30 Facts About Stephen Wallace

Stephen Henry Wallace AM was born on 23 December 1943 and is an Australian film and television director, screenwriter, producer, published author and acting coach.

Stephen Wallace has directed eight feature films, nine telemovies, numerous short films, worked on multiple television series and has a small theatre company.

In 2005, Stephen Wallace was awarded an Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for his contributions to the Australian film and television industry as both a director, and to the Australian Screen Directors' Association.

Stephen Wallace currently sits as Chair of The Australian Screen Directors Collecting Society.

Early in his career, Stephen Wallace worked at Film Australia as a production assistant and director of documentaries.

Stephen Wallace then made several short 16mm fiction films, including: The Look, Brittle Weather Journey, Break Up and Con Man Harry.

Stephen Wallace then transitioned into making a series of one hour telemovies and documentaries for Australian television networks.

Stephen Wallace found a number of letters in a Sydney flat in 1972 which had been written by a man living in Newcastle in 1959.

Stephen Wallace had beaten up his wife, who subsequently moved to Sydney and was asking for her forgiveness.

Stephen Wallace drew inspiration from these to both write and direct the short film.

Stephen Wallace had just made the critically acclaimed one-hour drama The Love Letters from Teralba Road and was asked if he had any new projects.

Stephen Wallace said most people don't want a riot; they know what it's going to mean - longer in jail.

In 1984, Stephen Wallace wrote and directed his third feature film, The Boy Who Had Everything.

The film began as autobiographical for Stephen Wallace but made some creative compromises in consultation with his Producers and Script Editors in the hope it would make the film more commercial.

In 1986, Stephen Wallace directed and adaptation of Christina Stead's novel, For Love Alone, in a film by the same title.

An earlier draft of the adaptation had been written, but neither Fink nor Stephen Wallace were happy with it so Stephen Wallace did the adaptation himself.

Stephen Wallace says it took him three and a half years to write the script.

The film was entered into the 37th Berlin International Film Festival with Stephen Wallace being nominated for the prestigious Golden Berlin Bear Award, as well as receiving five nominations at the Australian Film Institute Awards.

Stephen Wallace was hired because the financiers who had invested in his movie Blood Oath loved his work and saw him as a good choice.

In 2014, it was announced that Stephen Wallace was directing again.

Stephen Wallace has directed various TV series and nine telemovies, four of which were made for the Australian Broadcasting Commission.

Between 1985 and 1998, Stephen Wallace directed episodes of Women of the Sun, The Flying Doctors, Australians, Seven Deadly Sins, Twisted Tales and Water Rats, among others.

Stephen Wallace has worked on and off as an acting teacher for Screenwise Australia for several years.

Stephen Wallace has worked with critically acclaimed actors Sam Neill, Hugo Weaving and Greta Scacchi.

In taking a break from filmmaking, Stephen Wallace founded a small theatre company, Impulse Theatre where he ran a method acting workshop known as The Growtowski Workshop.

Stephen Wallace completed four productions for the Short and Sweet Festival at the Seymour Centre as well as creating a short film with the company Disconnected.

In 1991, as President of ASDA, Stephen Wallace was determined to re-invigorate what the team had originally set out to do.

Stephen Wallace remains on the board of the Australian Directors Guild and chairs the Australian Screen Directors' Collecting Society.

Stephen Wallace was awarded the AM in the 2005 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his contributions to the Australian film and television industry as a director and to the Australian Screen Directors' Association.

Stephen Wallace was awarded Best Short Fiction Film for Captives of Care at the 1981 AACTA Awards.