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Sam Mendes

British stage director who took Hollywood by storm—and surprise—with his feature film directorial debut, American Beauty (1999), a dark comedy that shatters any illusions about suburbia. Mendes won a Best Director Oscar, and the film, which struck a chord with audiences, proving both emasculating and empowering, also won Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography. The win put Mendes on Tinseltown's A-list, though he said the stage is his preferred medium and he has no burning desire to return to feature filmmaking.

After graduating from Cambridge University, Mendes rapidly became a member of London's theater elite. He staged a number of successful show's in London's West End and in 1992 signed on with the Royal Shakespeare Company, directing the likes of Ralph Fiennes and Judi Dench. He moved on to be artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse Theatre, where he collaborated with Nicole Kidman in the critical and commercial success, The Blue Room. (The play also enjoyed a sellout run on Broadway.) He won a 1998 Tony Award for his enchanting adaptation of Cabaret.

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Related content from HighBeam Research on: Sam Mendes

Donmar duty set stage for role in film. (Director of the Year: Sam Mendes). (Daily Variety)

Trio bridge classic gap.(Sam Mendes, Brooklyn Academy of Music and Sam Mendesteam up for the "Bridge Project" touring plays) (Daily Variety)

Mendes follows 'Road' to ShoWest kudos.(Sam Mendes will receive director of the year award at ShoWest 2003 )(Brief Article) (Daily Variety)

D'works on cutup 'Todd'.(director Sam Mendes tapped for "Sweeney Todd" ) (Daily Variety)

Remote collaboration made easy: PIX helped director Sam Mendes see and make notes on editor Walter Murch's cuts for Universal's Jarhead.(SPECIAL REPORT) (Post)

Mortgage-backed insecurity: at BAM, Sam Mendes's production of the Cherry Orchard is a bold beginning to a daring series.(THEATER)(Theater review) (New York)

Having their say: American Theatre's contributing writers lend an ear to artists.(In Conversations With Peter Brook, 1970-2000, Sam Mendes at the Donmar Warehouse, A Queer Sort of Materialism: Recontextualizing American Theater, heatre in Crisis? Performance Manifestos for a New Century, Play by Play: Theater Essays & Reviews, At This Theatre: 100 Years of Broadway Shows, Stories and Stars )(Book Review) (American Theatre)

The coolest hand Paul Newman, 1925-2008: author Richard Russo, director Sam Mendes, and actor Philip Seymour Hoffman remember.(In memoriam) (New York)

His new material.(Heard in Hollywood)(Sam Mendes interested in movie adaptation for Phillip Pullman series)("His Dark Materials" trilogy )(Brief Article) (Book)

Pair puts down roots.(John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph to star in Sam Mendes' untitled relationship comedy )(Brief article) (Daily Variety)

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