Jonathan Miller

Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller, CBE (born 21 July 1934) is a British theatre and opera director, author, television presenter, humorist and sculptor. Trained as a physician in the late 1950s, he first came to prominence in 1962 when the British comedy stage revue Beyond the Fringe (written and performed by Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett, and Miller himself) came to Broadway. Despite having seen only a few operas and not knowing how to read music, he began stage directing operas in the 1970s and has since become one of the world's leading opera directors with several classic productions to his credit. (Probably best known is his 1982 "Mafia" Rigoletto, set in Little Italy.) Along the way he has also become a well known and engaging television personality and familiar public intellectual in both the UK and the US.

Biography

Early life

Miller grew up in St John's Wood, London in a well-connected Jewish family. His father Emanuel (1892–1970) was a psychiatrist specialising in child development and his mother Betty (née Spiro; 1910–1965) was a novelist and biographer. His sister Sarah (d. 2006) worked in television for many years and retained an involvement with Judaism that her brother, an atheist, has always eschewed.^{[citation needed]}

Miller married Helen Rachel Collet in 1956; they have two sons and a daughter.^[1]

He studied natural sciences and medicine at St John's College, Cambridge (MB BCh, 1959), where he was a member of the Cambridge Apostles, before going on to University College London. He qualified as a medical doctor in 1959 and then worked as a hospital house officer for two years.

1960s: Beyond the Fringe

He was, however, also involved in the university drama society and the Cambridge Footlights and in 1960 he helped write and produce a musical revue, Beyond the Fringe, at the Edinburgh Festival which launched the careers of Alan Bennett, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. Miller quit the show shortly after its move to Broadway in 1962 and took over as editor and presenter of the BBC's flagship arts programme Monitor. All of these appointments were unsolicited invitations in which Miller was assured that he would "pick it up as he went along". In 1966, he wrote, produced and directed a film adaptation of Alice in Wonderland for the BBC, and in 1968 Whistle and I'll Come to You, an adaptation of M. R. James' ghost story, "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad". By 1970 his reputation in the British theatre world was such that he mounted a West End production of The Merchant of Venice starring Laurence Olivier.

1970s: Medical history and opera

Miller held a research fellowship in the history of medicine at University College, London from 1970 to 1973. In 1974, he also started directing and producing operas for Kent Opera and Glyndebourne, with a new production of The Marriage of Figaro for English National Opera in 1978. Despite only having seen a few operas and not knowing how to read music, he has become one of the world's leading opera directors with classic productions being Rigoletto and (operetta) The Mikado. Miller drew upon his own experiences as a physician as writer and presenter of the BBC television series The Body in Question (1978), which caused some controversy for showing the dissection of a cadaver. For a time he was a vice president of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality.^[2]

1980s: Shakespeare and neuropsychology

Jonathan Miller at the Miami Book Fair International of 1986

Miller was persuaded to join the troubled BBC Television Shakespeare project (1978–85) in 1980. He became producer (1980–82) and directed six of the plays himself, beginning with a well received Taming of the Shrew starring John Cleese. In the early 1980s, Miller was a popular and frequent guest on PBS' Dick Cavett Show.

Miller wrote and presented the BBC television series States of Mind in 1983. In 1984, he studied neuropsychology with Dr. Sandra Witelson at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada before becoming a neuropsychology research fellow at Sussex University the following year.

1990s

In the 1990s, Miller wrote and presented the television series, Madness (1991) and Jonathan Miller on Reflection (1998). The five-part Madness series ran on PBS in 1991. It featured a brief history of madness and interviews with psychiatric researchers, clinical psychiatrists, and patients in therapy sessions. Music for the series was composed by Duncan Browne.

This section requires expansion.

2000s: Atheism

In 2004, Miller wrote and presented a series on atheism, Atheism: A Rough History of Disbelief (on-screen title; but more commonly referred to as Jonathan Miller's Brief History of Disbelief) for BBC Four TV, exploring the roots of his own atheism and investigating the history of atheism in the world. Individual conversations, debates and discussions for the series that could not be included, due to time constraints, were individually aired in a six-part series entitled The Atheism Tapes. He also appeared on a BBC Two programme in February 2004, called What the World Thinks of God appearing from New York. The original three-part series was slated to air on Public Television in the United States, starting May 4, 2007, cosponsored by the American Ethical Union, American Humanist Association, Centre for Inquiry, the HKH Foundation, and the Institute for Humanist Studies.

Return to directing

Miller directed The Cherry Orchard (2007) at The Crucible, Sheffield, his first work on the British stage for ten years. He also directed Monteverdi's L'Orfeo in Manchester and Bristol, and Der Rosenkavalier in Tokyo and gave talks throughout Britain during 2007 called An Audience with Jonathan Miller in which he spoke about his life for an hour and then fielded questions from the audience. He also curated an exhibition on camouflage at the Imperial War Museum. His has appeared at the Royal Society of the Arts in London discussing humour (4 July 2007) and at the British Library on religion (3 September 2007).

In January 2009, he returned to the English National Opera after a break of twelve years to direct his own production of La Bohème, notable for its 1930s setting.

Miller lives in Camden, North London.^{[citation needed]}

Controversy

• During the later 1960s, Miller had a major falling-out with the magazine Private Eye that he attributes to implicit anti-semitism.^{[citation needed]}
• In 1996, The UK Sunday Express newspaper published under the headline "Chronic Bandwagon Disease", Miller's claim that Chronic fatigue syndrome, was "the absolutely most fashionable disease", dismissing the illness as a "Chronic Fictitious Sickness".^[3]

Honours and accolades

• Distinguished Supporter, British Humanist Association
• Honorary Associate, National Secular Society
• Honorary Fellow, St John's College, Cambridge (1982)
• Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE; 1983)
• Knighted for his services to the arts (2003)
• Nominated artist of honour at Bornholm thanks to his instruction in Rønne Theater. Opera Island Bornholm. (2003)
• Fellow, Royal College of Physicians (London and Edinburgh)
• Foreign Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• President, Rationalist Association (2006–present)^[4]

Parodies and representations

• Private Eye (which had a falling-out with Miller) occasionally lampooned him under the name 'Dr Jonathan', depicting him as a Dr Johnson-like self-important man of learning.
• The satirical television puppet show Spitting Image portrayed Miller as an anteater (lampooning his large nose), as well as featuring a segment entitled "Talking Bollocks" (the 'A' in 'Talking' combining with the 'ollo' in "Bollocks" below to create a penis), in which he discussed, with Bernard Levin, various cultural matters in a ridiculously pretentious way.
• In the film for television Not Only But Always about the careers of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Jonathan Aris played Jonathan Miller as a young man; Aris reprised the role in the BBC Radio 4 play Good Evening (2008), by Roy Smiles.

Bibliography

Books

• Miller, Jonathan (1970). McLuhan. Fontana Modern Masters series. 
• Miller, Jonathan (1971). Censorship and the Limits of Personal Freedom. Oxford University Press. 
• Miller, Jonathan (1972). Freud: The Man, His World and His Influence. Weidenfeld and Nicolson. 
• Miller, Jonathan (1974). The Uses of Pain (Conway memorial lecture). South Place Ethical Society. 
• Miller, Jonathan (1978). The Body in Question. Jonathan Cape. 
• Miller, Jonathan (1982). Darwin for Beginners. Writers and Readers Comic Book/2003 Pantheon Books (USA). ISBN 0375714588. 
• Miller, Jonathan (1983). The Human Body. Viking Press.  (1994 Jonathan Cape [pop-up book])
• Miller, Jonathan (1983). States of Mind. Conversations with Psychological Investigators. BBC/Random House. 
• Miller, Jonathan (1984). The Facts of Life. Jonathan Cape.  (pop-up book intended for children)
• Miller, Jonathan (1986). Subsequent Performances. Faber. 
• Miller, Jonathan & John Durrant (1989). Laughing Matters: A Serious Look at Humour. Longman. 
• Miller, Jonathan (1990). Acting in Opera. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books.  (The Applause Acting Series)
• Miller, Jonathan (1992). The Afterlife of Plays. San Diego State Univ Press.  (University Research Lecture Series No. 5)
• Miller, Jonathan (1998). Dimensional Man. Jonathan Cape. 
• Miller, Jonathan (1998). On Reflection. National Gallery Publications/Yale University Press (USA). ISBN 0300077130. 
• Miller, Jonathan (1999). Nowhere in Particular. Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 184000150X.  [collection of his photographs]

Editor

• Miller, Jonathan (1968). Harvey and the Circulation of Blood: A Collection of Contemporary Documents. Jackdaw Publications. 
• Miller, Jonathan (1990). Don Giovanni Book. Myths of Seduction and Betrayal. Faber. 

Contributor

• Miller, Jonathan; Alan Bennett; Peter Cook; Dudley Moore (1963). Beyond the Fringe. A Revue. Souvenir Press/Samuel French. 
• Miller, Jonathan; Margaret Drabble; Richard Hoggart; Adrian Mitchell et al. (1969). The Permissive Society. Panther. 

• Miller, Jonathan; Alan Bennett; Peter Cook; Dudley Moore (1987). The Complete Beyond the Fringe. Methuen. ISBN 0413146707. 
• Sokol, B.J. (ed.) (1993). The undiscover'd country: New Essays on Psychoanalysis and Shakespeare. Free Association Books. ISBN 185343 1974.  — Jonathan Miller: 'King Lear in Rehearsal: A Talk' and seven other essays
• Silvers, Robert B. (ed.); Jonathan Miller; Stephen Jay Gould; Daniel J Kevles; RC Lewontin; Oliver Sacks (1997). Hidden Histories of Science. Granta Books. 
• Silvers, Robert B. (ed.) (2000). Doing It : Five Performing Arts. New York Review of Books (USA). ISBN 0940322757.  Essays by Jonathan Miller Geoffrey O'Brien, Charles Rosen, Tom Stoppard and Garry Wills

Introductions and forewords

• Lowell, Robert (1966). Old Glory, The: Endecott and the Red Cross; My Kinsman, Major Molineux; and Benito Cereno.  (directors note)
• Biz, Jim; et al. (1999). More Viz Crap Jokes. John Brown Publishing. ISBN 1902212169.  (introduction)
• Rothenstein, Julian (2000). The Paradox Box: Optical Illusions, Puzzling Pictures, Verbal Diversions. Redstons Press / Shambhala Publications (USA). 
• Scotson, Linda (2000). Doran: Child of Courage. Macmillan. 

Filmography

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Presenter

• Monitor, BBC's flagship arts programme (1962, also editor)
• The Body in Question (1978)
• Madness (1991)
• Jonathan Miller on Reflection (1998)
• Atheism: A Rough History of Disbelief (2004)

Director

• Alice in Wonderland (1966), BBC television drama (and writer/producer; Miller has a commentary track on the DVD)
• Whistle and I'll Come to You (1968), BBC television drama
• The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978–85)
  • The Taming of the Shrew (1980), starring John Cleese
  • Timon of Athens (1981), starring Jonathan Pryce
  • Antony and Cleopatra (1981), starring Colin Blakely
  • Othello (1981), starring Anthony Hopkins and Bob Hoskins
  • Troilus and Cressida (1981)
  • King Lear (1982), starring Michael Hordern
  • "(Merchant of Venice-BBC)

Interviewer

• The Atheism Tapes (2004)

Interviewee

• BBC. Great Composers of the World.  Miller appears on the Puccini and Bach DVDs of this BBC series. In the Bach episode, he discusses his affection for the famous "Erbarme Dich" aria of the St Matthew Passion
• PBS. Vermeer: Master of Light.  Miller appears in this one-hour program on the painter

Stage productions

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Musical revue

• Beyond the Fringe (Performer, writer, producer); Edinburgh Festival (1960)
• Beyond the Fringe (Performer, writer); John Golden Theatre, (27 October 1962–30 May 1964; 667 performances)^[5]

Oratorium

• St. Matthew's Passion (Director); St. George's Theatre, London (February 1994), with Paul Goodwin. A dramatized production of J.S. Bach's masterpiece, recorded for BBC television.

Drama

• The Merchant of Venice (Director); Cambridge Theatre (1970), starring Laurence Olivier
• Danton's Death (Director; 1972), starring Christopher Plummer
• Long Day's Journey Into Night (Director); Broadhurst Theatre (28 April–29 June 1986; 54 performances)
• King Lear (Director); Vivian Beaumont Theatre (4 March–18 April 2004; 33 performances)
• The Cherry Orchard (Director); Crucible Theatre (2007), Miller's return to the English stage after a 10 year absence

Opera

• Così fan tutte (Stage director); Kent Opera (1974), first of seven operas Miller directed at the Kent
• Rigoletto (1975), set in the 19th century
• Le Nozze di Figaro (Stage director); English National Opera (1978, also a televised version in 1991)
• Rigoletto (Stage and video director); English National Opera (1982), set in Little Italy, New York City, in the 1950s
• La Traviata (Stage director); Glimmerglass Opera (1989)
• La Fanciulla del West (Stage and video director); (1991)
• The Mikado (Stage and video director); English National Opera (1987), starring Eric Idle
• Die Zauberflöte (Stage and video director); (2000)
• Tamerlano (Stage and video director); (2001)
• Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Stage and video director); (2003)
• Falstaff (Stage director); New National Theatre Tokyo (2004)
• Jenufa (Stage director); Glimmerglass Opera (with New York City Opera, Cooperstown, New York; 29 July–29 August, 2006)
• L'Orfeo (Stage director); Manchester and Bristol (200?)
• Der Rosenkavalier (Stage director); New National Theatre Tokyo (2007)
• La Traviata (Stage director); Glimmerglass Opera (2009)

Further reading

Miller is the subject of a forthcoming biography, In Two Minds by The Independent on Sunday's theatre critic Kate Bassett, to be published in November 2010. The title refers to Miller's career which has embraced both medicine and the arts, and to his riven feelings and deep regrets about having given up working as a doctor to become an internationally renowned drama and opera director.

Books about Miller

• Kate Bassett (November 2010 forthcoming). In Two Minds. Methuen. 
• Ronald Bergan (1990). Beyond the Fringe...and Beyond: A Critical Biography of Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, Dudley Moore. Virgin Books. ISBN 1-85227-175-2. 
• Michael Romain (Ed) (1992). A Profile of Jonathan Miller. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-40953-5. 

On Miller and the satire boom

• Humphrey Carpenter (2000). That Was Satire, That Was: Beyond the Fringe, the Establishment Club, "Private Eye" and "That Was the Week That Was". Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 0-575-06588-5. 
• Robert Hewison (1983). Footlights! - A Hundred Years of Cambridge Comedy. Methuen. ISBN 0-413-51150-2. 
• Roger Wilmut (1980). From Fringe to Flying Circus - Celebrating a Unique Generation of Comedy 1960-1980. Eyre Methuen. ISBN 0-413-46950-6. 

References

See also

• National Secular Society
• Rationalist Association
• Las Meninas

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jonathan Miller

• Jonathan Miller at the Internet Broadway Database
• Jonathan Miller at the Internet Movie Database
• Production details, Theatre Archive, University of Bristol
• Jonathan Miller bio. - Miller's agents
• Can English Satire Draw Blood?
• Audio: Jonathan Miller in conversation on the BBC World Service discussion show The Forum

Other BBC shows

• What the World Thinks of God
• Jonathan Miller radio series on the origin of life - "Self Made Things"
• A six-part history of Public Health in England (includes a spill-over interview series)
• Jonathan Miller's choices on "Desert Island Discs"