Jonathan Lynn

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Jonathan Lynn (born April 3, 1943 in Bath , Somerset , England ) is a British film director , screenwriter and actor .

Life

Lynn, a nephew of Abba Eban , studied at Pembroke College , Cambridge , where he received a Masters in Law . He was a member of the Cambridge University Footlights Club and appeared on Broadway with the Cambridge Circus Revue alongside John Cleese and Graham Chapman . In 1967 he played in the musical Anatevka in London's West End . In the following years he appeared in various sitcoms , some of which he also wrote the books for. British television audiences remembered him as the Irish medical student Danny Hooley in the sitcom Doctor in the House . He wrote scripts for both this and subsequent productions in the Doctor series ( Doctor at Large , Doctor in Charge , Doctor at Sea and Doctor on the Go ). Together with Antony Jay , he created the television series Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister , which have received several BAFTA awards and the US CableACE Award . From 1977 to 1981 he was Artistic Director of the Cambridge Theater Company.

Since 1990 Lynn has worked mainly as a director of comedies . His first feature film was made in 1985 in collaboration with John Landis . All the killers are already there was a parody of detective films, the setup and the characters were borrowed from the Parker Brothers game Cluedo . Despite a celebrity cast including Tim Curry , Madeline Kahn, and Christopher Lloyd , the film was not particularly successful commercially. A special feature was that three different film ends were produced, which were randomly distributed via the film distribution. His second directorial work, Nuns on the Flight , with ex- Monty Python Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane in the leading roles was more successful . This enabled him to gain a foothold in the US film business. His first Hollywood film was My Cousin Winnie , which was not only a huge commercial success but was also received positively by critics. Marisa Tomei won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance , and lead actor Joe Pesci received the American Comedy Award . In 1993 he made the political satire An honorable gentleman with Eddie Murphy , three years later Always Trouble with Sergeant Bilko with Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd and 2000 No half measures with Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry .

Filmography (selection)

As a director

As a screenwriter

  • 1974: The black panther
  • 1975: me and my brother
  • 1980: Yes Minister
  • 1990: Nuns on the run

As a performer

Awards (excerpt)

Broadway

  • 1964: Cambridge Circus (Actor, Author)
  • 1981: The Moony Shapiro Songbook (Director)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Review by Roger Ebert (English)
personal data
SURNAME Lynn, Jonathan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British actor, screenwriter and film director
DATE OF BIRTH April 3, 1943
PLACE OF BIRTH Bath , Somerset , England