Jon Amiel (born 20 May 1948) is an English director who has worked in film and television in both the UK and the US. After receiving a BAFTA Award nomination for the BBC series The Singing Detective (1986), he went on to direct films, including Sommersby (1993), Copycat (1995), Entrapment (1999), The Core (2003) and Creation (2009).
Biography Amiel was born in London, to parents who grew up in the East End of London. Amiel's grandparents were immigrants Isaac and Mary Amiel – Polish and Russian Jews. He attended William Ellis School in Highgate, before studying English literature at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, graduating in 1969. It was while at Cambridge that he became involved with local theatre, and after college he went on to direct for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
After having worked as a story editor for the BBC, he directed the documentary The Silent Twins, and was chosen to direct the Dennis Potter serial The Singing Detective, for which he was BAFTA nominated. He made his feature film debut in 1989 with Queen of Hearts.
One of his most notable films is 1993's romantic drama Sommersby, starring Jodie Foster and Richard Gere. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $140 million worldwide.
Filmography Film Director Queen of Hearts (1989) Tune in Tomorrow (1990) Sommersby (1993) Copycat (1995) The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997) Entrapment (1999) The Core (2003) Creation (2009)
Producer Simply Irresistible (1999)
Television TV movies Dear Janet Rosenberg, Dear Mister Kooning (1977) Busted (1983) Romance/Romance (1983) The Last Evensong (1985) Deliverance Creek (2014) (Also executive producer)
TV series Year Title Director Executiveproducer Notes 1982 BBC2 Playhouse 2 episodes 1982–1983 Play for Today 2 episodes 1985 Tandoori Nights 5 episodes 1986 Screen Two Episode "The Silent Twins" The Singing Detective Miniseries 1988 The Storyteller Episode "The Luck Child" 2005 Eyes Episode "Pilot" Reunion Episode "1986" 2007 The Wedding Bells Episode "For Whom the Bells Toll" 2008 The Tudors 2 episodes 2012–2013 The Borgias 4 episodes 2013 Twisted Episode "Pilot" 2013–2015 Once Upon a Time 2 episodes 2014 Halt and Catch Fire Episode "Giant" 2015 The Astronaut Wives Club 2 episodes Hemlock Grove Episode "Todos Santos" (Credited as "Jonathan Amiel") Wicked City Episode "Heat Wave" 2015–2016 Aquarius 2 episodes 2016 Marco Polo 2 episodes 2016–2017 Outsiders 6 episodes 2017 Ice Episode "The Cut" Wisdom of the Crowd Episode "Machine Learning" 2018 Seven Seconds Episode "Matters of Life and Death" 2019 Proven Innocent Episode "Shaken" Carnival Row 2 episodes 2020 Spinning Out 2 episodes Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector Episode "Original Sin" 2021 American Gods Episode "A Winter's Tale" 2022 The Cleaning Lady Episode "The Lion's Den" The Walking Dead 2 episodes
Awards 1987 BAFTA (British Academy Television Award) Nominee for Best Drama Series: The Singing Detective (1986) 1989 Montréal World Film Festival *Winner* of Montréal First Film Prize: Queen of Hearts 1990 Paris Film Festival *Winner* of Grand Prix: Queen of Hearts 1990 Deauville Film Festival *Winner* of Critics Award and Audience Award: Tune in Tomorrow 1996 Audience Award *Winner* at the Cognac Festival du Film Policier: Copycat
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