Richard Curtis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richard Curtis CBE
Curtis in 2016
Born	Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis (1956-11-08) 8 November 1956 (age 68) Wellington, New Zealand
Occupation	Screenwriter director producer author
Citizenship	United Kingdom
Education	Papplewick School Appleton Grammar School Harrow School
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford
Period	1979–present
Spouse	Emma Freud ​ (m. 2023)​
Children	4, including Scarlett Curtis

Richard Curtis (born November 8, 1956) is a famous British writer, producer, and director. He is best known for creating many popular romantic comedy films and TV shows.

Some of his most loved films include Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Notting Hill (1999), and Love Actually (2003). He also helped write classic TV comedies like Blackadder, Mr. Bean, and The Vicar of Dibley.

Richard Curtis has won many awards for his work, including the BAFTA Fellowship for his amazing career. He is also a co-founder of Comic Relief, a big charity in the UK that has raised over £1 billion to help people in need. In 2024, he received a special award from the Academy Awards (the Oscars) for his humanitarian work.

Richard Curtis's Early Life and School

Richard Curtis was born in Wellington, New Zealand. His family moved around a lot when he was a child, living in countries like Sweden and the Philippines. When he was 11, they moved to the United Kingdom.

He went to Papplewick School and then Harrow School. At Harrow, he joined the school magazine and found his love for writing funny articles. He even directed a play there, which helped him learn to "push boundaries and to be funny."

Later, he went to Christ Church, Oxford university. There, he met the famous actor Rowan Atkinson. They started working together on comedy shows, which was the beginning of a long and successful partnership.

Starting His Writing Career

Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson first worked together on a radio show called The Atkinson People. Soon after, Curtis began writing for TV. He was a regular writer for the BBC comedy show Not the Nine O'Clock News, where he wrote many funny sketches.

From 1983 to 1989, Curtis co-wrote the popular Blackadder series with Rowan Atkinson and later Ben Elton. Each season of Blackadder was set in a different time in British history. Curtis was the only writer who worked on every episode.

The pair continued their teamwork with the comedy series Mr. Bean, which ran from 1990 to 1995. This show, starring Rowan Atkinson as the clumsy Mr. Bean, became a huge hit around the world.

In 1994, Curtis created and co-wrote The Vicar of Dibley, a very successful comedy show starring Dawn French. This show was so popular that in a 2004 poll, it was voted the third-best British sitcom ever, with Blackadder coming in second. This means Richard Curtis created two of the top 10 British sitcoms!

Richard Curtis's Film Success

Richard Curtis became super famous with the romantic comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral in 1994. This film, starring Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell, was a huge success and became the highest-earning British film at that time. It made Hugh Grant an international star and earned Curtis an Oscar nomination for his script.

Curtis in London, 1999, the year Notting Hill was released

His next big film was Notting Hill in 1999, starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. This romantic comedy broke the record set by Four Weddings and a Funeral to become the highest-earning British film. It tells the story of a shy bookstore owner who falls in love with a famous movie star.

Curtis also helped write the movie Bridget Jones's Diary in 2001, based on the popular book. He even said that the book's writer, Helen Fielding, suggested adding the "funeral" to his script for Four Weddings and a Funeral to make it more balanced.

In 2003, Richard Curtis wrote and directed Love Actually. This film tells many different love stories that are all connected, happening in London around Christmas time. It has a huge cast of famous British actors like Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, and Emma Thompson. Many people now watch Love Actually every Christmas, making it a modern holiday classic.

He continued his film work by co-writing Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason in 2004. In 2005, he wrote The Girl in the Café, a TV movie that was part of the Make Poverty History campaign. It starred Bill Nighy and Kelly Macdonald and won three Emmy Awards, including one for Curtis's writing.

In 2009, Curtis wrote and directed The Boat That Rocked, a film about pirate radio stations in the 1960s. He also rewrote the script for Steven Spielberg's 2011 film War Horse, which was set during World War I.

His 2013 film, About Time, was a romantic comedy-drama about time travel and family love. It starred Rachel McAdams and Domhnall Gleeson. In 2019, he wrote Yesterday, a unique film about a world where only one person remembers the Beatles' music.

Campaigning for Good Causes

Richard Curtis is not just a filmmaker; he's also a passionate campaigner for charity. He co-founded Comic Relief with Sir Lenny Henry. This charity is famous for its "Red Nose Day" events, which raise huge amounts of money to help people in the UK and Africa.

He also helped start the Make Poverty History campaign. In 2005, he worked with Bob Geldof to organize the Live 8 concerts. These huge concerts aimed to raise awareness about poverty, especially in Africa, and encourage world leaders to do more to help.

Curtis has also supported other campaigns, like the Robin Hood tax, which suggests a small tax on bank trades to help fight poverty and climate change. In 2020, he co-founded Make My Money Matter, a campaign that encourages people to think about how their savings and investments can help build a better world.

In 2021, he joined the Rewriting Extinction campaign, which uses comics to raise awareness about the climate and biodiversity crisis. He wrote a comic story for their book, The Most Important Comic Book on Earth: Stories to Save the World.

Richard Curtis's Personal Life

Richard Curtis lives in Notting Hill, London, and also has a country house. He is married to broadcaster Emma Freud, and they have four children, including writer and activist Scarlett Curtis.

Filmography

Film

Television Series

Television Movies

Radio Programmes

Charity Telethons

Songs

Awards and Honours

Richard Curtis has won many awards for his writing and his charity work.

See also

In Spanish: Richard Curtis para niños

• Comic Relief
• Live 8