Stephen Daldry Biography, Life, Interesting Facts

Stephen David Daldry was born on the 2nd of May, 1960. He is an authority in filmmaking and theater arts. Daldry has cut a niche for himself in the movie industry. He has won numerous awards; his work in the West end earned him two Olivier awards, and he also had two additional Tony awards for his work on Broadway. Many movies directed by Stephen have won a lot of awards and nominations.

Some of the movies got him Best Director award given by the Academy Awards a few years ago. These movies are Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011), Billy Elliot (2000), The Reader (2008) and The Hours (2002). In 2016, he delivered and worked as director of the Netflix TV series 'The Crown.' This fantastic program directed by Stephen later promoted his image in the film industry.

He was rewarded for his effort when he was selected for Emmy Award at two different times. Daldry joined an elite gathering of film giants by getting nominations for his work in theater, TV, and film.

Early years and Education

The outstanding movie director and amazing film giant, Stephen Daldry, was born in Dorset, in the United Kingdom into the family of Cherry Daldry and Patrick Daldry. His father, Patrick, was a bank administrator while his mother Cherry was an artist. It could be said that Daldry followed his mother’s footsteps for the milestones he has reached in the art industry. Stephen’s dad opposed his child's initial enthusiasm for the theater, influencing him to leave school and work in a shirt industrial facility to help increase the family earnings.

His family later moved to Taunton, Somerset where his dad passed on all of a sudden because of a tumor disease. Stephen was just 14 when his father died. Be that as it may, Stephen Daldry later wrote his name in gold with his sterling performance at the British theater network. He started this in the mid-1980s, after graduating from the prestigious University of Sheffield.

At Taunton, Stephen Daldry joined a group of theater potentials. This group includes young people who are highly talented. As a member of the group, he performed incredibly well even to the delight of many. At age eighteen, he went on to pursue a degree in English at University of Sheffield after bagging the Royal Air Force scholarship.

The University had a theater group, and Stephen later emerged the chairman of that group. After his graduation from the university, Stephen spent a year traveling around Italy and exploring a new opportunity as a comedian. He learned comedy and practiced comedy as well.

Profession

Stephen Daldry began the pursuit of his career in film directing at the Sheffield Crucible. There, he had Clare Venables to guide him through and learn how to make his life-long dream become a reality. Stephen came into limelight when he started directing movies real time back in the year 2000. Billy Elliot was Stephen’s first work, and this production portrayed Stephen as someone with good potential in the film industry. After Billy Elliot, Stephen’s next production was The Hours, and the movie won outstanding awards like the Best Actress at the Academy Awards. He has earned Academy Award nominations for his notable works as a director for three of his five films.

He served as the head of many productions the Library Theater in Manchester. He also headed a lot of productions at Stratford East, Liverpool Playhouse Brighton, and Oxford Stage. He was additionally Artistic Director of London's Gate Theater in the 1990s for three good years and the famous and amazing Metro Theater Company for two consecutive years. Also, at the St Catherine’s College in Oxford, Stephen served as a Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor with expertise in Contemporary Theater. At this college, he was known for his remarkable and outstanding works.

Stephen Daldry is one of the people that have proved that with hard work and determination paid for those who want to succeed in this life. He is a source of motivation for many. After his third book gained momentum, his fourth was also a hit. It is no surprise that Stephen now has a penchant for bagging awards all the time. He can be described as a genius in that respect.

One film that has shaken the movie industry and set it on fire for the last one decade is ‘Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.’ This film was directed by Stephen Daldry. Stephen could not finish this groundbreaking work on time. In the following three years after the work had started, the task was dropped and reinitiated a few times, but in late 2006, the project was incompletely cast with some great actors working closely with Stephen.

Marriage and Personal life

Stephen Daldry has always described himself as a gay. He said this is because many people prefer such a description. This is even though Stephen has been married since 2001 to an amazing woman, Lucy Sexton, who has cut a niche for herself as a successful magazine editor and performance artist. The marriage produced a little girl named Annabel Clare in 2003.

Before Stephen married Lucy, he has been in a long time relationship with Ian MacNeil, a set designer. The relationship between Stephen and Ian lasted for 13 good years. They both met in Lancaster back in 1988 during an outdoor production of the famous piece ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ Afterward, Stephen settled in Camberwell and started teaming up on dramatic productions.

Conclusion

Stephen Daldry has recorded an amazing success in the art industry. He has moved beyond the borders to get to his destined horizon. Billy Elliot is no doubt Stephen’s most successful work. The work was hailed as the best British movie in years, and it earned Daldry an Academy Award selection for Best Director.

Today, by dint of hard work, determination, perseverance, and commitment, Stephen Daldry is now a successful producer and director. Indeed, he is a force to reckon with in the drama, theater and dance industry.