Roger Michell

A successful director in both his native England and America, Roger Michell helmed such big-budget hits as "Notting Hill" (1999) and "Changing Lanes" (2002), while also earning critical respect for small, more intimate features like "Titanic Town" (1998) and "The Mother" (2003). Following an award-winning debut as a theater director in the late 1970s and early '80s, Michell moved into directing for television, including such BAFTA-winning efforts as "The Buddha of Suburbia" (BBC, 1993) and "Persuasion" (1995). His work on the small screen attracted the attention of writer Richard Curtis, who tapped Michell to direct the Julia Roberts/Hugh Grant romantic comedy "Notting Hill" (1999), one of the highest grossing British films in history, which in turn led to assignments in America like "Changing Lanes" (2002), starring Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson. His subsequent efforts varied in tone and quality, from intense small dramas like "The Mother" and "Enduring Love" (2004), comedies like "Venus" (2006) with Peter O'Toole, and major Hollywood efforts like "Morning Glory" (2010). Though not every film was a hit, Michell's ability to move between genres marked him as one of the most versatile filmmakers on the international scene.