Phillip Noyce
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Biography
Having established himself as an accomplished practitioner of the thriller genre in his native Australia, director Phillip Noyce came to Hollywood, where he became a director-for-hire on several studio films before returning home to helm two of his most acclaimed films. Noyce first made a name for himself in the Australian film industry with his period drama, "Newsfront" (1978), before moving to television to helm the critically hailed miniseries "The Dismissal" (1983). Later in the decade, he found international success with the taut thriller, "Dead Calm" (1989), which gained him entrée into Hollywood while helping introduce the world to Aussie actress Nicole Kidman. But once he began directing studio movies, Noyce's track record became hit-or-miss. After an inauspicious American debut with the improbable Rutger Hauer thriller "Blind Fury" (1989), he directed Harrison Ford as government agent Jack Ryan in the popular "Patriot Games" (1992). Noyce found himself in the doghouse after directing Sharon Stone in the rather ridiculous "Sliver" (1993), before rebounding nicely by reuniting with Ford for "Clear and Present Danger" (1994). Following "The Saint" (1997) and "The Bone Collector" (1998), Noyce had tired of Hollywood and returned to Australia to direct two of his best films, "Rabbit-Proof Fence" (2002) and "The Quiet American" (2002), both of which rejuvenated his creative juices and allowed him to confidently return to Hollywood later in the decade.
Born on April 29, 1950 and raised in Griffith, New South Wales, Australia, Noyce began his journey as a filmmaker at 17 years old, when he made his first short film, "Better to Reign in Hell" (1967). After attending Barker College in Sydney, he was one of 12 students to make up the first-ever class at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, where he learned his craft alongside later successful Australian filmmakers Gillian Armstrong and Chris Noonan. While at the school, he made the 50-minute short documentary film, "Castor and Pollux" (1973). A couple of years later, Noyce had his first professional credit when he was the assistant director on "The Golden Cage" (1975) before directing his first film outside of school, the 50-minute docudrama "God Knows Why, But It Works" (1975), which explored the subject of aboriginal healthcare from the perspective of an Australian physician. Noyce soon made his feature debut with "Backroads" (1977), a gritty crime drama about two strangers - one a racist white man (Bill Hunter), the other an Aborigine (Gary Foley) - who embark on a disastrous road trip after stealing a car. The film opened in only one theater following a spattering of mixed reviews.
Following his inauspicious first feature, Noyce became a prominent director in the Australian film industry when his feature "Newsfront" (1978), which he also co-wrote, garnered three AFI awards for Best Feature, Director, and Original Screenplay. His next feature, "Heatwave" (1981), a political thriller starring a then unknown Judy Davis, was another critical success. Moving over to the small screen, he directed the acclaimed miniseries, "The Dismissal" (1983), which dramatized the events of the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis, before helming episodes of the popular mystery anthology, "The Hitchhiker" (HBO/USA Network, 1983-1991). After directing little-known titles like "The Cowra Breakout" (1985) and "Shadows of the Peacock" (1987), Noyce made his breakout film, "Dead Calm" (1989), a tense and disturbing thriller about a married couple (Nicole Kidman and Sam Neill) grieving over the loss of their son, who come into contact with a violent sociopath (Billy Zane) while on a long yachting trip. Widely hailed by critics, including those in the United States, "Dead Calm" helped launch the career of actress Nicole Kidman while allowing Noyce entry into the world of Hollywood filmmaking.
But Noyce made a rather inauspicious American debut with "Blind Fury" (1989), a martial arts thriller starring Rutger Hauer as a blind Vietnam vet who is improbably adept with swords and other low-tech tools for maiming. The director rebounded nicely with a major popular success, "Patriot Games" (1992), his adaptation of Tom Clancy's novel starring Harrison Ford as the indefatigable government agent, Jack Ryan. The second installment in the Ryan series, but the first with Ford, "Patriot Games" was a substantial hit for Noyce. The director followed up with "Sliver" (1993), a widely-panned psychosexual thriller starring Sharon Stone and written by Joe Eszterhas. Before suffering the ill effects of that movie, Noyce jumped right into directing Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan for the pair's second go-round, "Clear and Present Danger" (1994), a more savvy, albeit convoluted addition to the franchise that proved to be one of the director's biggest financial hits to date. Meanwhile, he directed Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue in the big screen remake of former radio and television series, "The Saint" (1997), which at first glance seemed right in Noyce's wheelhouse, only to see the director falter with an overly-stylized action thriller devoid of any substance.
Noyce was again in a position where he needed to rebound, and did somewhat with the mild hit thriller "The Bone Collector" (1998), which starred Denzel Washington as a paralyzed forensics detective who teams with a uniform cop (Angelina Jolie) to track down a brutal serial killer. Most critics dismissed the film as formulaic and uninspired despite the presence of two strong leads. Having grown tired of being a journeyman Hollywood director, Noyce made a welcome and much-needed return to Australia, where he directed two of his finest cinematic achievements. First was "Rabbit-Proof Fence" (2002), a true story based on the epic journey of three Aboriginal girls in 1930s Australia, who embark on an arduous journey to their native home after being transported to a grim government-sanctioned settlement to wean out their race through breeding. Powerful, harsh, but also touching, "Rabbit-Proof Fence" was a critical triumph and one of Noyce's own personal favorites. He followed with an equally compelling adaptation of Graham Greene's "The Quiet American" (2002), starring Brandon Fraiser as a CIA agent trying to stir up conflict in 1950s Vietnam and Michael Caine as a British journalist who befriends the agent, only to later be betrayed. Pushed back due to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the film made a quiet entrance into American theaters, though Caine's powerful performance earned him much-deserved awards attention.
Following those two critical triumphs, Noyce ventured over to the small screen to direct the pilot episode of "Tru Calling" (Fox, 2003-05), a supernatural drama about a grad student (Eliza Dushku) who discovers that can go back in time and save people's lives by changing the course of events. He stayed with television to direct a couple season one episodes of the acclaimed, but little-seen drama "Brotherhood" (Showtime, 2006-08) about two Providence, RI brothers - one a local politician (Jason Clarke), the other a professional criminal (Jason Isaacs) involved with the Irish mob - who must work together in order to achieve what they need in their chosen careers. Back to the feature world, Noyce helmed "To Catch a Fire" (2006), a compelling political thriller based on a true story about a family man (Derek Lee) falsely accused of terrorism by an Afrikaner police officer (Tim Robbins) in apartheid-era South Africa. He next directed Angelina Jolie in "Salt" (2010), a high-action political thriller in which the actress played a CIA agent who may or may not be a deep-cover Russian spy sent on a mission to assassinate a political leader while helping to instigate a nuclear strike on the Middle East. While convoluted and perhaps absurd at times, "Salt" was nonetheless a hit for Noyce, thanks in part to Jolie's up-front presence in promoting the film.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Assistant Direction (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Make-Up (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Director (Special)
Life Events
1967
Made first short-film at age 17, "Better to Reign In Hell"
1973
While attending the Australian National Film School, made the 50-minute documentary, "Castor and Pollux"
1975
First feature credit, as assistant director, "The Golden Cage"
1975
First professional film, the 50-minute docu-drama "God Knows Why, But It Works"
1976
Credited as 2nd assistant director on the feature "Let the Balloon Go"
1977
Feature directorial debut, "Backroads"; also produced and wrote the screenplay
1978
Directed and co-wrote the commercial hit "Newsfront"; was the first Australian film to screen at the New York Film Festival
1980
Became the part-time manager of the Sydney Filmmaker's Co-operative
1982
Co-wrote and directed "Heatwave," starring Judy Davis
1984
Directed and co-wrote the ten-hour Australian mini-series "Cowra Breakout"
1985
American TV debut, directed episodes of the HBO series "The Curse"
1989
Directed first American feature, "Blind Fury"
1989
Major breakthrough as director, the sleeper hit, "Dead Calm"
1992
Directed first film based on the books by Tom Clancy, "Patriot Games"; the first film with Harrison Ford in the lead role
1993
Directed the voyeuristic thriller "Sliver," starring Sharon Stone
1994
Filmed second Tom Clancy film "Clear and Present Danger"; again collaborated with Ford who starred
1997
Directed an update of the pulp hero "The Saint," starring Val Kilmer
1999
Directed Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie in "The Bone Collector"
2002
Helmed the film adaptation of Graham Greene's "The Quiet American," starring Michael Caine and Brendan Fraser
2002
Directed "Rabbit-Proof Fence," a true story of Australian Aboriginal girls set in the 1930s
2003
Directed the pilot for Fox's "Tru Calling"
2006
Directed Tim Robbins and Derek Luke in "Catch a Fire," which is a true story set in the early 1980s in apartheid-era South Africa
2006
Directed episodes for Showtime's "Brotherhood"
2010
Directed the CIA thriller "Salt" with Angelina Jolie playing a CIA operative who is accused of being a Russian sleeper agent (filmed in 2009)
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