18 Facts About Roger Michell

Roger Harry Michell was a British theatre, television and film director.

Roger Michell was best known for directing films such as Notting Hill and Venus, as well as the 1995 made-for-television film Persuasion.

Roger Harry Michell was born on 5 June 1956 in Pretoria, Union of South Africa.

Roger Michell was not South African, as is sometimes mistakenly assumed, but was born there because his father was a British diplomat who had been posted to South Africa.

Roger Michell was educated at Clifton College in Bristol, where he began directing and writing short plays, before studying English at Queens' College, Cambridge, where he directed and acted in dozens of plays, winning both the RSC Buzz Goodbody Award for Best Student Director at the NSDF, and a Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for his play Private Dick.

In 1985, Roger Michell joined the Royal Shakespeare Company where, as Resident Director for six years, he directed plays by Shakespeare, Havel, Nelson, Bond, Farquhar, Darke, and others, including Richard Nelson's Some Americans Abroad, which transferred to Broadway in 1990.

In 1989, Roger Michell was appointed the Judith E Wilson Senior Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge.

Roger Michell was a graduate of the BBC Directors' Course, a three-month course especially designed to help theatre directors understand the camera.

Roger Michell followed that with the BBC film of Jane Austen's Persuasion in 1995, widely regarded as one of the finest Austen adaptations, and winner of the 1995 BAFTA for Best Single Drama.

Roger Michell then directed My Night with Reg, from the award-winning play that he had directed at the Royal Court and for a year in the West End.

Roger Michell was sought out by Richard Curtis to direct his script Notting Hill, which became an award-winning smash hit and the greatest British Box Office success of all time.

Roger Michell then directed the 2002 critical box office success Changing Lanes starring Ben Affleck and Samuel L Jackson.

Roger Michell was in negotiations to work with Craig yet again in 2006 on what became the James Bond film Quantum of Solace, but after months of unfruitful script conferences, and in spite of good relationships with the producers, he jumped ship.

Roger Michell later explained that he reached "tipping point" with producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, who were "desperate" to release the next 007 film in 2007, despite the lack of a script.

Roger Michell continued to work in theatre, at Hampstead Theatre with Richard Nelson's Farewell to the Theatre; at the Royal Court with Joe Penhall's Birthday, which he filmed starring Stephen Mangan, and Nina Raine's Tribes; and at the Old Vic, Penhall's Mood Music, starring Ben Chaplin.

Roger Michell then went on to direct Bill Murray playing FDR in Hyde Park on Hudson, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe.

Roger Michell was married to the actress Kate Buffery and they had two children.

Roger Michell died in Hertfordshire on 22 September 2021, at the age of 65.