Peter Chelsom

PETER CHELSOM

Date of Birth: April 20, 1956

Hailing from Blackpool, Lancashire, England, Chelsom trained as a photographer before winning a place at London's Central School of Drama. Following three years of study, he started playing lead roles in television series like School Play and A Woman of Substance, as well as films like The American Success Company and theatre productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre.

After ten years in front of the camera, he decided to trade in his acting cap for a writing pen and a director's chair. He spent the next couple of years working on television commercials, many of which received awards. He then worked on a short film called Treacle which earned a BAFTA nomination and shown at festivals around the world.

Writing and directing his first feature, Hear My Song, about a man who secretly replaces a charismatic Irish tenor who mysteriously disappeared, won him Best Film at the British Comedy Awards, and a BAFTA nomination for Best Original Screenplay. He followed the success with another hit, Funny Bone. This film earned him another BAFTA nomination, and five Best Film awards at various film festivals across Europe.

In 1995, he relocated to Los Angeles to film his next film, The Mighty. Starring Sharon Stone, the film was his biggest hit yet, with a strong showing at the box office, a Golden Gryphon for Chelsom at the Giffoni Film Festival, and nominations from the Golden Globes and Young Artists for the stars.

Chelsom continued his successful run with two more films, Town and Country and Serendipity, released early in the new millennium.

Filmography (director):

Shall We Dance? (2004)
Serendipity (2001)
Town & Country (2001)
The Mighty (1998)
Funny Bones (1995)
Hear My Song (1991)