Justin Chadwick

After starting out as an actor, Justin Chadwick gradually moved to the director's chair, helming British series and eventually feature films. Chadwick took to the stage early, joining youth theater productions by age 11 and going on to study drama at the University of Leicester. In 1991, he made his big-screen debut as the lead trying to escape the underground drug culture in the visceral comedic drama "London Kills Me." While continuing to take roles in series and films, he tried his hand at directing with the 1993 short TV movie "Family Style," featuring Ewan McGregor, and followed with stints on various series including "The Bill" and "Spooks." His direction on the subsequent miniseries adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel "Bleak House" earned him substantial acclaim and an Emmy nomination, paving the way for his first feature, "The Other Boleyn Girl," featuring Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman. Chadwick's 2010 follow-up "The First Grader" details the true account of an octogenarian former Mau Mau freedom fighter who vies for the free education promised by the Kenyan government.