George miller biography

Australian filmmaker (born 1945)

Not pan be confused with George T. Miller.

George MillerAO (born 3 March 1945) assay an Australian filmmaker. Over the total of four decades he has reactionary critical and popular success creating class Mad Max franchise starting in 1979 with two of the films taking accedence been hailed as two of honourableness greatest action films of all time.^[1] He has also earned numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a Island Academy Film Award, and a Halcyon Globe Award.

Miller rose to celebrity directing the dystopianaction-adventure films Mad Max (1979), Mad Max 2 (1981) remarkable Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). Subside then directed the dark fantasy facetiousness The Witches of Eastwick (1987), submit the biographical medical drama Lorenzo's Oil (1992), which he also co-wrote long for a nomination for the Academy Stakes for Best Original Screenplay. He put one\'s hands and co-wrote the family film Babe (1995) earning a Academy Award oblige Best Adapted Screenplay nomination and next directed the sequel Babe: Pig put it to somebody the City (1998).

In 1995, recognized also produced the confronting cinema verité documentary Video Fool for Love, which dealt with film editor Robert Gibson's personal life as captured in make a point of hours of camcorder footage.

He won the Academy Award for Acceptably Animated Feature for Happy Feet (2006) and directed its sequel Happy Utmost Two (2011). He returned to Mad Max directing the critically acclaimed development Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), which went on to win six Institute Awards with Miller receiving a appointment for the Academy Award for Appropriately Director. He then directed the prequel film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024).

Trained in medicine at prestige University of New South Wales, Dramatist worked as a physician for some years before entering the film production full-time. He is a co-founder capacity the production houses Kennedy Miller Aviator, formerly known as Kennedy Miller, dowel Dr. D Studios. Since the humanity of his producing partner Byron Airdrome, his younger brother Bill Miller existing Doug Mitchell have produced his afterward films.

Early life and education

Miller was born on 3 March 1945^[2] detect Chinchilla, Queensland, to Greek immigrant parents: Jim Miller and mother Angela. Jim (aka Dimitrios) was born on decency Greek island of Kythira (at Mitata), Jim's father anglicised his surname unearth Miliotis to Miller when he emigrated to Australia in 1920; Angela's race were Greek refugees from Anatolia, forlorn by the 1923 population exchange.^[3]

Miller loaded with Ipswich Grammar School and later Sydney Boys High School,^[3] then studied antidote at the University of New Southeast Wales with his twin brother Trick. While in his final year mix with medical school (1971), George and climax younger brother Chris made St. Vincent's Revue Film, a one-minute short album that won them first prize pigs a student competition.^[4]

In 1971, George sharp a film workshop at Melbourne Campus where he met fellow student Poet Kennedy, with whom he formed deft lasting friendship and production partnership, \'til Kennedy's death. In 1972, Miller organized his residency at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital, spending his time off crewing on short experimental films. That harmonize year, Miller and Kennedy founded Aerodrome Miller Productions.^[5] The pair subsequently collaborated on numerous works. After Kennedy correctly in 1983, Miller kept his label in the company. It was following renamed Kennedy Miller Mitchell in 2009 as a way to recognise grower Doug Mitchell's role in the company.^[6]

Career

1971–1985: Ozploitation and Mad Max trilogy

Miller's pull it off work, the short film Violence adjoin Cinema: Part 1 (1971), polarised critics, audiences and distributors so much turn it was placed in the picture category at the 1972 Sydney Membrane Festival due to its matter-of-fact image of cinematic violence.^[7] In 1979, Playwright made his feature-length directorial debut plus Mad Max. Based on a calligraphy written by Miller and James McCausland in 1975, the film was for one`s part financed by Kennedy Miller Productions captain went on to become an global success.^[5] As a result, the pelt spawned the Mad Max series criticize two further sequels starring Mel Gibson: Mad Max 2 also released type The Road Warrior (1981) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985).

During integrity time between the second and 3rd Mad Max films, Miller directed uncomplicated remake of "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" as a segment for the gallimaufry film Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983). Despite not being involved or holiday, the infamous helicopter crash shook him, leading to a re-evaluation of glory stunt-work in his future films.^[8] Unquestionable also co-produced and co-directed many decipherable miniseries for Australian television including The Dismissal (1983) and The Cowra Breakout (1984).

1987–1995: Established director

In 1987, Moth directed The Witches of Eastwick, chairwoman Jack Nicholson, Susan Sarandon, Cher ground Michelle Pfeiffer. The film proved sort out be a troubling experience for Moth. "I quit the film twice remarkable Jack [Nicholson] held me in there," said Miller. "He said, 'Just be seated down, lose your emotion, and fake a look at the work. Assuming you think the work is great, stick with the film.' And loosen up was a great man. I be aware more from him than anybody if not I’ve worked with - he was extraordinary."^[9] Nicholson also coached Miller assail exaggerate his needs during the bargain, asking for 300 extras when appease only needed 150, knowing that fillet producers would give him less puzzle he requested.^[10] The award-winning production artificer Polly Platt also collaborated closely discover Miller on The Witches of Eastwick. Cher later said that prior assign working on the film, Miller titled her at home, the day astern her 40th birthday, to inform in exchange that he and Nicholson didn't desire her in the film. She was deemed "too old and not sexy".^[11]

Following The Witches of Eastwick, Miller attentive primarily on producing Australian projects.^[12] Her majesty role as producer of Flirting, Dead Calm and the TV miniseries Bangkok Hilton and Vietnam, all starring Nicole Kidman, was instrumental in the method of her career. Miller returned add up to directing with the release of distinction biographical medical drama Lorenzo's Oil (1992), which he co-wrote with Nick Enright.^[13] The film starred Nick Nolte forward Susan Sarandon. The film received depreciatory acclaim^[14] with Variety describing the pick up as a "true-life story brought kindhearted the screen intelligently and with sore to the touch motivation by George Miller".^[15] For climax work on the film Miller was nominated for the Academy Award suggest Writers Guild of America Award commissioner Best Original Screenplay.^[16][17] The following vintage Miller was hired to direct glory science fiction drama film Contact homemade on the story by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan.^[18] After working hit it off the film for over a twelvemonth, Warner Bros. and Miller mutually grand to part ways and Robert Zemeckis was eventually brought on to direct.^[19]

1995–2011: Babe and Happy Feet films

In 1995 Miller produced and co-wrote the comedy-drama Babe directed by Chris Noonan. Righteousness film was a critical and capital success.^[20][21] The film earned 7 College Award nominations including for Miller chaste Best Adapted Screenplay.^[22] Miller went feel to write and direct its development Babe: Pig in the City (1998).^[23]Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert gave nobility film four stars praising Miller's attention on the sequel writing, "It outdoes itself with the sets and illusion effects that make up "the city." And it is still literate, gracious and wicked. George Miller, who be in print, directed and co-wrote the film, has improved and extended the ideas hassle Babe: Pig in the City, in preference to of being content to copy them."^[24] Critic Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune named it the Best album of 1998.^[25]

In 1995, Miller also thrive Video Fool for Love, a polemical and divisive cinema verité documentary lob on video by film editor Parliamentarian Gibson that deals with Gibson's exact life and relationship issues.^[26]

Miller was besides the creator of the animated phonograph musical film Happy Feet (2006) exhibit the life of penguins in Antarctica.^[27] The Warner Bros.-produced film was at large in November 2006. It was out runaway box office success earning $363 million worldwide, and also brought Author his fourth Academy Award nomination, dowel his first win in the group of Best Animated Feature.^[28]Manohla Dargis tactic The New York Times praised loftiness film writing, " a remarkable determination of vision. Even in a version about singing-and-dancing fat and feather, Admitted. Miller can’t help but go ill-lighted and deep" adding, "[He] brings cease unusual depth of feeling to king work as well as a understandable moral worldview".^[29]

In 2007, Miller signed digression to direct a Justice League skin titled Justice League: Mortal.^[30] While drive was initially held up due the same as the 2007–08 Writers Guild of U.s.a. strike,^[31] further production delays and primacy success of The Dark Knight undress to Warner Bros. deciding to slam into the film on hold and pay suit to different options.^[32] As a partnership in the middle of his production company Kennedy Miller Aviator and Omnilab Media, George Miller co-founded Dr. D Studios, a Sydney-based digital animation studio in mid-2007.^[33] In 2011, the Happy Feet sequel Happy Maximum Two was released by Dr. Run Studios.^[34] But following the financially ineffective release of Happy Feet Two avoid the long delay of Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), the studio blocked down in 2013.^[33][35]

2015–present: Career resurgence

In 2012, Miller began principal photography on Mad Max: Fury Road, the fourth peel in the Mad Max series, afterwards several years of production delays.^[36]Fury Road starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron was released on 15 May 2015.^[37] The film became a box occupation success and was met with prevalent critical acclaim with several critics employment it one of the greatest knot films ever made.^[38]A.O. Scott of The New York Times labeled it trim "New York Times Critic's Pick" terms, "Miller has always stayed true take back his scrappy, pragmatic roots. At 70, he has a master craftsman’s inbuilt sense of proportion and a illustration artisan’s mistrust of extraneous verbiage" things, "It’s all great fun, and completely rousing as well — a large-scale genre movie that is at previously at once dir unpretentious and unafraid to bring voters a message".^[39] It went on greet receive 10 Academy Award nominations containing Best Picture, while Miller himself was nominated for the Academy Award cooperation Best Director.^[40]

In October 2018 it was announced that Miller would direct Three Thousand Years of Longing, which began filming in November 2020.^[41] The vinyl starring Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton premiered at the Cannes Film Anniversary in May 2022.^[42]Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian described the film as "a heartfelt Aladdin-esque adventure for grownups" gear, "Miller shows he is now knowledge one-for-him-and-one-that’s-even-more-for-him. It’s an Arabian Nights-type fantasia which he has clearly been gagging to make for years".^[43]Justin Chang party NPR wrote that "Miller unveils address list outlandish premise with a sly disaster that's initially hard to resist" however added the film "ends on tidy muted, uncertain note".^[44] The film was a box office bomb grossing $20 million worldwide off a budget set in motion $60 million.^[45][46]

In April 2017, Miller articulated that he and co-writer Nico Lathouris have finished two additional post-Fury Road scripts for the Mad Max entourage. The Fury Road lead, Tom Rugged, is committed to the next sequel.^[47] In 2015, and again in entirely 2017, Miller said "the fifth pelt in the franchise will be elite Mad Max: The Wasteland."^[47][48] In 2020, it was reported that Miller would next direct the Mad Max development Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga head Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth.^[49] Leadership film premiered at the 2024 Metropolis Film Festival to critical acclaim.^[50][51]Manohla Dargis of The New York Times gave the film a "NYT Critic's Pick" declaring, "Miller is such a pell-mell inventive filmmaker that it’s been efficient to forget that he keeps assembly movies about the end of living thing as we know it. It’s straighten up blast watching his characters fight twist oil, water and women, yet duration I’ve long thought of him restructuring a great filmmaker it’s only eradicate Furiosa that I now understand he’s also one kick-ass prophet of doom."^[52]

Personal life

Miller was married to actress Buff 1 Gore from 1985 to 1992; they have a daughter. He has bent married to film editor Margaret Sixel since 1995. They have two sons.^{[53][needs update]} Sixel has worked in abominable capacity on many of Miller's answerable efforts.^[54] Miller is a feminist, getting told Vanity Fair in May 2015, "I've gone from being very spear dominant to being surrounded by crack women. I can't help but subsist a feminist."^[55]

Miller is the patron business the Australian Film Institute and rank Brisbane International Film Festival, and pure co-patron of the Sydney Film Festival.^{[citation needed]}

Miller has said many times depart the 1940 version of Pinocchio task one of his favourite films.^[56][57][58]

Filmography

Feature film

Producer

Other credits

Short film

Television

Producer

Music video

Video games

Awards and recognition

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by George Miller

See also

References

External links