Phillip Borsos
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
This Canadian director, best-known for his feature debut "The Grey Fox," was branching out to screenwriting as well when struck down by leukemia at the age of 41 in 1995. Borsos already had a reputation for directing TV commercials and theatrical shorts in Vancouver, having been nominated for an Oscar for his 1980 short "Nails." His feature debut took everyone by surprise: "The Grey Fox," the story of real-life 19th century train robber Bill Miner, was a low-budget but warm-hearted, big-as-all-outdoors tale that not only made a star of Richard Farnsworth, but also utilized the Washington state exteriors to great effect.
Borsos' next film was a change of pace. He directed the American-made "The Mean Season," starring Kurt Russell and Mariel Hemingway, which turned out to be a run-of-the-mill crime thriller. Yet another about-face was "One Magic Christmas" (both 1985), which Borsos directed from his own story, and served as executive producer. An update of "It's a Wonderful Life," the film starred Mary Steenburgen as a suicidal woman taken to meet Santa by a cowboy angel (Harry Dean Stanton).
Borsos' fourth film was his most ambitious: "Dr. Bethune" (1990), the true story of a 1930s Canadian surgeon (Donald Sutherland) who worked in China during Mao Tse-tung's revolution. Shot in Montreal, Madrid, Beijing, Pinyao, Yenan and various Chinese mountain locales, it was a grueling and expensive project, taking a year and a half to film and costing 18 million Canadian dollars. "Dr. Bethune" was critically acclaimed, but not terribly commercial. He returned once again to the great outdoors (British Columbia) with "Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog" (1995), the story of a teenager (Jesse Bradford) and his labrador marooned in the Pacific Northwest. Written and directed by Borsos, "Far from Home" received critical acclaim for its breath-taking direction, but was faulted for its script. Borsos had just completed the film when he was diagnosed with leukemia. He died after receiving a bone marrow transplant less than a month after "Far from Home" was released.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Life Events
1980
Nominated for Oscar for short film, "Nails"
1982
Directed first feature, "The Grey Fox" (also co-produced)
1985
First writing credit, story for "One Magic Christmas" (also produced and directed)
1994
Diagnosed with leukemia in March
1995
Last film, "Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog"
Family
Companions
