Bruce Robinson

Director

About

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Birth Place

London, England, GB

Born

May 02, 1945

Biography

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Robinson was chosen to appear as Benvolio in Franco Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet" during his third year of drama school and acted in several films--notably "The Story of Adele H." (1975), as Lieutenant Pinson--before giving up performing in 1975 to concentrate on writing. It took ten years and 20 screenplays before Robinson's work reached the screen, in the shape of the Oscar-winning "...

Filmography

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The Rum Diary (2011)

Jennifer Eight (1992)

How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989)

Withnail & I (1987)

Still Crazy (1998)

The Story of Adele H (1975)

Photos & Videos

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Killing Fields, The (1984) -- (Movie Clip) Cooper-Church Amendment

Withnail & I (1987) -- (Movie Clip) My Thumbs Have Gone Weird

Family & Companions

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Lesley-Anne Down

Companion

Actor. Together c. 1979.

Sophie Robinson

Wife

Bibliography

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"The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman"

Bruce Robinson, Bloomsbury Publishing (1998)

Biography

Robinson was chosen to appear as Benvolio in Franco Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet" during his third year of drama school and acted in several films--notably "The Story of Adele H." (1975), as Lieutenant Pinson--before giving up performing in 1975 to concentrate on writing.

It took ten years and 20 screenplays before Robinson's work reached the screen, in the shape of the Oscar-winning "The Killing Fields" (1984), directed by Roland Joffe. Robinson parlayed the success of "Fields" into his first directing assignment, the critically acclaimed, semi-autobiographical "Withnail and I" (1987). A laconic study of two "resting" actors set in the late 1960s, the film demonstrated Robinson's wry sense of humor, keen powers of social observation and ability to coax fine performances from his actors, Paul McGann and Richard E. Grant. Grant also starred in Robinson's "How to Get Ahead in Advertising" (1988), a blazing satire in which a boil on an ad exec's neck develops a life of its own and begins to spout apocalyptic right-wing ideology. Despite moments of brilliant high farce, the film failed to draw as wide an audience as "Withnail."

Critical response to "Jennifer 8" (1992), a serial killer-thriller starring Andy Garcia and Uma Thurman, was generally poor, though some claimed the film's flaws were the result of excessive studio intervention during the making of the film.

Filmography

Director (Feature Film)

The Rum Diary (2011)

Jennifer Eight (1992)

How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989)

Withnail & I (1987)

Cast (Feature Film)

Still Crazy (1998)

The Story of Adele H (1975)

The Music Lovers (1971)

Private Road (1971)

Romeo and Juliet (1968)

Writer (Feature Film)

The Rum Diary (2011)

In Dreams (1999)

Return to Paradise (1998)

Jennifer Eight (1992)

How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989)

Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)

Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)

Withnail & I (1987)

The Killing Fields (1984)

Misc. Crew (Feature Film)

Withnail & I (1987)

Source Material (From Novel)

Life Events

1968

Film acting debut as Benvolio in "Romeo and Juliet"

1975

Co-starred opposite Isabelle Adjani in Truffaut's "L'Histoire d'Adele H/The Story of Adele H"

1975

Gave up acting to concentrate on writing

1984

First produced screenplay "The Killing Fields," directed by Roland Joffe

1986

Film directorial debut, "Withnail & I"; also scripted; first collaboration with actor Richard E. Grant

1988

Reteamed with Grant for "How to Get Ahead in Advertising"

1992

Returned to directing with the thriller "Jennifer 8"

1998

Published first novel, the semi-autobiographical The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman

1998

Credited as co-screenwriter (with Wesley Strick) in "Return to Paradise"

1998

Returned to acting, co-starring in "Still Crazy," directed by Brian Gibson

1999

Scripted "In Dreams," directed by Neil Jordan

2000

Penned first children's book The Obvious Elephant

2005

Second children's book Harold and the Duck

2011

Wrote the screenplay and directed "Rum Diary," based on the novel by Hunter S. Thompson; starred Johnny Depp

Videos

Killing Fields, The (1984) -- (Movie Clip) Cooper-Church Amendment Journalists Schanberg (Sam Waterston) and Rockoff (John Malkovich) witness a Phnom Penh bombing, interpreter Dith Pran (Haing S. Ngor) arriving, and an army officer (Craig T. Nelson) interfering, in Roland Joffe's The Killing Fields, 1984.

Withnail & I (1987) -- (Movie Clip) My Thumbs Have Gone Weird Following the credits, Marwood (Paul McGann) narrates and ever-profane Withnail (Richard E. Grant) is introduced, both in diminished circumstances, in writer-director Bruce Robinson's partly autobiographical cult comedy Withnail & I, 1987.

Withnail & I (1987) -- (Movie Clip) I Will Never Play The Dane Lacking any assets or ideas, jobless actor roommates Marwood (Paul McGann) and Withnail (Richard E. Grant) visit the latter’s flamboyant uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths), in 1969 London, in writer-director Bruce Robinson’s Withnail & I, 1987.

Withnail & I (1987) -- (Movie Clip) Are You The Farmer? Withnail (Richard E. Grant), on an ill-advised vacation from London to the remote Penrith, Cumbria cottage owned by his uncle, and fellow unemployed actor Marwood make a desperate run to catch the local farmer (Michael Elphick), seeking food and fuel, in Bruce Robinson’s Withnail & I, 1987.

Withnail & I (1987) -- (Movie Clip) Show No Fear On their disastrous vacation to England’s Lake District, placing a bitter call to his agent in London, Withnail (Richard E. Grant) fumes at Marwood (Paul McGann) and leads them into an encounter with the farmer (Michael Elphick) and a bull, in Withnail & I, 1987.

Story Of Adele H., The -- (Movie Clip) Friend From Guernsey Mrs. Saunders (Sylvia Marriott) receives Lieutenant Pinson (Bruce Robinson), reluctantly acknowledging the presence of the title character (Isabelle Adjani), their first meeting, in Francois Truffaut's The Story Of Adele H., 1975.

Story Of Adele H., The -- (Movie Clip) Open, Floating City Opening with nice art and forthright historical context, from Francois Truffaut's story of Victor Hugo's daughter, The Story Of Adele H., 1975, starring Isabelle Adjani.

Killing Fields, The (1984) -- (Movie Clip) Dith Pran Family Evacuating from the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodian Dith Pran (Haing S. Ngor), colleague Schanberg (Sam Waterston) helping, races to get his family to the choppers, in Roland Joffe's The Killing Fields, 1984.

Killing Fields, The (1984) -- (Movie Clip) Cambodia tbd

Withnail & I (1987) -- (Movie Clip) We've Got To Get Some Booze Freezing in Camden Town, London, 1969, unemployed actors Marwood (Paul McGann) and Withnail (Richard E. Grant) seek alcohol, the scene based on real events, according to writer-director Bruce Robinson, whose actor friend Vivian Mackerell died at 50 from throat cancer, in Withnail & I, 1987.

Romeo and Juliet (1968) - (Wide release Trailer) Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting are Shakespeare's ill-starred teens in Franco Zeffirelli's movie of Romeo and Juliet (1968).

Killing Fields, The - (Original Trailer) The true story of how a Cambodian interpreter (Haing S. Ngor) to an American journalist fought to survive the country's brutal Communist dictatorship.

Companions

Lesley-Anne Down

Companion

Actor. Together c. 1979.

Sophie Robinson

Wife

Bibliography

"The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman"

Bruce Robinson, Bloomsbury Publishing (1998)

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