James Marsh

James Marsh (born 30 April 1963) is a British film and documentary director best known for his work on Man on Wire, which won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and The Theory of Everything, the biopic of physicist Stephen Hawking released in 2014.

Early life Marsh was born in Truro, Cornwall and raised in Sennen, a Cornish village, and Woolwich, a district in southeast London. In Woolwich, he lived in a "miserable council flat" with his family.

Marsh won a scholarship to the University of Oxford.

Career Marsh began his early career in directing with several documentaries made for the BBC. His first TV documentary was the 90-minute Troubleman – The Last Years of Marvin Gaye, and was followed by the 26-minute 1990 documentary The Animator of Prague starring Jan Švankmajer and his works. Later came The Burger and the King: The Life and Cuisine of Elvis Presley, which was made in 1995 and released in 1996, and the Welsh musician John Cale, which was made in 1998 and released in 1999. His relationship continued with the BBC as a director and producer for three Arena series episodes, including the celebrated film Wisconsin Death Trip (1999).

In 2005 he directed the film The King which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2008 he made the documentary Man on Wire, about Philippe Petit's walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York. Marsh based Man on Wire, in part, on Philippe Petit’s memoir To Reach the Clouds. Man on Wire won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 81st annual Oscars, the BAFTA Award for Best British film, the Independent Spirit Award, and many others. The film, called "exhilarating", has had a hugely positive audience response and was among the Top Ten Films of 2008 on many critics' lists.

In 2009, he directed the "1980" episode of Red Riding, which aired on Channel 4 in the UK.

He also directed Project Nim in 2010, which is based on the book Nim Chimpsky: The Chimp Who Would Be Human by Elizabeth Hess. It is a documentary about the landmark study conducted by Herbert S. Terrace on the subject of great ape language acquisition and the subject of the study is a chimpanzee named Nim Chimpsky. Marsh watched different films to gain inspiration before making Project Nim. He watched E.T., Frederick Wiseman's Primate, and the Bresson film Au hasard Balthazar. He gained the most information from Au hasard Balthazar, a fictional account of a donkey as it passes through various human owners. The structure of Project Nim reflects a lot from this film as we see the drama of the human world through the eyes of the chimpanzee.

In 2012, he directed Shadow Dancer, a joint Irish/UK production about the Irish republican movement, which was filmed in Dublin and London. The film features Clive Owen, Andrea Riseborough, Gillian Anderson, Domhnall Gleeson and Aidan Gillen.

Marsh directed The Theory of Everything released in 2014, a biopic on Stephen Hawking starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. Marsh received a nomination for the BAFTA for Best Director and the film was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture.

Personal life Marsh currently lives in Copenhagen with his two daughters and his wife.

Filmography Film Year Title Director Writer 2005 The Team The King 2012 Shadow Dancer 2014 The Theory of Everything 2017 The Mercy 2018 King of Thieves 2023 Dance First

Miniseries Year Title Notes 2009 Red Riding Segment "1980" 2016 The Night Of Episode "The Art of War"

Documentary film Year Title Director Writer Producer 1999 Wisconsin Death Trip 2008 Man on Wire 2011 Project Nim

Accolades

List of awards and nominations Year Award / film Festival Category Work Result 2000 San Sebastian Film Festival San Sebastián International Film Festival FIPRESCI Prize – Special Mention Wisconsin Death Trip Stockholm Film Festival Stockholm Film Festival Bronze Horse 2001 BAFTA Award BAFTA TV Award for Specialised Programme or Series 2006 Gotham Awards Breakthrough DirectorThe King Philadelphia Film Festival Philadelphia Film Festival American Independents Award 2008 Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best DocumentaryMan on Wire Directors Guild of America Best Director - Documentary European Film Awards Best Documentary Gotham Independent Film Awards 2008 Best Documentary 2009 Academy Awards Best DocumentaryMan on Wire BAFTA Award Best British Film Cinema Eye Honors Best Film-Making Best Director Audience Choice Prize Independent Spirit Awards Best Documentary 2011 Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best DocumentaryProject Nim Boston Society of Film Critics Awards 2011 Best Documentary Directors Guild of America Best Director - Documentary 2012 BAFTA Award Best DocumentaryProject Nim Cinema Eye Honors Best Film-Making Audience Choice Prize Evening Standard British Film Awards Best Documentary Dinard British Film Festival Golden Hitchcock AwardShadow Dancer Audience Award Best Director 2016 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special The Night Of