Mediacom , 21 June 2007, 7:24AM
BACKGROUND MARTIN CAMPBELL (Director)
Martin Campbell most recently directed his second James Bond film, Casino Royale. In addition, Campbell is credited with rejuvenating the James Bond franchise in 1995 when he directed GoldenEye, Pierce Brosnan’s first outing as the famed British spy, which went on to gross more than $350 million.
Following GoldenEye, he directed the international blockbuster The Mask Of Zorro. The movie earned Academy Award® and Golden Globe nominations and launched the international careers of Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Next, when he helmed Vertical Limit, the film was well received by the critics and earned over $200 million in worldwide box office sales.
Born in New Zealand, Campbell moved to London where he began his career as a cameraman. He went on to produce the controversial British feature Scum, as well as Black Joy, which was selected for competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Campbell made his directorial debut on the British police action series “The Professionals,†and continued with two more popular BBC series “Shoestring†and “Minder.â€Â
Considered one of the U.K.’s top directors by the mid 1980s, he directed the highly praised British telefilm, “Reilly: Ace Of Spies.†For his work on “Edge Of Darkness,†a five-hour BBC miniseries about nuclear contamination in England that depicted murder and high-ranking corruption, he won six BAFTA awards.
Campbell’s first Hollywood movie was Criminal Law and he went on to direct Defenseless and No Escape. Some of his American credits include directing HBO’s “Cast A Deadly Spell†and two episodes of NBC’s “Homicide: Life On The Street,†among others. He also directed the epic romance Beyond Borders starring Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen.