Debra Hayward (born 15 April 1964) is a British film producer. As Head of Film at Working Title Films, Hayward frequently served as an executive producer for the company's feature films, working alongside fellow Working Title executive Liza Chasin. After producing Les Misérables, she started her own production company, Monumental Pictures.
Life and career Born in Liverpool in 1964, the daughter of John I. Hayward and his wife Annetta Lansky,Debra HAYWARD, company-information.service.gov.uk, accessed 19 February 2021“HAYWARD, DEBRA / LANSKY / LIVERPOOL S. 10D 1078”, General Register Index to Births in England and Wales (1964), ancestry.co.uk, accessed 19 February 2021 Hayward joined Working Title Films in 1989, working as a producer’s assistant on films that include Fools of Fortune and Dakota Road. She later became a development executive for the company, and produced several films such as London Kills Me and Map of the Human Heart. Hayward served as Head of Film for Working Title and was creatively responsible for the company’s entire slate of feature films in conjunction with her American counterpart, Liza Chasin. Both Hayward and Chasin have served as executive producers on films that include Bridget Jones's Diary, Atonement and The Boat That Rocked. More recently Hayward has worked on critically acclaimed hits Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Senna. September 2011 saw the launch of her new production company Monumental Pictures.
Hayward's first solo film as producer was Les Misérables, which went on to win multiple awards, raising her profile.
In 2014 she started her own production house, Monumental Pictures, with fellow producer Alison Owen.
On 14 October 2018, it was announced that late singer Amy Winehouse's family had respectively signed a multi-million pound deal with Hayward’s film company, Monumental Pictures to make a biopic about her life, which will be directed by Alison Owen and produced by Hayward.
She is married to the English screenwriter Will Osborne and has four children. He returned from California to marry Hayward, and they moved from London to Glandford, Norfolk.Rowan Mantell, Couple’s amazing film-making odyssey brings them to Norfolk, Eastern Daily Press, 31 October 2014, accessed 17 February 2021
Filmography Year Film Role1990Fools of FortuneAssistant to Sarah Radclyffe1994Four Weddings and a FuneralHead of development: Working Title1995French Kiss1996Loch NessAssociate producer1997The MatchmakerCo-producerThe Borrowers1998What Rats Won't DoHead of development: Working TitleElizabethCo-producer2001Bridget Jones's DiaryCaptain Corelli's Mandolin200240 Days and 40 NightsAbout a BoyThe GuruExecutive producer2003Ned KellyCo-producerJohnny EnglishLove Actually2004ThunderbirdsExecutive producerWimbledonBridget Jones: The Edge of Reason2005The InterpreterCo-producerPride & PrejudiceExecutive producerNanny McPhee2006United 93Catch a Fire2007Elizabeth: The Golden AgeMr. Bean's HolidayCo-producerAtonementExecutive producer2008Frost/Nixon2009State of PlayThe Boat That Rocked2010Green ZoneNanny McPhee and the Big BangSenna2011PaulTinker Tailor Soldier SpyJohnny English Reborn2012Les MisérablesProducer2013I Give It a YearExecutive producer 2016 Bridget Jones's BabyProducer2019 How to Build a Girl Cats 2024 Back to Black 2025 The Woman in Cabin 10 TBA A Matter of Time
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