Timothy John Bevan, CBE (born 20 December 1957) is a New Zealand-British film producer,[2] the co-chairman (with Eric Fellner) of the production company Working Title Films. Bevan and Fellner are the most successful British producers of their era. Through 2017, the films he has co-produced have grossed a total of almost $7 billion worldwide.[3]As of 2017, films by Working Title Films have won 12 Academy Awards and 39 British Academy Film Awards.[4][5][6]
Tim Bevan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bevan in 2019 | |
| Born | Timothy John Bevan 20 December 1957[1] Queenstown, New Zealand |
| Education | Cheltenham College Sidcot School |
| Occupation | Film producer |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3, including Daisy Bevan |
Early life and education
Bevan was born in 1957 in Queenstown, New Zealand.[7][1] From 1969—1974, he was educated at Sidcot School,[8] a Quaker boarding independent school in the Mendip Hills, near the village of Winscombe in North Somerset, in South West England. He then attended Cheltenham College,[9] a boarding independent school in the spa town of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, in the West of England.
Life and career
Bevan co-founded Working Title Films in London with Sarah Radclyffe in 1983.[2][10] Radclyffe left the company in 1991 and Eric Fellner joined to partner Bevan.[10] Among Bevan's more than 40 films as producer or executive producer include Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Elizabeth (1998), Notting Hill (1999), Billy Elliot (2000), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Love Actually (2003), Atonement (2007), Frost/Nixon (2008), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), The Theory of Everything (2014), and Darkest Hour (2017). Working Title are also notable for their long-time collaboration with American filmmakers the Coen brothers, having produced Barton Fink (1991), Fargo (1996), The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), The Big Lebowski (1998), and O Brother, Where Art Thou? among others.
Working Title signed a deal with Universal Studios in 1999 for a reported US$600 million, which gave Bevan and Fellner the power to commission projects with a budget of up to $35 million without having to consult their paymasters.[11]
Bevan is a co-producer of the West End musical Billy Elliot.[12]
Bevan was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2005 Birthday Honours for services to the British film industry.[13]
In 2013, he and Fellner received the David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures from the Producers Guild of America.[14]
Along with Fellner, Lisa Bryer, David Heyman, Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson, he founded the London Screen Academy in September 2019, a sixth form school teaching behind the camera skills to a student body of 800. [15]
Personal life
Bevan is divorced from English actress Joely Richardson; the two have a daughter, Daisy, born in 1992. Bevan is now married to Amy Gadney, and they have a daughter Nell, born 2001, and a son Jago, born 2003.
Filmography
Film
Producer
- My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)
- Personal Services (1987)
- Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987)
- Paperhouse (1988)
- For Queen and Country (1988)
- Diamond Skulls (1989)
- Chicago Joe and the Showgirl (1990)
- Robin Hood (1991) (co-producer)
- London Kills Me (1991)
- Map of the Human Heart (1992)
- French Kiss (1995)
- Moonlight and Valentino (1995)
- Loch Ness (1996)
- Bean (1997)
- The Matchmaker (1997)
- The Borrowers (1997)
- What Rats Won't Do (1998)
- Elizabeth (1998)
- The Hi-Lo Country (1998)
- Plunkett & Macleane (1999)
- High Fidelity (2000)
- Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
- Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001)
- 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002)
- Ali G Indahouse (2002)
- About a Boy (2002)
- The Guru (2002)
- Johnny English (2003)
- Love Actually (2003)
- The Calcium Kid (2004)
- Thunderbirds (2004)
- Wimbledon (2004)
- Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)
- The Interpreter (2005)
- Pride & Prejudice (2005)
- Nanny McPhee (2005)
- United 93 (2006)
- Catch a Fire (2006)
- Sixty Six (2006)
- Smokin' Aces (2006)
- Hot Fuzz (2007)
- Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007)
- Atonement (2007)
- Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
- Definitely, Maybe (2008)
- Wild Child (2008)
- Frost/Nixon (2008)
- The Boat That Rocked (2009)
- State of Play (2009)
- Green Zone (2009)
- Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2009)
- Paul (2011)
- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
- Johnny English Reborn (2011)
- Contraband (2012)
- Big Miracle (2012)
- Anna Karenina (2012)
- Les Misérables (2012)
- I Give It a Year (2013)
- About Time (2013)
- The World's End (2013)
- Closed Circuit (2013)
- The Two Faces of January (2014)
- The Theory of Everything (2014)
- Billy Elliot the Musical Live (2014)
- Trash (2014)
- We Are Your Friends (2015)
- Everest (2015)
- Legend (2015)
- The Danish Girl (2015)
- The Program (2015)
- Hail, Caesar! (2016)
- Bridget Jones's Baby (2016)
- Baby Driver (2017)
- Darkest Hour (2017)
- Victoria & Abdul (2017)
- The Snowman (2017)
- Entebbe (2018)
- King of Thieves (2018)
- Johnny English Strikes Again (2018)
- Mary Queen of Scots (2018)
- The Kid Who Would Be King (2019)
- Yesterday (2019)
- Radioactive (2019)
- Cats (2019)
- Emma (2020)
- The High Note (2020)
- Rebecca (2020)
- Cyrano (2021)
- Last Night in Soho (2021)
- Ticket to Paradise (2022)
- The Swimmers (2022)
- What's Love Got to Do with It? (2022)
- Matilda the Musical (2022)
- Catherine Called Birdy (2022)
- Drive-Away Dolls (2024)
- Blitz (2024)
- Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025)
- Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie (2026)
- Robot: Colony 25 (TBA)
- The Lifeboat (TBA)
- Hippie Hippie Shake (Unreleased)
Executive producer
- A World Apart (1988)
- The Tall Guy (1989)
- Fools of Fortune (1990)
- Drop Dead Fred (1991)
- Bob Roberts (1992)
- Posse (1993)
- Romeo Is Bleeding (1993)
- Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
- The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
- That Eye, the Sky (1994)
- Panther (1995)
- Dead Man Walking (1995)
- Fargo (1996)
- The Big Lebowski (1998)
- Notting Hill (1999)
- O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
- The Man Who Cried (2000)
- The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
- Long Time Dead (2002)
- My Little Eye (2002)
- Thirteen (2003)
- The Shape of Things (2003)
- Ned Kelly (2003)
- The Italian Job (2003)
- Gettin' Square (2003)
- Shaun of the Dead (2004)
- Mickybo and Me (2004)
- Inside I'm Dancing (2004)
- No. 2 (2006)
- Gone (2007)
- Burn After Reading (2008)
- The Soloist (2009)
- A Serious Man (2009)
- Rush (2013)
- Genius (2016)
- Grimsby (2016)
- The History Keepers (TBA)
As an actor
- Elizabeth (1998) (As the "Handsome Man")
Thanks
- The Land Girls (1998)
- Following (1998)
Television
Executive producer
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Echoes | |
| 1992 | The Borrowers | |
| 1993 | Tales of the City | |
| 1998 | More Tales of the City | |
| 2001 | Further Tales of the City | |
| 2003 | About a Boy | Television pilot |
| 2008 | Frontline | Documentary |
| 2007−10 | The Tudors | |
| 2011 | Love Bites | |
| The Borrowers | Television film | |
| 2012 | Birdsong | |
| True Love | ||
| 2013 | Mary and Martha | Television film |
| 2014 | The Secrets | |
| About a Boy | ||
| 2015 | You, Me and the Apocalypse | |
| London Spy | ||
| 2013−16 | Yonderland | |
| 2017 | Gypsy | |
| 2019 | The Case Against Adnan Syed | Documentary |
| Tales of the City | ||
| 2020 | The Luminaries | |
| 2019−20 | Hanna | |
| 2021 | We Are Lady Parts |
Awards and honours
- 2005: Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
- 2013 received the degree of Doctor honoris causa from The University of York[16]
- 2018: Cinematic Production Award of the Royal Photographic Society