Robert Fox (producer)

Last updated

Robert Fox
Born
Robert Michael John Fox

(1952-03-25) 25 March 1952 (age 72)
Cuckfield, England
Occupation(s)Film producer, theatre producer
Years active1982–present
Spouses
Celestia Sporborg
(m. 1975;div. 1990)
(m. 1990;div. 1992)
Fiona Golfar
(m. 1996)
Children5
Parent(s) Robin Fox
Angela Worthington
Relatives
Family Fox

Robert Michael John Fox (born 25 March 1952) is an English theatre and film producer, whose work includes the 2002 film The Hours . [1]

Contents

Life and career

He was born the third son of theatrical agent Robin Fox and actress Angela Worthington. [2] He is the younger brother of actors Edward Fox and James Fox. The actress Emilia Fox is his niece and the actors Laurence Fox and Freddie Fox are his nephews. His maternal grandfather was playwright Frederick Lonsdale. [3] Fox was educated at Harrow School.

Fox has been a theatrical producer in the West End and on Broadway for over two decades. His productions include Another Country , Burn This starring John Malkovich; the world premiere of Arthur Miller's The Ride Down Mt. Morgan ; Edward Albee's Three Tall Women ; many plays by David Hare: Skylight with Michael Gambon and Lia Williams, Amy's View with Judi Dench, and The Breath of Life with Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. Other Fox productions include Hedda Gabler , Closer by Patrick Marber, The Lady in the Van by Alan Bennett starring Maggie Smith and directed by Nicholas Hytner; a revival of Pinter's The Caretaker with Michael Gambon, Gypsy on Broadway; The Boy from Oz starring Hugh Jackman; and The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh starring Billy Crudup and Jeff Goldblum. Fox is currently co-producing two new plays: on Broadway, The Vertical Hour by David Hare starring Julianne Moore and Bill Nighy, [4] and in the West End, Frost/Nixon by Peter Morgan with Frank Langella and Michael Sheen at the Gielgud Theatre.

Fox executive-produced the film of Closer , directed by Mike Nichols and starring Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Clive Owen and Natalie Portman. Before that, he produced The Hours with Scott Rudin, directed by Stephen Daldry, starring Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore; and Iris (Miramax/Mirage) directed by Richard Eyre, starring Judi Dench, Kate Winslet and Jim Broadbent, both of which garnered Oscars in 2003. Other credits include executive producer on Another Country ; a television film of Suddenly, Last Summer with Maggie Smith; and A Month by the Lake for starring Vanessa Redgrave, Edward Fox and Uma Thurman. He co-produced Notes on a Scandal for Fox Searchlight starring Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench.

Personal life

Fox is married to Fiona Golfar, with whom he has two children. He was previously married to Celestia Sporborg, with whom he had three children, and to the actress Natasha Richardson from 1990 to 1992. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maggie Smith</span> English actress (born 1934)

Dame Margaret Natalie Smith is an English actress. Known for her wit in comedic roles, she has had an extensive career on stage and screen over seven decades and is one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actresses. She has received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, four Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award, making her one of the few performers to earn the Triple Crown of Acting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judi Dench</span> English actress (born 1934)

Dame Judith Olivia Dench is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage. Dench has garnered various accolades throughout a career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards, four British Academy Television Awards, six British Academy Film Awards and seven Olivier Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Gambon</span> Irish-English actor (1940–2023)

Sir Michael John Gambon was an Irish-English actor. Gambon started his acting career with Laurence Olivier as one of the original members of the Royal National Theatre. Over his six-decade-long career, he received three Olivier Awards and four BAFTA TV Awards. In 1998, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal National Theatre</span> Theatre in London, England

The Royal National Theatre of Great Britain, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT) within the UK and as the National Theatre of Great Britain internationally, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England. The theatre was founded by the actor Laurence Olivier in 1963, and many well-known actors have performed with it since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Hare (playwright)</span> British playwright, screenwriter and director (born 1947)

Sir David Rippon Hare is an English playwright, screenwriter and theatre director. Best known for his stage work, Hare has also enjoyed great success with films, receiving two Academy Award nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay for writing The Hoursin 2002, based on the novel written by Michael Cunningham, and The Readerin 2008, based on the novel of the same name written by Bernhard Schlink.

Alex Michael Jennings is an English actor of the stage and screen, who worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre. For his work on the London stage, Jennings received three Olivier Awards, winning for Too Clever by Half (1988), Peer Gynt (1996), and My Fair Lady (2003). He is the only performer to have won Olivier awards in the drama, musical, and comedy categories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natasha Richardson</span> English actress (1963–2009)

Natasha Jane Richardson was an English actress. A member of the Redgrave family, Richardson was the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and director/producer Tony Richardson and the granddaughter of Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gielgud Theatre</span> Theatre in Londons West End since 1906

The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, at the corner of Rupert Street, in the City of Westminster, London. The house currently has 986 seats on three levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Frears</span> British film director and producer (born 1941)

Sir Stephen Arthur Frears is a British director and producer of film and television, often depicting real life stories as well as projects that explore social class through sharply-drawn characters. He has received numerous accolades including three BAFTA Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award as well as nominations for two Academy Awards. In 2008, The Daily Telegraph named Frears among the 100 most influential people in British culture. In 2009, he received the Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He received a knighthood in 2023 for his contributions to the film and television industries.

Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre is an English film, theatre, television and opera director. Eyre has received numerous accolades including three Laurence Olivier Awards as well as nominations for six BAFTA Awards and two Tony Awards. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1992 News Year Honours, and knighted in the 1997 New Year Honours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Grandage</span> British theatre director (born 1962)

Michael Grandage CBE is a British theatre director and producer. He is currently Artistic Director of the Michael Grandage Company. From 2002 to 2012 he was Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse in London and from 2000 to 2005 he was Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres.

The Vertical Hour is a play by David Hare. The play addresses the relationship of characters with opposing views on the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and also explores psychological tension between public lives and private lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Michell</span> South African-born British film director (1956–2021)

Roger Michell was a South African-born British theatre, television and film director. He was best known for directing films such as Notting Hill and Venus, as well as the 1995 made-for-television film Persuasion.

<i>Skylight</i> (play) 1995 play written by David Hare

Skylight is a play by British dramatist David Hare. The play premiered in the West End at the Cottesloe Theatre in 1995, moving to the Wyndham's Theatre in 1996. After opening on Broadway in 1996, it played again in the West End in 1997 at the Vaudeville Theatre. It was revived at Wyndham's Theatre in the West End in 2014, and that production transferred to Broadway in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurence Olivier Awards</span> English annual theatre awards

The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply TheOlivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Awards, but they were renamed in honour of the British actor of the same name in 1984.

Sarah Woodward is a British actress who won an Olivier Award in 1998 for Tom & Clem and was Tony nominated in 2000 for The Real Thing. Sarah is the daughter of actor Edward Woodward and his first wife, actress Venetia Barrett. She is sister of actor Tim Woodward, and actor, voice artist, and screenwriter Peter Woodward, and half-sister to actress Emily Woodward, whose mother is actress Michele Dotrice.

<i>Victoria & Abdul</i> 2017 film by Stephen Frears

Victoria & Abdul is a 2017 British biographical historical drama film directed by Stephen Frears and written by Lee Hall. The film is based on the book Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant by Shrabani Basu, about the real-life relationship between Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her Indian Muslim servant Abdul Karim. It stars Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Michael Gambon, Eddie Izzard, Tim Pigott-Smith, and Adeel Akhtar. The film had its world premiere at the 74th Venice Film Festival and was theatrically released on 15 September 2017 in the United Kingdom. It has grossed over $65 million worldwide.

<i>Nothing Like a Dame</i> (film) 2018 film

Nothing Like a Dame is a 2018 British documentary film directed by Roger Michell, with Sally Angel serving as executive producer. It was produced by Sally Angel and Karen Steyn. The film documents conversations between actresses Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright and Maggie Smith interspersed with scenes from their careers on film and stage.

<i>National Theatre Live: 50 Years On Stage</i> 2013 documentary directed by Nicholas Hytner

National Theatre Live: 50 Years On Stage is a 2013 live staged event film directed by Nicholas Hytner. Shown in theatres and on PBS and National Theatre Live. The program is presented by The Royal National Theatre which celebrates 50 years of theatre, with some extracts of the best productions from the last five decades including Alan Bennett, Noël Coward, David Hare, Tony Kushner, Eugene O'Neill, Harold Pinter, William Shakespeare, George Bernard Shaw, Tom Stoppard, and Tennessee Williams performed by the countries best performers including Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Scott, Penelope Wilton, Simon Russell Beale, Frances de la Tour, Ian Holm, Derek Jacobi, and Joan Plowright.

References

  1. "Robert Fox". IMDb .
  2. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  3. "A Fox among the chickens", The Times, Brian Logan, 5 March 2007
  4. "Robert Fox Theatre Credits". Broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  5. thePeerage.com- FOX family genealogical survey