Bruce Beresford (; born 16 August 1940) is an Australian film director, opera director, screenwriter, and producer. He began his career during the Australian New Wave, and has made more than 30 feature films over a 50-year career, both locally and internationally in the United States. He is a two-time Academy Award nominee, and a four-time AACTA/AFI Awards winner out of 10 total nominations.
Beresford's films include Breaker Morant (1980), Tender Mercies (1983), Crimes of the Heart (1986), Driving Miss Daisy (1989) – which won four Oscars, including Best Picture – Black Robe (1991), Silent Fall (1994), Double Jeopardy (1999), Mao's Last Dancer (2009), and Ladies in Black (2018). He was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay for Breaker Morant, and Best Director for Tender Mercies. He won AACTA/AFI Awards – Best Direction (2) for Don's Party (1976) and Breaker Morant, and Best Screenplay (2) for Breaker Morant and The Fringe Dwellers (1986).
In addition, four of Beresford's films have been nominated for the Palme d'Or, and four have been nominated for the Golden Bear. He has also been nominated for two BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Directors Guild of America Award, and won a Genie Award.
Early life and education Beresford was born in Paddington, New South Wales, the son of Lona (née Warr) and Leslie Beresford, who sold electrical goods. He grew up in the then outer-western suburb of Toongabbie, and went to The Meadows Public School and then The King's School, Parramatta. He made several short films in his teens including The Hunter (1959).Stated in a 2007 interview on Radio National in Australia (on Late Night Live)
He completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English at the University of Sydney, where he graduated in 1964. While at university he made the short film The Devil to Pay (1962) starring John Bell and Ron Blair, It Droppeth as the Gentle Rain (1963) co-directed by Albie Thoms and starring Germaine Greer, Clement Meadmore (1963) with Bell and King-size Woman (1965).
Career Nigeria and England Beresford then moved to England in search of film work. He could not break into the British film scene, so he answered an advertisement for an editing job in Nigeria, where he worked for two years, in Enugu.
He then returned to England and worked for the British Film Institute as a producer of short films by first-time directors, including Magritte: The False Mirror (1970) and Paradigm (1970).
Beresford directed the documentary Lichtenstein in London (1968) about Roy Lichtenstein, and Extravaganza (1968), Barbara Hepworth at the Tate (1970), The Cinema of Raymond Fark (1970), and Arts of Village India (1972).
Early feature films Beresford returned to Australia to make his first feature film, The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972), which he also wrote with Barry Humphries. The film, produced by Phillip Adams, was a box office success in England and Australia, but Beresford later said making the film was a "mistake" because reviews were so bad that he had trouble finding other work."Interview with Bruce Beresford", Signet, 15 May 1999 accessed 17 November 2012
Beresford directed a documentary for TV, The Wreck of the Batavia (1973) and did some other TV films, Poor Fella Me (1973), and Monster or Miracle? Sydney Opera House (1973). These were financed by Reg Grundy who also financed Beresford's second feature as director, Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974), a sequel to Barry McKenzie.
Stranded in London without funds, Beresford agreed to direct and co-write a comedy, Side by Side (1975) starring Humphries and Terry-Thomas (this poorly received film was released on DVD in 2013). The money he received enabled him to return to Australia where, Beresford says, Phillip Adams "saved my life" by offering him the job of directing an acclaimed version of David Williamson's play Don's Party (1976).
Soon afterwards, Beresford directed an adaptation of Henry Handel Richardson's novel The Getting of Wisdom (1977), also produced by Adams.
SAFC Beresford signed a contract with the South Australian Film Corporation for whom he wrote and directed a thriller, Money Movers (1979), which was a box office disappointment. He did some uncredited directing on the SAFC's Blue Fin (1978), then co-wrote and directed Breaker Morant (1980).David Stratton, The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival, Angus & Robertson, 1980 p271-272 The latter film was a notable success at the box office and earned Beresford an Oscar nomination. It was widely seen in Hollywood and Beresford began to receive US offers.
Beresford directed The Club (1980), from another Williamson play, and Puberty Blues (1981).
Early US films Beresford received an offer from EMI Films to direct Horton Foote's Tender Mercies (1983). Star Robert Duvall won a Best Actor Oscar for his performance and Beresford earned a Best Director nomination.
He followed it with King David (1985) starring Richard Gere, which was a notable box office failure.
Beresford returned to Australia to direct The Fringe Dwellers (1986), co-written with his first wife, Rhoisin Beresford. In the US he directed Crimes of the Heart (1986) from the play by Beth Henley, did a segment of the film Aria (1987), and did the comedy thriller Her Alibi (1989) with Tom Selleck.
Driving Miss Daisy Beresford directed Driving Miss Daisy (1989) with Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy, based on the play by Alfred Uhry. It won the Academy Award for Best Picture, although Beresford was not nominated as director. The film was a commercial and critical success.
Asked if he minded not even being nominated for the Best Director Oscar for Driving Miss Daisy, Beresford said: "No, not at all. I didn't think it was that well directed. It was very well written. When the writing's that good, you've really just got to set the camera up and photograph it."
He directed Mister Johnson (1990) in Nigeria, with Edward Woodward; Black Robe (1991), an Australian-Canadian film based on the novel by Brian Moore; Rich in Love (1992), co-written by Uhry; A Good Man in Africa (1994) with Sean Connery from a novel by William Boyd, which in 2015 Beresford called his worst film; Silent Fall (1994), which was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival; and Last Dance (1996) with Sharon Stone.
He adapted but did not direct Curse of the Starving Class (1994).
Beresford returned to Australia to direct Paradise Road (1997), which was a commercial disappointment. He directed a documentary, Sydney: A Story of a City (1999), then had a hit with the thriller Double Jeopardy (1999).
Later films Beresford made Bride of the Wind (2001); Evelyn (2002) with Pierce Brosnan; and And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003) with Antonio Banderas.
He spent several years looking for financing for various projects before making The Contract (2006) with Freeman and Cusack. He followed it with a TV film Orpheus (2006) and returned to Australia to make Mao's Last Dancer (2009) which was also filmed in Houston, Texas.
Beresford's later credits include Peace, Love & Misunderstanding (2011) with Jane Fonda, the documentary H.H. Dalai Lama: Essence of Mahayana Buddhism (2011), the mini series Bonnie & Clyde (2013), Mr. Church (2016) with Eddie Murphy, an episode of the remake of Roots (2017), the TV movie Flint (2017) and the Australian film Ladies in Black (2018).
Opera In addition to films, Bruce Beresford has also directed several operas and theatre productions. In 1996, he directed a Portland Opera (Oregon) production of the Stephen Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street."Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Portland Opera Production (1996)". Ovrtur.com, Retrieved on April 5, 2023.
In 2016, he directed Benjamin Britten's opera Albert Herring for the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, in a production conducted by Nicholas Cleobury.
He often works with film editor Mark Warner. (See: List of film director and editor collaborations)
In 2012, he directed a production of Erich Wolfgang Korngold's opera Die tote Stadt for Opera Australia.
In 2018, he directed the Australian premiere of Rossini's Otello for Melbourne Opera.
Writing Beresford is a contributor to The Spectator Australia.
Memoir In August 2007, he published a memoir, Josh Hartnett Definitely Wants To Do This... True Stories From A Life in the Screen Trade.
Personal life Beresford's second wife is novelist Virginia Duigan, sister of film director and editor John Duigan. He has five adult children and now works both in Australia and the United States.
Contemporaries and friends Beresford attended the University of Sydney with critic and documentary maker Clive James, art critic and aficionado Robert Hughes, activist and author Germaine Greer, journalist Bob Ellis, poet Les Murray, and writer Mungo McCallum. His contemporary and friend, actor and theatre director John Bell, shared a house and also did some film acting. Beresford was close friends with Australian comedian, satirist and character actor Barry Humphries, best known for his on-stage/television alter ego Dame Edna Everage, and his family.
Filmography
Awards and nominations Film AwardYearWorkCategoryResultAACTA Awards1977Don's PartyBest Direction1980Breaker MorantBest Screenplay, Original or AdaptedBest Direction1981The ClubBest Direction1986The Fringe DwellersBest Screenplay, Original or AdaptedBest Direction1992Black RobeBest Direction2009Mao's Last DancerBest Direction2018Ladies in BlackBest Adapted ScreenplayBest Direction2026The TravellersBest DirectionLongford Lyell AwardAcademy Awards1981Breaker MorantBest Adapted Screenplay1984Tender MerciesBest DirectorBAFTA Film Awards1991Driving Miss DaisyBest DirectionBest FilmDavid di Donatello1981Breaker MorantBest Foreign ScreenplayDirectors Guild of America Awards1984Tender MerciesOutstanding Directing - Feature FilmGenie Awards1991Black RobeBest DirectorGolden Globe Awards1984Tender MerciesBest Director - Motion Picture
Accolades received by Beresford's directed films YearFilmAcademy AwardsBAFTAsGolden GlobesAACTAsNominationsWinsNominationsWinsNominationsWinsNominationsWins1976Don's Party861977The Getting of Wisdom511978Money Movers31980Breaker Morant111310The Club71983Tender Mercies52511986The Fringe Dwellers71Crimes of the Heart3211989Driving Miss Daisy9441331991Black Robe1012009Mao's Last Dancer812018Ladies in Black114Total186411157224
Directed Academy Award Performances
Under Beresford's direction, these actors have received Academy Award nominations and wins for their performances in these respective roles. YearPerformerFilmResultAcademy Award for Best Actor1984Robert DuvallTender Mercies1990Morgan FreemanDriving Miss DaisyAcademy Award for Best Actress1987Sissy SpacekCrimes of the Heart1990Jessica TandyDriving Miss DaisyAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor1990Dan AykroydDriving Miss DaisyAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress1987Tess HarperCrimes of the Heart
References
External links
Conversation Hollywood Interview - James Pratt Interview with Bruce Beresford Season 1 ABC interview transcript (Talking Heads, 1 October 2007, archived 2014) Bruce Beresford – portrait photo by Mark-Steffen Göwecke Bruce Beresford at the National Film and Sound Archive