Alan Parker, born Alan William Parker on February 14, 1944, was an English film director, screenwriter, producer, and writer. He began his career in advertising before directing films in Britain and the United States. His work included musicals, psychological thrillers, historical dramas, and literary adaptations. Among his films were Bugsy Malone (1976), Midnight Express (1978), Fame (1980), Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982), Birdy (1984), Mississippi Burning (1988), The Commitments (1991), Evita (1996), and Angela's Ashes (1999). He received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for Midnight Express and Mississippi Burning. A founding member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain, he later chaired the British Film Institute and became the first chairman of the UK Film Council. He was appointed CBE in 1995 and knighted in 2002 for his services to the British film industry.

Early Life and Background

Alan Parker was born on February 14, 1944, in Islington, North London, England. He grew up in a working-class family. His father, William Leslie Parker, worked as a house painter, while his mother, Elsie Ellen Parker, was a dressmaker.

In 1962, he left school and entered the advertising industry, joining the London agency Collett Dickenson Pearce as a copywriter. During this period, he worked in an environment that included future film producer David Puttnam, advertising executive Charles Saatchi, and producer Alan Marshall.

Advertising provided Parker with experience in visual storytelling, writing, editing, and directing. He eventually moved from writing advertising copy to producing and directing television commercials.

In 1970, he left the agency and established an independent production partnership with Alan Marshall. Their company produced advertising campaigns while Parker continued developing projects for television and cinema.

Career Beginnings and Television Work

One of Alan Parker's early screenwriting projects was a story titled S.W.A.L.K., an abbreviation for Sealed With a Loving Kiss. The screenplay concerned a schoolboy's romantic relationship and was developed into the film Melody (1971), directed by Waris Hussein and produced by David Puttnam.

Parker subsequently directed several short films, including No Hard Feelings (1972), Our Cissy (1973), and Footsteps (1973).

In 1974, he directed the BBC television film The Evacuees, written by Jack Rosenthal. The story followed two Jewish children evacuated from Manchester to rural England during World War II.

The production received an International Emmy Award and earned Parker a BAFTA Award for direction. Its success helped him move from advertising and television into feature-film directing.

Feature Film Debut and Midnight Express

In 1976, Alan Parker made his feature-film directing debut with Bugsy Malone, a musical gangster comedy set in a fictional version of 1920s America. The film featured an entirely young cast, including Jodie Foster and Scott Baio.

Parker wrote and directed the film, which received eight BAFTA nominations and won five awards. Its production was supported by the National Film Finance Corporation and the Rank Organisation after he had initially experienced difficulties obtaining financing.

His next feature, Midnight Express (1978), was adapted from the autobiographical book by Billy Hayes, with a screenplay by Oliver Stone]. The film followed an American student arrested for attempting to smuggle hashish out of Turkey and his experiences in a Turkish prison.

The production starred Brad Davis, John Hurt, and Randy Quaid. It received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Director for Parker, and won two Oscars: Best Adapted Screenplay for Oliver Stone and Best Original Score for Giorgio Moroder.

Midnight Express also generated controversy because of its portrayal of Turkish characters and prison conditions. Critics argued that the film exaggerated aspects of Hayes's experiences and presented a one-sided depiction of Turkey. Hayes himself later acknowledged that the film differed substantially from events described in his book and apologized for the negative impressions it had helped create.

The controversy remained part of the film's reception in Turkey and internationally.

Fame, Pink Floyd – The Wall and Birdy

In 1980, Alan Parker directed Fame, a musical drama following students attending New York City's High School of Performing Arts. The film explored their artistic ambitions, personal relationships, and difficulties entering professional entertainment.

Fame won two Academy Awards, including Best Original Song for Fame, written by Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford, and Best Original Score for Michael Gore. Its success led to a television series that began in 1982.

Parker followed the film with Shoot the Moon (1982), a domestic drama starring Albert Finney and Diane Keaton as a couple facing marital separation.

That same year, he directed Pink Floyd – The Wall, a musical drama based on the concept album The Wall by British rock band Pink Floyd. The screenplay was written by Roger Waters, while Bob Geldof played the central character, Pink. The film combined live-action sequences, music, and animation by Gerald Scarfe.

In 1984, Parker directed Birdy, adapted from the novel by William Wharton and starring Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage]. The story examined the psychological consequences of the Vietnam War through the friendship of two young men. The film won the Grand Prix Special Jury Prize at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival.

Hollywood Career and Major Films

In 1987, Alan Parker wrote and directed Angel Heart, a psychological horror thriller adapted from the novel Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg. The film starred Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, and Lisa Bonet]. Its combination of detective fiction, supernatural themes, and explicit content generated controversy over its initial American film classification.

The following year, Parker directed Mississippi Burning (1988), starring Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe] as FBI agents investigating the murders of civil rights workers in Mississippi in 1964.

The film received seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Director for Parker, and won Best Cinematography. It also attracted criticism concerning its historical accuracy and its emphasis on FBI investigators rather than the activities of civil rights organizers.

In Come See the Paradise (1990), Parker explored the experiences of Japanese Americans during World War II, particularly the forced internment of families after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The film starred Dennis Quaid and Tamlyn Tomita].

He then directed The Commitments (1991), adapted from the novel by Roddy Doyle. Set in Dublin, the film followed a group of working-class musicians attempting to establish a soul band. It won four BAFTA Awards, including Best Film and Best Director, and received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

In 1994, Parker directed The Road to Wellville, a satirical comedy adapted from the novel by T. C. Boyle. The cast included Anthony Hopkins, Bridget Fonda, Matthew Broderick, John Cusack, and Dana Carvey.

Evita and Later Films

In 1996, Alan Parker directed, co-wrote, and produced Evita, a musical film based on the stage production by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. The film portrayed the life of Eva Peron, the wife of Argentine President Juan Peron.

Madonna portrayed Eva Perón, while Antonio Banderas played Ché and Jonathan Pryce portrayed Juan Perón.

The film won three Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. The song You Must Love Me, composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Tim Rice, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Parker also directed music videos associated with the film, including Madonna's recordings of Don't Cry for Me Argentina and You Must Love Me.

In 1999, he directed Angela's Ashes, adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir by Frank McCourt. The film starred Emily Watson and Robert Carlyle and portrayed McCourt's impoverished childhood in Ireland. Composer John Williams received an Academy Award nomination for the film's musical score.

His final feature film was The Life of David Gale (2003), starring Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, and Laura Linney]. The thriller followed a university professor and opponent of capital punishment who was sentenced to death following a murder conviction.

Parker later considered additional film projects, including an adaptation of The Ice at the Bottom of the World, but the proposed film was not completed. The Life of David Gale remained his final released feature film.

Work in the British Film Industry

Alongside his directing career, Alan Parker participated in organizations concerned with film production and the professional rights of directors.

He was a founding member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain and advocated improving conditions for British filmmakers.

In January 1998, he became chairman of the Board of Governors of the British Film Institute (BFI). In August 1999, he was appointed the first chairman of the UK Film Council, a position he held for five years.

In 2013, he became president of the Federation of European Screen Directors (FERA), succeeding Hungarian filmmaker István Szabó].

Parker also wrote novels and published collections of cartoons about filmmaking and the entertainment industry. His books included Puddles in the Lane, The Sucker's Kiss, and Will Write and Direct for Food.

In 2018, he donated a substantial collection of scripts, production records, correspondence, and working documents to the BFI National Archive.

Awards and Honors

Alan Parker received numerous awards during his career. His feature films collectively won ten Academy Awards, nineteen BAFTA Awards, and ten Golden Globe Awards.

He received two Academy Award nominations for Best Director, for Midnight Express (1978) and Mississippi Burning (1988).

In 1984, he received the Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema from BAFTA. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1995 and received a knighthood in 2002.

In 2013, Parker received the BAFTA Fellowship, the academy's highest honor, recognizing his career in filmmaking.

Personal Life

Alan Parker married Annie Inglis in 1966. They had four children, Lucy, Alexander, Jake, and Nathan, before divorcing.

In December 2001, he married producer Lisa Moran. They had a son, Henry.

In addition to directing, Parker was interested in writing, illustration, and satirical cartoons, publishing several books based on these activities.

Death

Alan Parker died on July 31, 2020, in London, England, following a prolonged illness. He was 76 years old.

He was survived by his wife Lisa Moran-Parker, five children, and seven grandchildren.

Selected Awards

1975 – BAFTA Award, Best Director – The Evacuees
1979 – Academy Award nomination, Best Director – Midnight Express
1984 – BAFTA Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema
1985 – Grand Prix Special Jury Prize, Cannes Film Festival – Birdy
1989 – Academy Award nomination, Best Director – Mississippi Burning
1989 – National Board of Review Award, Best Director – Mississippi Burning
1989 – Silver Bear, Berlin International Film Festival – Mississippi Burning
1992 – BAFTA Award, Best Director – The Commitments
1995 – Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
1998 – Lifetime Achievement Award, Directors Guild of Great Britain
2002 – Knight Bachelor, for services to the British film industry
2013 – BAFTA Fellowship

Filmography

Feature Films as Director:
1976 – Bugsy Malone (Director, Screenwriter)
1978 – Midnight Express (Director)
1980 – Fame (Director)
1982 – Shoot the Moon (Director)
1982 – Pink Floyd – The Wall (Director)
1984 – Birdy (Director)
1987 – Angel Heart (Director, Screenwriter)
1988 – Mississippi Burning (Director)
1990 – Come See the Paradise (Director, Screenwriter)
1991 – The Commitments (Director, Producer)
1994 – The Road to Wellville (Director, Producer, Screenwriter)
1996 – Evita (Director, Producer, Co-screenwriter)
1999 – Angela's Ashes (Director, Producer, Co-screenwriter)
2003 – The Life of David Gale (Director, Producer)

Early Films, Television and Documentaries:
1971 – Melody (Original Story and Screenplay)
1972 – No Hard Feelings (Short film; Director, Screenwriter)
1973 – Our Cissy (Short film; Director, Screenwriter)
1973 – Footsteps (Short film; Director, Screenwriter)
1974 – The Evacuees (Television film; Director)
1985 – A Turnip Head's Guide to the British Film Industry (Documentary; Director, Writer)

Selected Books

1976 – Bugsy Malone (Novelization)
1977 – Puddles in the Lane (Novel)
1982 – Hares in the Gate (Cartoon collection)
1998 – Making Movies (Cartoon collection)
2003 – The Sucker's Kiss (Novel)
2005 – Will Write and Direct for Food (Cartoon collection)

Source: Biyografiler.com