1996, helped write the screenplay for his film Where the Heart Is.

John Boorman has received many honors for his work. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1994. He also received special fellowships from BAFTA and the British Film Institute. In 2022, he was knighted by the Queen for his contributions to film.

Awards and Nominations

Academy Awards

• Nominated for Best Picture (1973) (Deliverance)
• Nominated for Best Director (1973) (Deliverance)
• Nominated for Best Picture (1988) (Hope and Glory)
• Nominated for Best Director (1988) (Hope and Glory)
• Nominated for Best Original Screenplay (1988) (Hope and Glory)

British Academy Film Awards

• Nominated for Best Film (1988) (Hope and Glory)
• Nominated for Best Original Screenplay (1988) (Hope and Glory)
• Won BAFTA Fellowship (2004)

Cinema for Peace

• Won The Cinema for Peace Award for the Most Valuable Film of the Year (2004) (In My Country)

Golden Globe Awards

• Nominated for Best Director (1973) (Deliverance)
• Nominated for Best Director (1988) (Hope and Glory)
• Nominated for Best Screenplay (1988) (Hope and Glory)

Partial Filmography

Film

Short film

See also

In Spanish: John Boorman para niños