Lance Nielsen

Lance Nielsen (born 1974) is an English screenwriter and playwright. He has directed much of his own work.

Biography Nielsen was brought up near Kingston upon Thames in South London. Nielsen's interest in the media began with acting in school and college theatre productions. On his return to London he directed Waiting For Hillsborough about the Hillsborough football disaster. The play secured him 'Best Talent in New Writing', at the Liverpool Arts and Entertainment Awards. and Sticks and Stones, which was a drama set against the conflict in Northern Ireland. The comedy short play Making Time went on to win a Peter Brook award.

Taking a break In an interview given to the Irish Post, Nielsen announced he intended to take a break from heavy drama, he wrote some comedies and then he turned his hand to musicals writing and directing The East End of Chicago, a musical comedy drama set in the 1920s. The music for the show was written by Richard Erickson. During the production Nielsen was experiencing severe headaches and vomiting. Shortly after the production Nielsen collapsed with a stroke and fit which hospitalised him for three months. It was discovered he had a large blood clot in his brain which left him with minor brain damage and some memory loss. His doctor told him to avoid stress and he did not direct again for two years.

Recent work Nielsen directed two plays with Tom Hardy's Shotgun Theatre Company in 2006 and early 2007 respectively and wrote Pressure, the documentary drama about the life of Colin Stagg. This is loosely based on a script he wrote six years earlier for the theatre, which even back then advanced the proposition that Stagg was entirely innocent of the offences he was then accused of. Nielsen was also involved in another production with actors Dan Styles and Gideon Turner called Jericho's Walls Are Falling, which he also wrote and directed. Dan Styles was also the producer of the trailer. Although the trailer was produced, funding for the film was found and lost five times during the Great Recession and it is now in turnaround. Jericho was wrongly called The Band Plays again in an interview on line.

Nielsen directed two plays in 2010, 12 Angry Women, The cast also includes Mitchell Lewis in his first major role since Rise of the Footsoldier and Velile Tshabalala from Doctor Who in her first big screen role.

In 2016, Nielsen commenced pre-production on the war film Pegasus Bridge about the capture of the Caen canal and Orne river bridges on 6 June 1944, as part of the Normandy landings during the Second World War.

Dedications Nielsen is known for dedicating his work to friends or actors whom he admires. Many of his dedications have been for people who have inspired him, some of whom have died. He has made dedications to regular collaborators Danny Webb and Jason Flemyng. Two of Nielsen's plays have been dedicated to Rebecca Holland. His play Making Time was dedicated to the actress Charlotte Coleman, one of the stars of the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral. He dedicated The Marchioness Inquiry to Michael Williams; along with his own established acting career Williams is known for being the husband of Dame Judi Dench. Williams met Nielsen earlier in his career at Shepperton Film studios and encouraged him to pursue his writing. Nielsen was also good friends with actress Angela Thomas. Thomas, who had asked Nielsen to co-write both a book and a play based on her life, died on 24 July 2009 of a brain aneurism. Nielsen was one of the friends present during her time in hospital where she fought for but ultimately lost her life over a three-day period. In 2010, Nielsen produced their unfinished play, Fragile, which he had to complete without her. It was not a success. The film The Journey is also dedicated to Thomas, and a character loosely based upon her appears briefly in the film, played by actress Charlene Collins.