| Bruce Robinson | |
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Robinson with Lesley-Anne Down, 1979 |
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| Born | 2 May 1946 Broadstairs, Kent, England |
| Occupation | Actor, screenwriter, director |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Spouse | Lesley-Anne Down (1969–79) Sophie Windham (1984– ) |
Bruce Robinson (born 2 May 1946) is an English director, screenwriter, novelist and actor. He is arguably most famous for writing and directing the cult classic Withnail and I (1986), a film with comic and tragic elements, set in London during the 1960s which drew on his experiences as 'a chronic alcoholic and resting actor, living in squalor' [1] in Camden Town.
As an actor, he has worked with the likes of Franco Zeffirelli (on whom he based the character of Uncle Monty in Withnail and I), Ken Russell and François Truffaut. In 1998, he returned to acting with a cameo in the 70s rock rival film Still Crazy.
Robinson currently lives in Herefordshire with his wife, Sophie Windham. He has two children, Lily India (b. 1986) and Willoughby (b. 1994).
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Bruce Robinson was born in Broadstairs in Kent. In his youth, Robinson aspired to be an actor and was admitted to the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. His first film role was as Benvolio in Franco Zeffirelli's film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet (1968). He then appeared in Ken Russell's The Music Lovers (1970), Barney Platts-Mills's Private Road (1971), and François Truffaut's The Story of Adele H (1975), but eventually became disenchanted with acting after spending several years out of work and living on social security payments and began writing screenplays. He was soon commissioned by David Puttnam to write the screenplay for Roland Joffé's The Killing Fields (1984). Robinson was nominated for an Academy Award and won a BAFTA for his work. In 1989, Robinson wrote again for Joffé on Fat Man and Little Boy.
However, he is perhaps best known as the creative force behind the film Withnail and I (1987). Loosely autobiographical, he based the film on his time as a struggling out-of-work actor.[2] For instance, the character 'Withnail' is reportedly based on his friend, Vivian MacKerrell, whilst the character 'I' (Marwood), on himself. Though unsuccessful at the box office, due to its success on video it has since been described as "one of Britain's biggest cult films".[3] The film also launched the acting career of Richard E. Grant.
Robinson's next two outings as a director (How to Get Ahead in Advertising, teaming him again with Richard E. Grant, and Jennifer 8, a Hollywood thriller) were not as well received.[4] Robinson became disillusioned with the restrictive film-making practises of Hollywood and stopped directing to concentrate solely on writing. However, films such as Return to Paradise (1998) and In Dreams (1999) were both altered drastically by their producers, leaving Robinson once again disappointed.[5]
Robinson eventually returned to directing with an adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's novel The Rum Diary, with the main role performed by Johnny Depp.[6] With Aaron Eckhart and Richard Jenkins also on board, filming started on 25 March 2009 in Puerto Rico.[7] It was released in 2011.
Recently, Robinson has completed a screenplay for his novel The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman and a book on Jack the Ripper which has yet to be published.
Robinson is also a successful author. His first published work was the semi-autobiographical novel, The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman in 1998. In 2000, Smoking in Bed: Conversations with Bruce Robinson, edited by Alistair Owen, was published, made up of a selection of interviews given by Robinson. Meanwhile, since becoming a father, Robinson has also written two children's books, The Obvious Elephant (2000) and Harold and the Duck (2005), both illustrated by his wife. The former is also available as an audiobook edition (2003), read by Lorelei King and Michael Maloney.
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