Director
David Lean
March 25, 1908 · Croydon, Surrey, England, UK
Sir David Lean CBE (25 March 1908 – 16 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, he is best remembered for adapting the works of Charles Dickens and Noël Coward, and for his large scale period epics such as The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), Ryan's Daughter (1970), and A Passage to India (1984).
Acclaimed and praised by directors such as Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick, Lean was voted 9th greatest film director of all time in the British Film Institute Sight & Sound "Directors Top Directors" poll 2002. Nominated seven times for the Academy Award for Best Director, winning twice for The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia, he has seven films in the British Film Institute's Top 100 British Films (with three of them being in the top five).
Notable work
Often works with
Alec Guinness
6 titles together
Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Doctor Zhivago
John Mills
5 titles together
Great Expectations, Ryan's Daughter, Hobson's Choice
André Morell
3 titles together
The Bridge on the River Kwai, Summertime, Madeleine
Celia Johnson
3 titles together
Brief Encounter, In Which We Serve, This Happy Breed
Trevor Howard
3 titles together
Brief Encounter, Ryan's Daughter, The Passionate Friends
Joyce Carey
3 titles together
Brief Encounter, Blithe Spirit, In Which We Serve
Full filmography · 17
A Passage to India
Director
19846.8
Ryan's Daughter
Director
19707.1
Doctor Zhivago
Director
19657.5
Wind, Sand and Star
cast
1963
Lawrence of Arabia
as Motorcyclist by Suez Canal (uncredited) and Director
19628
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Director
19577.8
Summertime
Director
19556.7
Hobson's Choice
Director
19547.4
The Sound Barrier
Director
19526.5
Madeleine
Director
19506.8
The Passionate Friends
Director
19496.8
Oliver Twist
Director
19487.6