Duncan Jones

Duncan Jones
Jones at the Tribeca Film Festival for the premiere of his film Moon, 30 April 2009
Born	Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones[1] (1971-05-30) 30 May 1971 Bromley, United Kingdom
Occupation	Film director
Years active	2002–present
Spouse(s)	Rodene Ronquillo (m. 2012)
Parents	David Bowie (father) Angela Bowie (mother)

Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones (born 30 May 1971)^[1] is an English film director best known for directing the award-winning science fiction films Moon (2009) and Source Code (2011).

As a child he was known as Zowie Bowie, then as a teenager as Joey. Since about the age of eighteen, he has preferred Duncan Jones.

Childhood and family

Duncan Jones is the only child from the marriage of musician David Bowie (born David Robert Jones) and his first wife, Mary Angela Barnett, an American former model. He was born at Bromley Hospital^[1] in Kent. His birth prompted Bowie to write the song "Kooks" for his 1971 album Hunky Dory.^[2] Jones is the half-brother of Alexandria "Lexi" Jones (born 2000), from his father's second marriage to the fashion model Iman, and Jones is the half-brother of Stacia Larranna Celeste Lipka (born 1980), from his mother's relationship with musician Drew Blood (real name Andrew Lipka). He also has a stepsister, Zulekha Haywood (born 1978), who is the daughter of Iman and former NBA basketball player Spencer Haywood, Iman's second husband.

Jones spent time growing up in Berlin, London and Vevey, Switzerland where he attended the first and second grade at the Commonwealth American School in Lausanne. When the Bowies divorced in February 1980, David Bowie was granted custody of nine-year-old Jones (who was then known as Zowie), and he visited his mother on his school vacations. At age 14, he enrolled in the Scottish boarding school, Gordonstoun.

Around the age of 12, Zowie decided that he preferred to be called "Joey", and used this nickname for some time until shortening it to "Joe" in his later teen years. The press reported that he went by "Joe" in 1992 when attending his father's wedding to Iman (he was the best man).^[3] Whilst growing up, Jones dreamed of becoming a professional wrestler, and his father frequently praises what he called Jones' "natural strength".^[4]

According to the Newham Recorder, he reverted to his birth name, Duncan Jones, around the age of 18.^[5]

Personal life

Jones announced his engagement to photographer Rodene Ronquillo on 28 June 2012. They married on 6 November 2012, spontaneously, on the day Ronquillo was diagnosed with breast cancer. The couple have been campaigning to raise awareness for the disease and for early diagnosis ever since.^[6][7]

Director

By 1995, Jones graduated with a bachelor's degree in philosophy from The College of Wooster. He then pursued a PhD degree at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, but left before completion to attend London Film School, where he then graduated as a director.

He was one of many cameramen at his father's widely-televised 50th birthday party directed by Englishman Tim Pope at Madison Square Garden and also at two BowieNet concerts at Roseland Ballroom in New York City in June 2000. He was also the in-game cinematics director for the political simulator Republic: The Revolution, as well as scripting elements of the game.^[8]

Advertising

Jones directed the 2006 campaign for the French Connection fashion label. The concept of 'Fashion vs Style' was to re-invigorate the brand and move it away from the former incarnation of FCUK, which style pundits believed had become tired and overused.^[9][10] The advert debuted in the week ending 20 February 2006 and featured two women (representing fashion and style) fighting and briefly kissing each other. The advertisement generated 127 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority.^[10]

Films

Jones with his father David Bowie at the premiere of Jones's directorial debut Moon, April 2009

Jones's first feature film, Moon, was nominated for 7 British Independent film awards and won 2, both going to Jones. It was also nominated for 2 BAFTA Awards at the 2010 ceremony, winning 1. There have been 19 other nominations and wins for the film, from film festivals and societies, including the BAFTA Carl Foreman Award, British Independent Film Award for Best Film and British Independent Film Award The Douglas Hickox Award.

He directed the Summit Entertainment project Source Code,^[11] a science-fiction thriller from Vendome Pictures, which was produced by Mark Gordon. Actor Jake Gyllenhaal played the lead role in the film.^[12] Source Code was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 26 July 2011 in the United States.

On January 30, 2013, Jones was announced to direct the Warcraft film adaptation.^[13]

Filmography

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Duncan Jones.

• Duncan Jones at the Internet Movie Database
• Duncan Jones on Twitter
• Duncan Jones at Clipland