Les Blair
About
Biography
Biography
British director who has worked most frequently in TV but has also directed features of loose, slightly tart, comically social realist dimension, the most familiar to US audiences being "Bad Behavior" (1993). This gently naughty improvisational film featured a leftist couple (Stephen Rea and Sinead Cusack) living in London, trying to maintain their marriage.
Blair's first feature work was as editor of "Bleak Moments" (1971), one of director Mike Leigh's earliest projects and his directorial style shows Leigh's fingerprints. Blair's "Number One" (1984) starred Leigh's wife and cast regular Alison Steadman as a sweet pool hall tart. Like Leigh, Blair uses improvisation and characters who are rough around the edges, the crucial difference being that Blair seems to lean toward "poking fun" at his basically appealing characters while Leigh leans toward sharper and more imaginative social commentary.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Editing (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Director (Special)
Director (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1969
British TV directorial debut, "Human Faces"
1971
Debut as film editor and producer, "Bleak Moments"
1978
Feature directorial debut, "Law & Order"
