Tom Hooper

Lore & Background

Tom Hooper is a British-Australian filmmaker. He was born in London to an Australian mother, an author and academic, and an English father, a media businessman. He was educated at Highgate School and Westminster School. His interest in drama was sparked by a former Royal Shakespeare Company actor who taught English and drama at Highgate and produced an annual school play. At age 12, after reading a book on filmmaking, he decided to become a director. He spent the following year studying filmmaking from a publication by Harris Watts. At 13, he made his first film, a silent comedy about a dog that runs away from its owner, using a clockwork 16mm Bolex camera. He slowed the camera’s frame rate to conserve expensive film stock. At 14, his short film *Bomber Jacket* placed second in a BBC competition for younger filmmakers; it starred his brother and involved a boy discovering a hidden bomber jacket and photograph, learning his grandfather died in World War II. Another short he made depicted a nuclear holocaust. After finishing school at 16, he wrote the script for his first professional short, *Painted Faces*, spending two years raising capital by courting advertisement directors. A director invested in the short, providing equipment. Hooper wrote, produced, directed, and edited it. It was sold to Channel 4, broadcast in 1992, screened at the London Film Festival, and had a limited theatrical release.

Reader's Guide

Tom Hooper's significance lies in his transition from British television to acclaimed feature films. His early career was shaped by a childhood fascination with filmmaking, beginning at age twelve after reading a how-to guide, and he made his first short film at thirteen using a clockwork camera that limited shots to thirty seconds. As a teenager, he entered a BBC competition for young filmmakers, placing second with a short about a boy discovering his grandfather’s wartime past. His first professional short, funded partly by a director he courted, was sold to Channel 4 and screened at the London Film Festival. While studying at Oxford, he directed plays starring future notable actors and made his first television commercials, including one for a video game. After university, he gained experience directing episodes of British soap operas and children’s series, eventually helming episodes of a major BBC soap that contributed to its British Academy Television Award wins. He then moved into period dramas for the BBC and revived a classic ITV crime series. His work for HBO on historical projects earned him an Emmy for directing. His feature film debut was a British drama, followed by a sports film, before he won the Academy Award for Best Director for a historical drama. He subsequently directed a musical adaptation and a romantic drama, the latter nominated for a British Academy Film Award. Later, he directed a live-action musical film that received multiple Razzie Awards, and also directed episodes of a fantasy series for HBO.

Did You Know?

• At age 12, Hooper read a book titled How to Make Film and Television and decided to become a director.
• He made his first film, Runaway Dog, at age 13 using a clockwork 16mm Bolex camera.
• His short Bomber Jacket came runner-up in a BBC younger filmmakers' competition when he was 14.