Bill Forsyth

William David Forsyth (born 29 July 1946) is a Scottish film director and screenwriter known for his films Gregory's Girl, Local Hero (1983) and Comfort and Joy (1984) as well as his adaptation of the Marilynne Robinson novel Housekeeping (1987).

Biography William David Forsyth was born on 29 July 1946 in Glasgow, Scotland. After leaving Knightswood School at the age of 17, he spent eight years making short documentary films, having formed Tree Films with fellow Scotsman Charles Gormley. and the film was given minimal promotion due to its ties to him.

Forsyth's next film, Breaking In, was another departure, this time coming from an original script by John Sayles. Despite the scale wages for the lead role, Forsyth was able to cast Burt Reynolds, who liked the script and was already a fan of Forsyth's movies. Once again, the critical acclaim for Forsyth's work was not matched by financial success.

Forsyth teamed with Warner Brothers on Being Human (1994), starring Robin Williams and featuring John Turturro. The film is about a man developing throughout his life and has scenes from pre-history, Ancient Rome, 16th-century Spanish conquistadors and modern day New York City. Warner Brothers made Forsyth cut 40 minutes out of the movie, and the result was released with minimal support from the studio. This experience led Forsyth to concede that Hollywood was a difficult place to make movies, but he denied that it destroyed him or put him off making movies,

In 1999, Forsyth made Gregory's Two Girls, a sequel to Gregory's Girl, with John Gordon Sinclair playing the same character. Reviewing the film for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw wrote: "This quaint film is from the stable of Forsyth movies such as That Sinking Feeling and Local Hero, and disconcertingly out of its time... all Forsyth's films have charm, including this one. But, unfortunately, Gregory's Two Girls has the unhappy distinction of being an Accidental Period Piece." Time Out Londons reviewer wrote: "There's still comic mileage in Gordon-Sinclair's amiable fumbling Gregory... attention is directed towards wider, broadly political issues, but Forsyth's assured craftsmanship ensures that they are deftly woven into the storytelling. Gordon-Sinclair is a revelation, and although the film suffers from a lack of pace, its wealth of human insight and the premium it places on subtlety of expression make it a rare pleasure.

Filmography Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes 1979 That Sinking Feeling 1980 Gregory's Girl BAFTA Award for Best ScreenplayNominated – BAFTA Award for Best Direction 1981 Andrina TV film 1983 Local Hero BAFTA Award for Best DirectionNational Society of Film Critics Award for Best ScreenplayNew York Film Critics Circle Award for Best ScreenplayNominated – BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay 1984 Comfort and Joy Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay 1987 Housekeeping 1989 Breaking In 1994 Being Human 1999 Gregory's Two Girls

Awards and nominations 1981 BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay (Gregory's Girl) – Won