Oliver Parker

Born to English aristocracy (railroad executive Sir Peter Parker and writer Lady Gillian), director-screenwriter Oliver Parker transitioned from minor acting roles in films like "Hellbound: Hellraiser 2" and "Nuns on the Run" to a prolific career as a BAFTA Award-nominated filmmaker, acclaimed for his lush onscreen adaptations of British literary classics. The London theater vet first gained major notice in the U.K. with a recurring role on the long-running BBC medical drama "Casualty," though he achieved breakthrough success in movies with his feature directing debut, "Othello" (1995). The Shakespeare adaptation starred Laurence Fishburne as the Moor of Venice and Kenneth Branagh as the villainous Iago, a role Parker himself performed on stage early in his career. Critics praised Parker's sexually charged vision of the Bard's legendary tragedy, hailing the arrival of a bold new cinematic talent. He further solidified his reputation as a daring interpreter of canonized literature by writing and directing three films based on work by Oscar Wilde: BAFTA- and Golden Globe-nominated "An Ideal Husband" (1999) and "The Importance of Being Earnest" (2002), both starring Rupert Everett; and "Dorian Gray" (2009), featuring Ben Barnes as Wilde's diabolically vain hero. A producer and director of Ealing Studios' series of "St. Trinian's" girls' school comedies, Parker also took the helm of another U.K.-based film franchise, directing "Johnny English Reborn," the follow-up to comedian Rowan Atkinson's spy-spoof hit "Johnny English."