Roger Donaldson
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Roger Donaldson
Biography
Director Roger Donaldson is an important figure in the development of modern New Zealand cinema. When he emigrated to New Zealand from Australia in 1965 to set up a still photography business, the Kiwi film industry was all but non-existent. He was interested in filmmaking, but had to make do with creating television commercials and documentaries; he went on to do seven short dramas titled Winners and Losers. By 1977, he was finally able to scrape up enough cash to make his film debut with the futuristic political drama Sleeping Dogs; the first feature made in New Zealand in 15 years, it was also the first to be shown in American theaters. Later Donaldson became a co-founder of the country's Film Commission. He did not direct again until 1982. In 1984 his version of the famous mutiny Bounty was released to critical acclaim; unfortunately, the powerful all-star drama sank at the box office as did his next few attempts at filmmaking. It was not until 1987 that Donaldson hit his mark with the Kevin Costner vehicle No Way Out, which became an instant hit. He scored again with Tom Cruise in the vacuous comedy Cocktail (1988), which became a box office smash. Since then Donaldson has had moderate box office success, with so-so fare such as Cadillac Man (1990) and The Getaway (1994). ~ Sandra Brennan, RoviFilmography:
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Roger Donaldson
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Roger Donaldson
| Roger Donaldson | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 15, 1945 Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation | Film producer, director, writer |
Roger Donaldson (born 15 November 1945) is an Australian-born New Zealand film producer, director and writer who has made numerous successful movies. He was a co-founder of the New Zealand Film Commission.
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Life and career
Donaldson was born in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia and in 1965 emigrated to New Zealand to establish a small still photography business. He entered the film industry when he made the drama series Winners and Losers for New Zealand television, then directed and produced his first film Sleeping Dogs in 1977. As this was the first film to come out of New Zealand in nearly 15 years, he lobbied the New Zealand Government to found the New Zealand Film Commission in 1978. Donaldson's first films were made in close collaboration with his friend and leading man, actor and musician Bruno Lawrence, with whom Donaldson worked extensively in the 1970s, but the partnership and their long friendship effectively ended after Smash Palace.
Donaldson's first American break was when he was invited to helm David Lean's Mutiny on the Bounty adaptation after the esteemed director left the project, which was released as The Bounty and featured Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins and Laurence Olivier. He was nominated for a Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival for this film. Donaldson has been involved with many popular and successful movies, among them being the thriller No Way Out (starring Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman), Cocktail (starring Bryan Brown and Tom Cruise), Dante's Peak (starring Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton), Thirteen Days (starring Kevin Costner and Steven Culp) and Species. In 2003, he directed Al Pacino and Colin Farrell in The Recruit.
His son Chris has represented New Zealand at Olympic level in athletics in the 100 m and 200 m events.[1]
Filmography
Director
- Sleeping Dogs (1977)
- Nutcase (1980)
- Smash Palace (1981)
- The Bounty (1984)
- Marie (1985), also known as Marie: A True Story
- No Way Out (1987)
- Cocktail (1988)
- Cadillac Man (1990)
- White Sands (1992)
- The Getaway (1994)
- Species (1995)
- Dante's Peak (1997)
- Thirteen Days (2000), also known as Thirteen Days Which Shocked the World
- The Recruit (2003)
- The World's Fastest Indian (2005)
- The Bank Job (2008)
- Seeking Justice (2011)
Producer
- Sleeping Dogs (1977)
- Smash Palace (1981)
- Cadillac Man (1990)
- Fearless (1999) (TV) (executive producer)
- The World's Fastest Indian (2005)
Writer
- Smash Palace (1981)
- The World's Fastest Indian (2005)
Art director
- Sleeping Dogs (1977)
References
External links
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Sleeping Dogs
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The Bank Job
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