Bruce Beresford

Biography

Born 16 August 1940, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Bruce Beresford was born in Australia and graduated from Sydney University in 1962. He served as Film Officer for the British Film Institute Production Board from 1966-1971 and as a Film Advisor to the Arts Council of Great Britain. Beresford has also directed several operas including Girl Of The Golden West (Puccini), staged for the Spoleto Festival in Charleston and Spoleto (Italy) and Elektra (Strauss), which was staged for the State Opera Company of South Australia and performed in Adelaide and Melbourne. It won the Award for Best Opera Production of 1991. Immediately prior to starting production on PARADISE ROAD, Beresford directed SWEENEY TODD for the Portland Opera in Oregon. Australian film director, at his best with period pieces and small-scale dramas. Considered one of Australia's "New Wave" directors. Spouse Virginia Duigan (1985 - present) 'Rhoisin Patricia Harrison' Trivia Brother-in-law of John Duigan. Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume Two, 1945-1985". Pages 99-103. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988. His favorite films (according to the Sight and Sound top ten poll) are: Chimes at Midnight, The Apu Trilogy, Ludwig, The Passion of Joan of Arc, My Darling Clementine, Fanny and Alexander, Odd Man Out, La strada and Black Hawk Down Directed 6 different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Tess Harper, Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman and Dan Aykroyd. Tandy and Duvall won Oscars for their performances in one of Beresford's movies. Personal Quotes [on Robert Duvall] Duvall was strange. First of all he was and is a great actor. You could ask him to do a scene five, six times and he'd do it exactly the same way every time. But, on the other hand, there would be delays, like we had to wire up a whole house and he'd just get restless. He'd get mad.