David Puttnam

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David Puttnam (February 2007)

David Terrence Puttnam, Baron Puttnam Kt CBE RSA (born February 25, 1941 in Chelsea , London , England ) is a British former film producer and current politician .

Life

Early life

David Puttnam was born into a working class family and as a child was a student at Broomfield School in the London Borough of Enfield . Puttnam's career began as a photographer in London in the early 1960s; later he became the agent of David Bailey, who also worked as a photographer .

Film career

In 1968 Puttnam switched to the medium of film and began working as a film producer. His debut as a film producer, the comedy film The Wild, Wild World of Jayne Mansfield , proved to be less than successful, as did the 10 or so television films that Puttnam produced in the early 1970s. His first success came in 1976 with the production of Bugsy Malone , followed by the 1977 film The Duelists , which was Ridley Scott's directorial debut at the time . His career was crowned in 1982 with the Oscar in the category of best film for his film The Hour of the Winner, produced one year earlier . Puttnam was nominated for an Oscar four times from 1979 to 1987. His career as a film producer lasted until 1999; his last film was the drama My Life So Far, starring Colin Firth and Rosemary Harris .

Parallel to his work as a film producer, Puttnam was also CEO and head of several production companies, including Columbia Pictures from June 1986 to September 1987 . He also campaigned for European filmmakers in Hollywood , including Bernardo Bertolucci and Doris Dörrie .

Political career

David Puttnam also promoted youth and was director of the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield for many years . In 2002 he was appointed UK chairman of the UNICEF Children's Fund .

From 1997 to 2007 David Puttnam was Chancellor of the University of Sunderland . In 2006 he was elected Chancellor of the Open University .

Nobility and family

Puttnam was named Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1982 . In 1995 Elizabeth II proposed him to a Knight Bachelor degree . After that he was allowed to call himself Sir David Puttnam . In 1997 he was raised to the status of a Life Peer as Baron Puttnam , of Queensgate in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and thus received a seat in the House of Lords . He has since been known as Lord Puttnam .

David Puttnam has been married since 1961 and has two children with his wife Patricia Mary Jones. His son Sacha Puttnam (* 1966) is a musician and composer.

Filmography

Awards (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Puttnam, David
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Puttnam, David Terrence, Baron Puttnam (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British film producer
DATE OF BIRTH February 25, 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH Chelsea , London , England