Tony Richardson
Free Cinema co-founder and British auteur.
Tony Richardson, born Cecil Antonio Richardson in Shipley, Yorkshire in 1928, was a defining figure in British theatre and cinema for five decades. He emerged as a leading force among the "angry young men" of the 1950s and became central to the British New Wave film movement. His early career was marked by a commitment to social realism, and his films *Look Back in Anger* (1959), *The Entertainer* (1960), *A Taste of Honey* (1961), and *The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner* (1962) are celebrated as classics of kitchen sink realism. He achieved international acclaim in 1964, winning Academy Awards for both Best Director and Best Picture for *Tom Jones*. His work earned him two BAFTA Awards and two nominations for the Palme d'Or. Richardson co-founded Woodfall Film Productions with John Osborne and Harry Saltzman, launching it with the film adaptation of *Look Back in Anger*. His directing debut was a television production of Jean Giraudoux's *The Apollo of Bellac* in 1955, and he co-directed the short *Momma Don't Allow* with Karel Reisz as part of the Free Cinema movement. He was instrumental in forming the English Stage Company and directed Osborne's landmark play *Look Back in Anger* at the Royal Court Theatre, later directing Laurence Olivier in *The Entertainer*. Richardson's stylistic range was broad, encompassing noir, epic, and psycho-drama, and he worked with a vast array of stars including Jeanne Moreau, Orson Welles, Richard Burton, and Katharine Hepburn. He was married to actress Vanessa Redgrave, with whom he had two daughters, actresses Natasha Richardson and Joely Richardson.
- field
- Theatre director, filmmaker
- nationality
- English
Quick Facts
- Birth Name
- Cecil Antonio Richardson
- Birth Date
- df=yes · 1928 · 6 · 5
- Birth Place
- Shipley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
- Death Date
- df=yes · 1991 · 11 · 14 · 1928 · 6 · 5
- Death Place
- Los Angeles, California
- Education
- Wadham College, Oxford
- Occupation
- Director · film producer · screenwriter
- Years Active
- 1952–1991
- Spouse
- Vanessa Redgrave · 1962 · 1967 · reason=divorced
- Children
- 3, including Natasha and Joely
- Relatives
- Daisy Bevan (granddaughter) · Micheál Richardson (grandson)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In the United Kingdom, the idea of film d'auteur was born in the 1950s with the critic-filmmakers of the review *Sequence*, admirers of the work of Jean Vigo and Jacques Prévert and close to the *Jeunes gens en colère*. Karel Reisz, Lindsay Anderson and Tony Richardson, founders of Free cinema, call for the re-founding of a cinema that breaks with the conventional workmanship of the majority of British productions. The productions derived from it seek to be more authentic, singular and anchored in a certain social reality. When Free Cinema was launched in 1956, Reisz declared: "We work outside the habitual framework of the industry and we have in common social concerns which we try to express in our films." The auteur is therefore an independent creator defined by their commitment and the sharpness of their outlook on society.
Reader's Guide
Tony Richardson's significance lies in his role as a founder of Free Cinema in 1956, alongside Karel Reisz and Lindsay Anderson. Free Cinema called for a re-founding of cinema that breaks with conventional workmanship, seeking productions that are more authentic, singular, and anchored in social reality. Reisz's 1956 declaration—"We work outside the habitual framework of the industry and we have in common social concerns which we try to express in our films"—defines the movement's ethos. Richardson, as a Free Cinema auteur, was defined by his commitment and the sharpness of his outlook on society.
Did You Know?
- Tony Richardson was one of the critic-filmmakers of the review *Sequence*, admirers of Jean Vigo and Jacques Prévert.
- He co-founded Free Cinema in 1956 with Karel Reisz and Lindsay Anderson.
- Free Cinema called for a cinema that breaks with conventional workmanship of the majority of British productions.
- When Free Cinema was launched in 1956, Reisz declared: 'We work outside the habitual framework of the industry and we have in common social concerns which we try to express in our films.'
- Richardson as an auteur defined by his commitment and the sharpness of his outlook on society.
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