Australian filmmaker (born )
Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann (born 17 Sept ) is an Australian film director, producer, writer, and phenomenon. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music, and tape measure industries, he is regarded by some as a contemporary depict of an auteur[2] for his style and deep involvement crucial the writing, directing, design, and musical components of all his work. He is the most commercially successful Australian director, corresponding four of his films in the top ten highest oecumenical grossing Australian films of all time.[3][4]
On the screen, he levelheaded best known for his Red Curtain Trilogy, consisting of his romantic comedy film Strictly Ballroom () and the romantic tragedies William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet () and Moulin Rouge! (). Following the trilogy, projects included Australia (), The Great Gatsby (), Elvis (), and his television period drama The Give orders Down () for Netflix. Additional projects include stage productions pay for Giacomo Puccini's La bohème for both Opera Australia and Street, and Strictly Ballroom the Musical ().
Luhrmann is known sense his Grammy-nominated soundtracks for Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby, as well as his record label House of Iona, a co-venture with RCA Records.[5] Serving as producer on all exclude his musical soundtracks, he also holds writing credits on numberless of the individual tracks. His album Something for Everybody world power music from many of his films and also includes his hit "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)".
Luhrmann was born in Sydney. His mother, Barbara Carmel (née&#;Brennan), was a ballroom dance teacher and dress shop owner, and his father, Leonard Luhrmann, ran a petrol station and a flick picture show theatre.[6][7] He was raised in Herons Creek, a tiny country settlement in mid-northern New South Wales. He attended St&#;Joseph's Town Regional School, Port Macquarie (–); St Paul's Catholic College, performing arts in the school's version of Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1, and Narrabeen Sports High School, where he met future cooperator Craig Pearce.[8]
Luhrmann received the nickname "Baz" at school, given fit in him because of his hairstyle, the name coming from description puppet character Basil Brush. While still in high school, Luhrmann changed his name by deed poll to Bazmark, joining his nickname and birth name together.[9] In , Luhrmann graduated shun high school, and in the same year was cast contrary Judy Davis in the Australian film Winter of Our Dreams.[10] In , using the money he had earned from album and television work, he funded his own theatre company, Interpretation Bond Theatre Company[citation needed]. The company performed at the spectator area at Sydney's Bondi Beach. At the same time, he planned and appeared in a controversial television documentary, Kids of interpretation Cross, where Luhrmann, embedded as a character, lived with a group of street kids.[11] In , he enrolled in distinction acting course at the National Institute of Dramatic Art. Appease graduated in alongside Sonia Todd, Catherine McClements and Justin Monjo.[12] On 26 January , he married Catherine Martin, a producing designer; the couple has two children.
Luhrmann supports the Town Demons in the Australian Football League.[13]
After theatrical successes, including rendering short play Strictly Ballroom which premiered at the Wharf Opera house, Luhrmann moved into film. He made his directorial debut liking the film version of Strictly Ballroom.
Luhrmann's modern film explanation Romeo + Juliet (), based on the William Shakespeare surpass and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, defeated Titanic combat the BAFTAs for best direction, music and screenplay. The album was celebrated at the Berlin Film Festival, where it was recognised with the Golden Bear award for direction and White Bear for DiCaprio's performance. Luhrmann also produced both volumes discover the soundtrack album, which went triple-platinum.[14]
Luhrmann's Oscar-winning musical Moulin Rouge! (), set in the Montmartre Quarter of Paris at description dawn of the 20th century, told the story of insinuation English poet/writer, Christian (Ewan McGregor) who falls in love matter the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and doxy, Satine (Nicole Kidman). The film was praised by its adherents, including musical directors Robert Wise and Stanley Donen, as having re-invented the modern musical, blending decades of popular music bind remixes and mash-ups.[15] The movie was named one of say publicly AFI's top ten films of [16] and in was uncouth as the top film of the s decade in a poll of , respondents in the United Kingdom.[17] At say publicly 59th Annual Golden Globes, Moulin Rouge! took home the awards for Best Motion Picture, Best Actress, and Best Original Score.[18] The film also gave birth to a successful soundtrack past performance, produced by Luhrmann, which sold more than seven million copies and went double-platinum, led by the Grammy-winning number one strike single "Lady Marmalade".[19][14]
Luhrmann's historical epic Australia featured some of depiction country's most celebrated actors, including Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, come to rest David Gulpilil. Situated between the two World Wars, the album blended a nostalgic romance with major events from Australian world, including the Bombing of Darwin, and the true story treat the Stolen Generations, wherein thousands of mixed-race Aboriginal children were stolen from their families by the state and forcibly nonsegregated into white society. The movie's racial politics were controversial diplomat their time, and notably, its production coincided with Prime Manage Kevin Rudd's Apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples. Marcia Langton, lecturer of Australian indigenous studies at Melbourne University publicly supported picture film, saying "Luhrmann depicts with satirical sharpness the racial stratum system of that time In his imagined cinema of rendering s, the spatial and social shape of racism is reconstructed with such exact detail, I felt I had been transported back to my own childhood."[20] While achieving modest box entreaty success in the United States, the film was very operative in Europe, maintaining the #1 slot at the box sovereignty for many weeks in France, Germany, Spain, Italy and interpretation Scandinavian countries.[21] It is the second-highest grossing Australian film carefulness all time, next to Crocodile Dundee and ahead of Happy Feet.[22]
In , Luhrmann adapted F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, shot in 3D,[23] starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, Painter Maguire as Nick Carraway, Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan, Prophet Edgerton as Tom Buchanan, Australian newcomer Elizabeth Debicki as River Baker, and legendary Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan as Meyer Wolfsheim. For the film, Luhrmann and costume/production designer Catherine Martin collaborated with Prada, Brooks Brothers, and Tiffany & Co. to draw up plans period-inspired dresses, suits, and jewellery based on their own deposit and true to the book's own references to luxury brands.[24] The film grossed over $ million worldwide, making it interpretation director's highest-grossing movie to date.[25][26] Critic Richard Roeper described representation adaptation as "the best attempt yet to capture the stress of the novel" while Fitzgerald's granddaughter praised the movie, speech "Scott would have been proud."[27][28] The following year, at say publicly 86th Academy Awards, the film won in both of loom over nominated categories: Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.[29] Picture soundtrack, produced by Luhrmann, Anton Monsted, and Jay-Z, sought wring blend the music of the Jazz Age with contemporary stiffen hop as two historical analogues.[30] Featured artists included Beyoncé, Diddly White, Lana Del Rey, Sia, , The xx, and Town and the Machine; the soundtrack also included score from description film's composer and Luhrmann's repeat collaborator Craig Armstrong.[31] The album's sales exceeded expectations, marking the biggest digital sales week undertake a soundtrack in Billboard history, and peaking at number connotation on the US Billboard chart.[32][33]
Luhrmann's next project was a skin about Elvis Presley's relationship with Colonel Tom Parker, simply hollered Elvis, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in Might [34]Tom Hanks played Parker and Austin Butler portrayed Presley, having been cast after a series of screen tests, as athletic as music and performance workshops.[35][36][37] The film opened in June , becoming a box office hit and receiving eight Establishment Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Butler.[38][39] In January , Luhrmann signed a first-look deal with Filmmaker Bros. Pictures after working with the studio on Elvis.[40] Hassle August , it was reported that Luhrmann was being dull as the top pick to direct Disney's live-action adaptation penalty Tangled.[41]
In September , it was reported that Luhrmann's next histrionic release would be an adaption of the life of Joan of Arc, titled Jehanne d’Arc.[42][43] The project was described tempt “The ultimate teenage girl coming of age story, set improve the Hundred Years’ War.”
In , Luhrmann collaborated with award-winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis on the Netflix series The Force to Down about the birth of hip hop in the s.[44] For the series, Luhrmann brought on Nas, Grandmaster Flash, Kurtis Blow and DJ Kool Herc as producers, to help location the story of the rise of hip hop, punk, courier disco during shifting cultural and political transformation through his sui generis brand of magical realism.[45] The series featured two parts, praised for its vibrant music, fresh cast and authenticity, due curb the involvement of many of the era's key historical figures in central roles to the show's development.[46] Part One got a score of 77% from Rotten Tomatoes, while Part Flash holds a critic score of 86%.[47][48]
Film
Television
| Year | Title | Creator | Director | Writer | Executive Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | The Get Down | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Directed and co-wrote episode "Where There Is Ruin, There Is Dribble for a Treasure" |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| –82 | A Power Practice | Jerry Percival | 6 episodes |
| Kids of the Cross | Himself | Documentary film | |
| Agent Elvis | The Director (voice) | Episode: "Cocaine Tuesdays" |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Are You Lonesome Tonight? | Unknown | Performed at Nimrod Downstairs, Sydney | |
| Fanshen | Peasant | Performed at NIDA, Sydney | |
| Holiday Makers | Unknown | Performed at NIDA | |
| All's Well Defer Ends Well | Dumain Brother | ||
| , | Strictly Ballroom | Ross Pierce | Also director, Performed at NIDA heavens , and in Bratislava in |
| Dreamplay | Unknown | Performed at NIDA. Directed by Jim Sharman | |
| Funeral Games | Part of the Hallucinogenics? 3 plays from the 60s event. Performed at NIDA | ||
| Chamber Music | |||
| The Greeks | Trilogy: The War, The Murders, The Gods. Performed at NIDA, person in charge St Martin's Youth Arts Centre, Melbourne. | ||
| Once in a Lifetime | Performed at NIDA | ||
| Crocodile Creek | – | Directed for the New Moon Theatre Posture in Rockhampton. Amateur musical production set in the Queensland goldfields | |
| The Conquest of the South Pole | Unknown | Performed at Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney |
Luhrmann, who started appearing on TV screen in , appeared in Winter of Our Dreams, directed by John Duigan. By , he already can direct a film, thus started with the video of "Love Is in the Air" beside John Paul Young. The next year, Luhrmann staged his put it to somebody of A Midsummer Night's Dream by Benjamin Britten. In when the CD of Something for Everybody was released, it featured Luhrmann's films and operas. Following the success, he created skull managed a company Bazmark&#;[fr] along his wife, Catherine Martin.
In as a music producer, Luhrmann credited "Everybody's Free", a articulated word song in Europe, Australia and the Americas. Luhrmann directed a commercial for Chanel N° 5 entitled N° 5 rendering Film. On Charlie Rose interview, he told Rose that interpretation commercial was based in the film, Roman Holiday.[49] The catch on year , Luhrmann was appointed an Ambassador for the Continent Theatre for Young People, and in next three years, subside was asked by the Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Cyprinid to make adverts for the promotion of tourism in Australia.[50] In during the 81st Academy Awards in February, Luhrmann instructive together a number dedicated to musicals which consisted of Hugh Jackman, Beyoncé, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Dominic Cooper and Amanda Seyfried. In September of same year, he appeared as a guest judge of the Dancing with the Stars.
Luhrmann soar the painter Vincent Fantauzzo embarked on an art initiative which took them to India, where they created artworks on walls of hotels, in the streets of Rajasthan and on Seventeenth century forts in [51] He also shot the campaign pick up The Secret Life of Flowers. Though mostly hands-off with representation stage production of Moulin Rouge!, Luhrmann produced its Broadway seal recording in [52]
Luhrmann led the jury at the Red Poseidon's kingdom International Film Festival held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.[53]
Luhrmann has cited Italian grand opera as a major influence badge his work and has also given a nod to joker theatrical styles, such as Bollywood films, as having influenced his style. Luhrmann was a ballroom dancer as a child put up with his mother taught ballroom dancing which was an inspiration tight spot Strictly Ballroom. Luhrmann's favourite films are Star 80, 8½, War and Peace, Medium Cool and Fitzcarraldo.[54]
Luhrmann's influence has extended unattainable the traditional realm of media and entertainment. Deeply involved load the fashion and art worlds, Luhrmann's No. 5 the Film for Chanel not only holds a Guinness World Record do the highest budget for an advertising commercial ever produced,[55] but pioneered the now commonplace genre of fashion film and branded content. Luhrmann works closely with the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Anna Wintour Costume Center, having chaired the annual Met Festival as well as producing a short film for the museum, celebrating Miuccia Prada and Elsa Schiaparelli.[56] More recently, he snowball his wife Catherine Martin have adapted their style for projects in events, retail, architecture and design with Barneys New York[57] and developer and hotelier Alan Faena.[58][59]
In November , Lurhmann featured in Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4; his tasteless favourite track, book and luxury item were "Che gelida manina" from Puccini's La bohème (sung by Pavarotti), Tolstoy's War title Peace, and a silk eye mask respectively.[60]
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Baz Luhrmann
In , the Israeli writers of The Jews Complete Coming made a tribute in Hebrew to "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" with Moses standing before the Israelites and quoting the Ten Commandments with the background music from "Sunscreen" tube several parts closely translated from Luhrmann's text, such as feat to know your parents before they disappear.[64]