Oliver Parker Biography
Born: September 06, 1960
British-born Oliver Parker grew up in London and began his acting career in the theatre. After years of acting and directing on stage, work in television and also as a stand-up comic, Parker decided to give film making a try. In 1994, he wrote and directed his first short film entitled Unsigned, which he presented at the London Film Festival.
After directing two more short films, Parker took a chance and tackled his first feature film project. Drawing from his stage experience, he decided to adapt the Shakespearian play, Othello to the screen. Starring Laurence Fishburne, Irene Jacob and Kenneth Branagh, Othello (1995) received positive reviews from the critics, but failed to garner much interest from the general public.
Parker followed up his full-length feature debut with two more play adaptations. This time he chose Oscar Wilde's work, An Ideal Husband (1999) - which again received rave reviews from film critics - and The Importance of Being Earnest (2002).
Not only an accomplished screenwriter and director, Parker has also spent sometime in front of the camera guest starring in television series like Matlock and playing small roles in films like Hellraiser (1987), Nuns on the Run (1990) and An Ideal Husband (1999).
Filmography (director):
The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
An Ideal Husband (1999)
Othello (1995)
Filmography (writer):
The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
An Ideal Husband (1999)
Othello (1995)