Directing
Stephen Frears
Born June 20, 1941 · Leicester, England, UK
Biography
Stephen Arthur Frears (born 20 June 1941) is an English director and producer. He has directed numerous acclaimed films since the early 1980s, including My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), Dangerous Liaisons (1988), The Grifters (1990), High Fidelity (2000), The Queen (2006), Philomena (2013), Florence Foster Jenkins (2016), and Victoria & Abdul (2017). He has received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Director. Frears is also known for his work on various television programs, including Fail Safe (2000), The Deal (2003), Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (2013), A Very English Scandal (2018), State of the Union (2019), and Quiz (2020). He has received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations, with one win. In 2008, The Daily Telegraph named Frears among the 100 most influential people in British culture.
Known for
7.4
High Fidelity
Director
7.6
Philomena
Director
6.8
Florence Foster Jenkins
Director, Writer
7.3
The Queen
Director
7.5
Dangerous Liaisons
Director
6.8
Victoria & Abdul
Director
6.5
The Program
Director
6.5
Hero
Director
7.2
Dirty Pretty Things
Director
6.8
The Grifters
Director
6.2
Tamara Drewe
Director
5.8
Mary Reilly
Director
6.8
My Beautiful Laundrette
Director
4.9
Lay the Favorite
Director
7.0
The Hit
Director
7.0
Mrs. Henderson Presents
Director
6.1
Chéri
Narrator (voice) (uncredited), Director
6.7
The Lost King
Director
7.6
A Very English Scandal
Director, Executive Producer
6.0
The Regime
Executive Producer, Director
Filmography
- 2026Angela Allen: The Woman Who Saw EverythingMovie
- 2025Innes Lloyd: The ProducerSelf (archive footage)Movie
- 2025Brian and MaggieExecutive Producer, DirectorSeries
- 2024Alec Guinness: A Class ActselfMovie
- 2024The RegimeExecutive Producer, DirectorSeries
- 2024A Look Through His LensSelfMovie
- 2023The Rise of the Comic StripSelfMovie
- 2022Hans Zimmer: Hollywood RebelSelfMovie
- 2022The Lost KingDirectorMovie
- 2022Reel BritanniaSelfSeries
- 2021Short Cuts: Dangerous LiaisonsOriginal Film WriterMovie
- 2021Back to BarrytownSelfSeries
- 2020In The Tracks Of - Alexandre DesplatSelfMovie
- 2020QuizExecutive Producer, DirectorSeries
- 2019Revisiting The Man in the White SuitMovie
- 2019The Loudest VoiceDirectorSeries
- 2019Memories of Lindsay AndersonSelfMovie
- 2019State of the UnionExecutive Producer, DirectorSeries
- 2018Who Killed British Cinema?SelfMovie
- 2018Seduction. Betrayal. Murder: The Making of The GriftersMovie
- 2018A Very English ScandalDirector, Executive ProducerSeries
- 2018She's FrenchMovie
- 2017Victoria & AbdulDirectorMovie
- 2017Il était une fois... « The Queen »SelfMovie
- 2016Alan Clarke: Out of His Own LightSelfMovie
- 2016Florence Foster JenkinsDirector, WriterMovie
- 2015The ProgramDirectorMovie
- 2015Reflecting on My Beautiful Laundrette: A Conversation between Stephen Frears and Colin MacCabeMovie
- 2015French Cinema Mon AmourSelfMovie
- 2014Henri Langlois vu par...Self, DirectorMovie
- 2014Night Will FallProducer, Executive ProducerMovie
- 2013PhilomenaDirectorMovie
- 2013Muhammad Ali's Greatest FightDirectorMovie
- 201230 Years of Comic StripMovie
- 2012Lay the FavoriteDirectorMovie
- 2012My Friend Sam: Living for the MomentMovie
- 2011Hans Zimmer: The Sound of HollywoodSelfMovie
- 2010Tamara DreweDirectorMovie
- 2010Heavy RainHimselfMovie
- 2009Once Upon a Time... 'Notorious'SelfMovie
- 2009Jean CharlesExecutive ProducerMovie
- 2009Great DirectorsSelfMovie
- 2009ChériNarrator (voice) (uncredited), DirectorMovie
- 2007Here’s Looking at You, BoySelfMovie
- 2007The Making of 'The Queen'SelfMovie
- 2006The QueenDirectorMovie
- 2006Great British MenuSelf - Guest JudgeSeries
- 2005Le court des grandsDirectorMovie
- 2005Mrs. Henderson PresentsDirectorMovie
- 2005EletrodomésticaThanksMovie
- 2005Michael PowellMovie
- 2004Lindsay Anderson: Lucky Man?Self (Archival)Movie
- 2004KulturplatzSelfSeries
- 2004Cast & Crew: If....Self - IntervieweeMovie
- 2004The Route V50DirectorMovie
- 2003100 Greatest Sexy MomentsSelfMovie
- 2003The DealDirectorMovie
- 2002Forever EalingSelfMovie
- 2002Dirty Pretty ThingsDirectorMovie
- 2002Robert Altman in EnglandSelfMovie
- 2001All About Desire: The Passionate Cinema of Pedro AlmodovarNarratorMovie
- 2001LiamDirectorMovie
- 2000Alan Clarke: His Own ManSelfMovie
- 2000Fail SafeDirectorMovie
- 2000High FidelityDirectorMovie
- 1998The Hi-Lo CountryDirectorMovie
- 1997Beyond FearExecutive ProducerMovie
- 1997Howard Hawks: American ArtistNarratorMovie
- 1996The VanDirectorMovie
- 1996Mary ReillyDirectorMovie
- 1995Typically British: A Personal History of British CinemaMovie
- 1993Hollywood U.K.: British Cinema in the SixtiesSelfSeries
- 1993The SnapperDirectorMovie
- 1992HeroDirectorMovie
- 1991Director: Alan ClarkeMovie
- 1990The GriftersDirectorMovie
- 1988Dangerous LiaisonsDirectorMovie
- 1988Mr Jolly Lives Next DoorDirectorMovie
- 1987Sammy and Rosie Get LaidDirectorMovie
- 1987Prick Up Your EarsDirectorMovie
- 1986Hooray For HolyroodSelfMovie
- 1986Song of ExperienceDirectorMovie
- 1986Consuela (or, The New Mrs Saunders)Director of PhotographyMovie
- 1985Shooting from the Heart: Chris Menges, CameramanSelfMovie
- 1985My Beautiful LaundretteDirectorMovie
- 1985Screen TwoDirectorSeries
- 1984December FlowerDirectorMovie
- 1984The Bullshitters: Roll Out the GunbarrelDirectorMovie
- 1984The HitDirectorMovie
- 1983Saigon: Year of the CatDirectorMovie
- 1983Walter and JuneDirectorMovie
- 1982The Comic Strip Presents...DirectorSeries
- 1982WalterDirectorMovie
- 1981Going GentlyDirectorMovie
- 1980Bloody KidsDirectorMovie
- 1979Long Distance InformationDirectorMovie
- 1979One Fine DayDirector, ProducerMovie
- 1978Doris and DoreenProducer, DirectorMovie
- 1978Me! I'm Afraid of Virginia WoolfDirectorMovie
- 1978Long ShotBiscuit ManMovie
- 1978The South Bank ShowSeries
- 1978A Visit from Miss ProtheroDirectorMovie
- 1977Black ChristmasDirectorMovie
- 1977BBC2 Play of the WeekDirectorSeries
- 1977Last SummerDirector, ProducerMovie
- 1976Early StrugglesDirectorMovie
- 1975Three Men in a BoatDirectorMovie
- 1975Sunset Across the BayDirectorMovie
- 1974Match of the DayDirectorMovie
- 1974PlayhouseDirectorSeries
- 1972A Day OutDirectorMovie
- 1971GumshoeDirectorMovie
- 1971FollyfootDirectorSeries
- 1971IncidentManMovie
- 1970Play for TodayDirectorSeries
- 1968The BurningDirectorMovie
- 1967OmnibusSeries
- 1967ITV PlayhouseDirectorSeries
- 1966Morgan: A Suitable Case for TreatmentAssistant DirectorMovie
- —Wilder & MeDirectorMovie