Guy Ritchie

Guy Ritchie

Ritchie in 2017
Born (1968-09-10) 10 September 1968
Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England
Occupation
  • Filmmaker
  • pub landlord
  • businessman
Years active 1995–present
Spouse(s) Madonna
(m. 2000; div. 2008)
Jacqui Ainsley
(m. 2015)
Children 5

Guy Ritchie (born 10 September 1968)[1] is an English filmmaker known for his crime films. He left secondary school and got entry-level jobs in the film industry in the mid-1990s. Ritchie eventually went on to direct commercials. He directed his first film in 1995, a 20-minute short that impressed investors who backed his first feature film, the crime comedy Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). He then directed another crime comedy, Snatch (2000). Ritchie's other films include Revolver (2005), RocknRolla (2008), Sherlock Holmes (2009), and its sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011).

Early life

Ritchie was born in Hatfield, Hertfordshire,[1] the second of two children of Amber (née Parkinson) and Captain John Vivian Ritchie (b. 1928), former Seaforth Highlanders serviceman and advertising executive. John's father was Major Stewart Ritchie, who died in France, in 1940, during World War II.[2] John's mother was Doris Margaretta McLaughlin (b. 1896), daughter of Vivian Guy McLaughlin (b. 1865) and Edith Martineau (b. 1866), this last by whom she shares close common ancestors with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.[3] The McLaughlins have a pedigree going back to King Edward I of England.[4][5] Ritchie's mother, Amber, later married a baronet.[6] His father's second marriage was to Shireen Ritchie, Baroness Ritchie of Brompton, a former model and later Conservative politician and life peer.[7]

Ritchie, who is dyslexic, was expelled from Stanbridge Earls School at the age of 15.[1] He has stated that drug use was the reason for the expulsion; his father has said that it was because his son was caught "cutting class and entertaining a girl in his room."[8]

In addition to his elder sister Tabitha, a dance instructor, Ritchie has a half-brother, Kevin Baynton, who was born to Amber Parkinson when she was a teenager and given up for adoption.[9] From 1973 until 1980, when they divorced,[8][10] Ritchie's mother was married to Sir Michael Leighton, 11th baronet. As a divorcée, she is correctly styled as Amber, Lady Leighton.[11]

Directing career

In 1998, Ritchie and his father contacted their friend Peter Morton, of the Hard Rock Cafe chain, wondering if he had any potential investors for a debut film. Morton's nephew, Matthew Vaughn, had been studying film production in Los Angeles. Peter informed Vaughn of Ritchie's new film idea, and Vaughn agreed to produce. Matthew, John, Guy and Peter asked their mutual acquaintance, Trudie Styler, to invest in the production of Ritchie's second film. Styler had seen The Hard Case, and decided that co-funding the project would be a worthwhile opportunity. The production of the film, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels was completed in about eight months. It was released in Great Britain in 1998, and after positive reviews, became an international success. Richie was introduced to Madonna, whom he would later wed, when the soundtrack for the film was issued on her Maverick Records label. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which starred Nick Moran, also introduced actors Jason Statham (The Transporter), Jason Flemyng and Dexter Fletcher to worldwide audiences, as well as introducing former footballer Vinnie Jones to a new acting career. In 2000 Ritchie won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay. Ritchie created and produced a spin-off television series called Lock, Stock....[12]

His second feature film was Snatch, released in the year 2000. Originally known as Diamonds, it was another caper comedy, this time backed by a major studio. The cast featured such Hollywood big names as Brad Pitt, Benicio del Toro and Dennis Farina, along with the returning Vinnie Jones and Statham. Similar to Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in featuring a complex and inventive storyline in which the characters weave in and out of each other's lives, the film also plays with time, depicting events from various perspectives. It currently has a rating of 73% on Rotten Tomatoes.[13]

Following his marriage to Madonna, Ritchie began focusing his filmmaking on his wife, directing her in both a music video (for the song "What It Feels Like for a Girl", a controversial video that showed Madonna engaging in violent behaviour, directed at men, including T-boning a car with three men in it, tasering and robbing a man at an ATM, scratching a police car and shooting two officers with a water gun, driving her car through a group of men playing street hockey and incinerating a man by throwing a lighter into a pool of gasoline) and a short film, Star, for the BMW films series. Ritchie's next film, also featuring Madonna, was a remake of the 1974 Lina Wertmüller hit Swept Away (also entitled Swept Away). Ritchie cast Madonna as a rich, rude socialite who, after a shipwreck, is trapped on a deserted island with a slovenly Communist sailor who humiliates her. Ritchie renamed the woman Amber Leighton after his mother. This film was both a critical and commercial disappointment.[14]

Ritchie's next project was a Vegas-themed heist film entitled Revolver, which was critically panned in the US and UK.[15][16] Ritchie was involved with a hidden camera show called Swag,[17] for Channel Five in the UK, which turned the table on criminals and opportunists by using stunts to trap them in the act. Ritchie has also written and directed RocknRolla starring Gerard Butler. It scores 60% on Rotten Tomatoes and was generally received well.[18]

In 2008, Ritchie directed a commercial for Nike called "Take It To The Next Level", about a young Dutch footballer who signs for Arsenal, showing the progression of his career from his viewpoint, until he makes his debut for the Netherlands. The commercial features cameo appearances from some football players with music by Eagles of Death Metal.[19] Ritchie's movie Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law, received its theatrical release on 25 December 2009. The film was given generally positive reviews[20] and grossed more than $520 million worldwide,[21] becoming Ritchie's most successful film financially.[22] The sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, was released on 16 December 2011. In June 2012 it was announced that Ritchie would direct an adaptation of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.[23] On 29 October 2012, Ritchie produced a game trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops II.[24]

Ritchie directed Warner Bros.' The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,[25] which was filmed in 2013 in London and Italy,[26][27] and was released in August 2015.[28] In January 2014, Warner Bros. set Ritchie to direct King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, with Lionel Wigram producing and Joby Harold writing the script.[29] Charlie Hunnam played King Arthur by Ritchie's choice.[30] The film, scheduled to be the first of several in a franchise, premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on May 8, 2017.

In October 2016, Disney announced that Ritchie had signed on to direct a live-action adaptation of Aladdin.[31]

The Raindance Film Festival announced in August 2017 that it would be honouring Ritchie with its 2nd annual Auteur Award, describing him as a "prominent figure" who breathed "new life into the British film industry" with his "cult crime comedies."[32]

Personal life

Ritchie and his then-wife Madonna in 2005

On 18 May 2000, Ritchie was arrested by the police after he assaulted a 20-year-old man outside the Kensington home he shared with the American entertainer Madonna, causing actual bodily harm.[33] Ritchie started training in Shotokan karate at the age of seven at the Budokwai in London, where he later achieved a black belt in judo.[34] He also has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Renzo Gracie.[35]

On 22 December 2000, Guy married Madonna at Skibo Castle in Scotland.[36] They have a son, Rocco John Ritchie (born 11 August 2000 in Los Angeles) and adopted a Malawian baby boy in 2006, David (born 24 September 2005). Madonna eventually filed for divorce from Ritchie, citing irreconcilable differences.[37] On 15 December 2008, Madonna's spokeswoman announced that the singer had agreed to a divorce settlement with Ritchie, the terms of which grant him between £50 million and £60 million, a figure that includes the value of the couple's London pub and residence and Wiltshire estate in England.[38] Madonna and Ritchie issued a joint statement calling the previous announcement "misleading and inaccurate." The financial details of the settlement remained private.[39] Madonna and Guy Ritchie's marriage was dissolved by District Judge Reid by decree nisi at the clinical Principal Registry of the Family Division in High Holborn, London. Madonna and Ritchie entered into a custody agreement for Rocco and David, then aged eight and three, respectively, and divided the children's time between Ritchie's London home and Madonna's in New York, where the two will be joined by her daughter, Lourdes, from a previous relationship.[40][41]

In February 2011 a £6m house he owns in London's Fitzrovia was occupied briefly by members of The Really Free School, a squatter organisation.[42][43]

On 30 July 2015, Ritchie married model Jacqui Ainsley, whom he had been dating since 2010.[44] They have three children: son Rafael (born 5 September 2011),[45] daughter Rivka, (born 29 November 2012)[1] and son Levi (born 8 June 2014).[44]

Filmography

Year Film Director Writer Producer Notes
1998 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels Yes Yes No Also casting director
2000 Snatch Yes Yes No
2001 Mean Machine No No Yes Executive producer
2002 Swept Away Yes Yes No
2005 Revolver Yes Yes No
2008 RocknRolla Yes Yes Yes
2009 Sherlock Holmes Yes No No
2011 Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Yes No No
2015 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Yes Yes Yes
2017 King Arthur: Legend of the Sword Yes Yes Yes
TBA Aladdin Yes No No Pre-production; live-action adaptation of Aladdin, based on One Thousand and One Nights

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Guy Ritchie Biography: Director (1968–)". Biography.com (FYI / A&E Networks). Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  2. ↑ "Hero in two world wars". Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  3. ↑ Kate Middleton is related to Madonna's ex-husband by Jim Boulden, CNN, edition.cnn.com. 30 March 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2015
  4. ↑ "Background" (PDF). Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  5. ↑ "Background Information". Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  6. ↑ "Guy Ritchie Biography (1968–)". Filmreference.com. 22 December 2000. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
  7. ↑ "Baroness Ritchie of Brompton". The Daily Telegraph. 26 April 2012.
  8. 1 2 Morton, Andrew, "Madonna", London: Macmillan, 2002; page 304.
  9. ↑ "'My brother is Guy Ritchie'". 5 January 2001. Archived from the original on 20 April 2001.
  10. ↑ "Person Page 9471". thePeerage.com. Retrieved 1 November 2009.
  11. ↑ Taraborrelli, Madonna: An Intimate Biography, 2007, p. 189
  12. ↑ Lock, Stock... (2000) on IMDb
  13. ↑ Snatch (2001). Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 6 December 2015.
  14. ↑ Swept Away (2002). Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 6 December 2015.
  15. ↑ Guerrier, Simon. "Revolver Review". filmfocus.co.uk. Retrieved 12 December 2007. Tedious, humourless, pretentious and nasty
  16. ↑ Hennigan, Adrian. "Revolver". BBC. Retrieved 12 December 2007. ...plodding pretentiousness in a film that's illuminated by great action set-pieces and some powerful performances, but not redeemed
  17. ↑ "Top 11 Guy Ritchie Moments". UGO Networks. 13 March 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  18. ↑ "Ludacris in new Guy Ritchie Film". Muchmusic. 26 June 2007. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2007. Ludacris scored a role in the latest Guy Ritchie film RocknRolla.
  19. ↑ Guy Ritchie's new Nike advert to hit screens Metro, 28 April 2008
  20. ↑ "Sherlock Holmes (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  21. ↑ "Sherlock Holmes". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  22. ↑ "Guy Ritchie Movie Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
  23. ↑ Newman, Nick (1 June 2012). "Guy Ritchie Sails to Warners’ ‘Treasure Island". The Film Stage. Banquet Media. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  24. ↑ "Watch: Guy Ritchie’s Live-Action Trailer for CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II Starring Robert Downey Jr". Collider.com. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  25. ↑ "Tom Cruise Eyeing 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' with Guy Ritchie at Warner Bros". Deadline.com. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  26. ↑ "The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Finally Starts Filming in September". Comingsoon.net. 31 July 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  27. ↑ "‘Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ aims to start filming in September". hitfix.com. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  28. ↑ "Warner Bros Dates ‘Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ For 2015 MLK Weekend; Will Smith’s ‘Focus’ Set for February 2015". Deadline.com. 20 February 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  29. ↑ McNary, Dave (22 January 2016). "Charlie Hunnam’s King Arthur Movie Pushed Back to March 2017".
  30. ↑ "‘Sons Of Anarchy’s Charlie Hunnam Is Guy Ritchie’s Choice For King Arthur". Deadline.com.
  31. ↑ Fleming Jr., Mike (October 10, 2016). "Guy Ritchie To Direct Live Action 'Aladdin' For Disney". Deadline.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Guy Ritchie to be honoured by 2017 Raindance Film Festival". What's Worth Seeing. 10 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  33. ↑ Rosen, Craig. "Madonna's Man Guy Ritchie Arrested". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on 27 Aug 2006. Retrieved 12 December 2007.
  34. ↑ "I am used to getting a good rumping from the critics. So what?" by Charlotte Edwardes, Daily Telegraph, UK. 26 September 2005.
  35. ↑ Filmmaker Guy Ritchie Promoted to BJJ Black Belt by Renzo Gracie, Bjj Eastern Europe, 11 August 2015, accessed 18 February 2017
  36. ↑ Davies, Hugh; Aldrick, Philip (8 December 2000). "Madonna's wedding will be the Highlands' biggest fling". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  37. ↑ "Madonna and Ritchie Confirm Split". BBC. October 16, 2008. Retrieved November 15, 2008.
  38. ↑ "Madonna gives Guy £50m in divorce". BBC News. 15 December 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
  39. ↑ Singh, Anita (17 Dec 2008). "Madonna in climbdown over claim of £60m divorce payment to Guy Ritchie". The Telegraph. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  40. ↑ Adetunji, Jo (21 November 2008). "Madonna and Ritchie granted quickie divorce". The Guardian. UK.
  41. ↑ "Madonna, Ritchie granted quick divorce". CNN. 15 December 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
  42. ↑ Guy Ritchie's home taken over by squatters, Independent, 15 February 2011 accessed 20 February 2011
  43. ↑ In defence of squatting, By Laurie Penny, News Statesman, 20 February 2011, accessed 20 February 2011
  44. 1 2 Boucher, Philip (30 July 2015). "Guy Ritchie and Jacqui Ainsley Are Married as David Beckham Wishes the Couple an 'Amazing Day'". People. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  45. ↑ "Guy Ritchie and Jacqui Ainsley enjoying family life after she gives birth to third child". Hello. 8 July 2014.
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