The British filmmaker John boorman, was born on January 18, 1933 in the city of Shepperton (Surrey), England. He studied in a Catholic school of the Order of the Salesians, despite the fact that his family did not belong to the Roman Catholic religion.
His first job was in a laundry and, later, he would start working as a critic for a women’s magazine and for a radio station, until he entered the world of television, working for the BBC in Bristol, where he was an editor assistant in television and documentary director such as “The Newcomers“(1964).
Thanks to his first experience as a director, “Catch us if you can“(1965), and his friendship with the actor Lee Marvin, Hollywood studios financed him a very personal work: “Point blank“(1967). Extraordinary” film noir “based on a novel by Richard Stark, which perfectly combines the tradition of the genre with the new European narrative.
Also next to Marvin performed successfully “Hell in the pacific“(1968); warlike and interpretive duel of two officers (one American –Marvin-, another Japanese –Toshirô Mifune-) who face on a desert island, already ending World War II.
He returned to his country to shoot two films that were much more questioned: “Leo the Last“(1974), a speculation on racism; and”Zardoz“(1974), little digestible science fiction narrative, despite the presence of Sean Connery.
In 1972, his great success came from the hand of “Deliverance“, a film that narrates the hard experience of four characters and their vicissitudes when facing a hostile nature.
He continued his career with “Excalibur“(1981) (on the Arthurian myth); with”The Emerald Forest“(1985) and with”Hope and glory“(1987). The latter is, perhaps, his masterpiece and is structured according to an autobiographical version of his childhood, and for which he obtained his second award nomination Oscar What Best Director (the first was in 1972 by “Violence is in us“.
With his latest realization, “Where is the heart“(1990), based on a story written by his daughter Telsche, who died of cancer in 1997; Boorman it kept its original itinerary; the brightest of the new English generation.
His last works as a director include “The tailor of Panama“(2001), a dramatic thriller based on a novel by John le Carré, which featured performances by Pierce brosnan, Geoffrey rush Y Jamie Lee Curtis in the main roles. He also directed the romantic drama “Country of My Skull“(2004), starring Samuel L. Jackson, Juliette Binoche Y Brendan gleeson; and comedy “The Tiger’s Tail“(2006), again with Brendan gleeson, this time accompanied by Kim cattrall.
In his personal life, Boorman recently divorced from the dressing room Christel Kruse with whom he had 7 children. He resides in Annamoe, in County Wicklow, in Ireland.