Howard Davies

Respected British stage director who was nominated for a Tony Award for directing "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" on Broadway (1987), Howard Davies won far less applause for his feature film directorial debut, "The Secret Rapture" (1993), the story of a woman who has emotional and psychological battles with her family after the death of her father. He broke into theatre working as an assistant stage manager at the Birmingham Repertory Company in 1968, and in 1972 became associate director of the Bristol Old Vic and a founding member of the Avon Touring Company. Davies was appointed associate director and dramaturg for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1977. While his directing credits date to 1972 at the Bristol Old Vic, with a production of "Narrow Road to the Deep North," Davies came into his own after joining the Royal Shakespeare Company and directing the 1974 production of "The Beast." "Piaf" (1979) transferred to Broadway in 1981, and was also taped as a PBS special in 1982 (although Davies is credited only as the director of the stage production, not the actual TV production). His London production of "Good" also went to Broadway in 1982, but it was "Les Liaisons Dangereuses," which opened at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in 1985 and made it to Broadway in 1987, which firmed Davies' stature. "The Secret Rapture" began as a stage play Davies directed in 1988, and he also directed National Theatre productions of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1988) and "The Crucible" (1990), venerable American plays which Davies was able to make accessible for the British audience. He later directed the Broadway revival of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" with Kathleen Turner and Charles Durning. In 1994, he returned to Broadway to direct the revival of "My Fair Lady" starring Michael Moriarty. As with his film work, Davies' TV directing has been limited. He directed "Tales From Hollywood" (1992, In U.S. on PBS/American Playhouse), a story of German emigre writers in the film mecca from 1938-1950 and starring Jeremy Irons and Alec Guinness.