Tim Bevan
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Notes
"The films we made in the 1980s were a great deal of fun to make, and we made some decent pictures, but we never got them properly distributed. There wasn't enough sophistication to even track what was going on. We sold the films around the world, but we wouldn't even know who the distributers were. There were so many middle men between us and them . . . One needed to find a vertically integrated structure whete the people who were paying you were also the distributors of the movie. Like a quasi-studio." --Tim Bevan in THE NEW YORK TIMES, March 16, 1997.
Commenting on criticism over Working Title releases, Bevan told the London TIMES (May 17, 1998): "I slightly resent some of those implications. . . We've given people like [Richard] Curtis, [Hanif] Kureishi, Emily Lloyd, Emma Thompson, Stephen Frears, Daniel Day-Lewis and David Leland their breaks in film. That's the beauty of working with Europeans. They are prepared to take risks that the Americans won't."
Biography
Working Title Films, the production company headed by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, was the driving force behind several successful films of the mid-1990s, including the Oscar-nominated "Four Weddings and a Funeral" (1994) and "Fargo" (1996). They may have left the ceremony without a statue each time but Working Title became established as the pre-eminent independent company in Britain. Bevan and Fellner have also established ongoing relations with such filmmakers as Hanif Kureishi, Mario Van Peebles, Tim Robbins and the Coen Brothers.
The New Zealand-born, British-educated Bevan broke into film and TV in 1983 when he formed a producing partnership with Sarah Radclyffe that eventually grew into Working Title Films in 1985. That same year, they produced Stephen Frears' "My Beautiful Laundrette" originally for Channel 4, but successful festival screenings led to its international release. The center to the story was the love affair between a young man of Pakistani descent and his long-time British friend also marked the screenwriting debut of Hanif Kureishi and catapulted Daniel Day-Lewis to stardom. Frears and Kureishi later collaborated on the controversial "Sammy and Rosie Get Laid" (1987), also produced under Working Title's auspices.
In 1988, Bevan and Radclyffe executive produced "A World Apart," the story of a girl and her relationship with her anti-apartheid activist mother in South Africa which won the Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award for Barbara Hershey. Working Title had its first flop in 1991 with "Drop Dead Fred" and shortly thereafter, Bevan and Radclyffe parted ways with Eric Fellner joining the company. That same year, the company produced "London Kills Me," the directorial debut of Hanif Kureishi. Into the 90s, Working Title was seen as sponsoring many films with a new energy, but little broad commercial appeal. They had art-house successes of varying degrees with "Bob Roberts" (1992), the directorial debut of Tim Robbins, and "Map of the Human Heart" (1993), directed by Vincent Ward. Bevan and Fellner served as executive producers of Mario Van Peebles' "Posse" (1993), which proved to be their most commercial "Hollywood" film to that date. After the disappointing "The Hudsucker Proxy" (1994) from the Coen brothers came the critical and box-office success of "Four Weddings and a Funeral." (The film earned in excess of $250 million worldwide and until 1997's "The Full Monty," held the record as the top grossing British film.) Budgets for Working Title films improved (up to $50 million) but it remains a British-based company with a Hollywood office and a work ethic very much away from the studio system.
Since the mid-90s, Bevan and Fellner have produced or executive produced a number of interesting films. "Panther," made by Mario and Melvin Van Peebles, examined the history of the Black Panther movement in the USA while "French Kiss" teamed Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline in a disappointing romantic comedy "Moonlight and Valentino" (all 1995) showcased several strong females as well as marked the acting debut of rock star Jon Bon Jovi. That same year, Tim Robbins' "Dead Man Walking" proved a critical and commercial winner, earning a Best Actress Oscar for Susan Sarandon and a Best Actor Academy Award nomination for Sean Penn and solidifying Working Title as a quality producer of independent film. The Coen brothers' wildly popular "Fargo" continued the company streak and Bevan and Fellner also executive produced the Coens' less successful "The Big Lebowski" (1998). The company faced an uncertain future, however, when its largest shareholder, PolyGram, announced in early 1998 that it was looking to sell its 75 percent stake.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Special Thanks (Feature Film)
Producer (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1983
With Radclyffe, founded Working Title Productions
1984
Produced first film, "My Beautiful Laundrette"; screenplay by Hanif Kureishi; released theatrically in 1985
1986
Graham Bradstreet joined Working Title
1987
Produced the award-winning "A World Apart"
1988
PolyGram purchased a 49 percent interest in Working Title
1989
Co-produced the TV miniseries "Echoes" (aired on A&E in the USA)
1990
Opened American offices of Working Title
1991
Ended partnership with Radclyffe; joined forces with Eric Fellner
1991
Produced Kureishi's directorial debut "London Kills Me"
1992
Initial collaboration with Tim Robbins, "Bob Roberts"
1992
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment acquires Working Title
1993
For British TV, served as producer of "The Borrowers"
1993
First worked with director Mario Van Peebles on "Posse"
1994
First collaboration with the Coen brothers "The Hudsucker Proxy"
1994
Scored international hit as executive producer of the Oscar-nominated "Four Weddings and a Funeral"
1995
Executive produced Mario Van Peebles' "Panther"
1995
Served as one of the executive producers of Tim Robbins' "Dead Man Walking"
1996
Reteamed with Ethan and Joel Coen for the acclaimed, Oscar-nominated "Fargo"
1997
Produced a feature version of "The Borrowers" starring John Goodman
1997
Had worldwide hit with "Bean"; adapted from the TV series "Mr. Bean" starring Rowan Atkinson
1998
Executive produced the period drama "Elizabeth"; earned first oscar nomination for Best Picture
1998
Established special effects subsidiary Double Negative
1998
Third teaming with the Coens, "The Big Lebowski" co-starring Goodman and Jeff Bridges
1999
Produced, "Notting Hill," starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts
2001
Produced the comedy "Bridget Jones Diary" with Renee Zellweger
2002
Produced the Comedy "About a Boy" starring Hugh Grant
2003
Co-Produced the romantic comedy "Love Actually"; received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Comedy or Musical Picture
2003
Executive produced "The Italian Job" and "Thirteen"
2004
Produced the sequel "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason"
2005
Produced "Pride & Prejudice" based on the Jane Austen novel
2007
Again collaborated with Atkinson for "Mr. Bean's Holiday"
2007
Produced "Atonement" with Keira Knightley; earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture
2009
Produced the Richard Curtis comedy, "Pirate Radio"
Videos
Movie Clip
Trailer
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
"The films we made in the 1980s were a great deal of fun to make, and we made some decent pictures, but we never got them properly distributed. There wasn't enough sophistication to even track what was going on. We sold the films around the world, but we wouldn't even know who the distributers were. There were so many middle men between us and them . . . One needed to find a vertically integrated structure whete the people who were paying you were also the distributors of the movie. Like a quasi-studio." --Tim Bevan in THE NEW YORK TIMES, March 16, 1997.
Commenting on criticism over Working Title releases, Bevan told the London TIMES (May 17, 1998): "I slightly resent some of those implications. . . We've given people like [Richard] Curtis, [Hanif] Kureishi, Emily Lloyd, Emma Thompson, Stephen Frears, Daniel Day-Lewis and David Leland their breaks in film. That's the beauty of working with Europeans. They are prepared to take risks that the Americans won't."
