John Irvin
John Irvin | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Charles Greenway Irvin 7 May 1940 Wallasey, Merseyside, England |
| Died | 11 August 2026 (aged 86) England |
| Education | |
| Occupations | Film and television director |
| Years active | 1963–2016 |
John Charles Greenway Irvin (7 May 1940 – 11 August 2026) was an English film and television director.[1] A three-time BAFTA Award nominee, he began his career by directing a number of documentaries and television works, including the BBC adaptation of John le Carré's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. He made several Hollywood films in the 1980s, including The Dogs of War (1980), Ghost Story (1981), Raw Deal (1986), and Hamburger Hill (1987).
Early life and education
John Charles Greenway Irvin was born in Wallasey, Merseyside, on 7 May 1940, to Charles and Elsie Winifred (neé Bending) Irvin.[2] His father was a mechanical engineer who was involved in the construction of the Iran-Iraq Pipeline as part of the Royal Engineers.[2] Irvin had a twin brother, David.[2] He attended Durham School, where he sang in the choir, and Durham College, where he boxed and rowed competitively.[2] He graduated from the London Film School.[3][2]
Career
Documentaries
Early in his career, Irvin was an adherent of the Free Cinema movement, directing vérité-style documentaries.[3] His breakthrough was Inheritance, a 1963 documentary short about the Algerian War of Independence.[3] In 1969, he traveled to Vietnam to shoot footage of the ongoing conflict for Movietone.[4] He directed documentary short subjects Gala Day (1963), Carousella (1965), and the made-for-TV East of Howard (1966). His 1967 short Mafia No!, about Italian social activist Danilo Dolci, was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Short Film.
British television
In the 1970s, Irvin directed exclusively for television, including drama episodes and made-for-TV films. In the mid-1970s, he made Possessions (1974) and Haunted (1974) and the pilot for The Nearly Man (1974) and seven episodes in 1975. In 1977, he directed an episode for ITV Playhouse and did an adaptation of Charles Dickens's Hard Times. In 1977, he directed the BBC miniseries adaptation of John le Carré's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Drama Series and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series.
Hollywood
In the 1980s, Irvin made The Dogs of War (1980), starring Christopher Walken, which depicted a mercenary team attacking an African country. After that, Irvin made the horror film Ghost Story (1981), an adaptation of Peter Straub's novel. Irvin's other films from that period include Champions (1984), starring John Hurt and Turtle Diary (1985),[1] a romantic-comedy film based on the novel of the same name that starred Glenda Jackson and Ben Kingsley. The story tells of a lonely man and woman from London who help a couple of turtles escape from a zoo. Soon afterwards, Irvin made Raw Deal (1986), an action film, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger about an FBI agent who extracts a bloody revenge against a Mafia organisation. After that, Irvin's next film was the Vietnam War story Hamburger Hill (1987), about a violent close-quarters battle in which US soldiers attacked a well-fortified North Vietnamese Army position. Irvin then directed Next of Kin (1989), an action film starring Patrick Swayze about a police officer who starts a clan feud against a Mafia family to exact revenge for his brother's death.
In the 1990s, Irvin directed Eminent Domain (1990), starring Donald Sutherland and Anne Archer. After that, he made Robin Hood (1991), which starred Patrick Bergin and Uma Thurman. Irvin's other films from the 1990s include Freefall (1994), Widows' Peak (1994), A Month by the Lake (1995), Crazy Horse (1996), the acclaimed City of Industry (1997), starring Harvey Keitel and Timothy Hutton, When Trumpets Fade (1998) and Noah's Ark (1999).
Later work
In the 2000s, Irvin directed Shiner (2000), which starred Michael Caine. The story tells about a boxing promoter searching for his son's killer. Irvin then directed The Fourth Angel (2001), an action film starring Jeremy Irons and Forest Whitaker. Irvin's other films from the 2000s include The Boys from County Clare (2003), Dot.Kill (2004), The Fine Art of Love (2005) and The Moon and the Stars (2007). Irvin released The Garden of Eden (2008), starring Mena Suvari and Jack Huston.
Irvin appeared as himself in the documentary feature The Writer with No Hands (2014), talking about the screenwriter Gary DeVore with whom he worked on The Dogs of War and Raw Deal.
His next film was the biopic Mandela's Gun (2016), relating Nelson Mandela's times as a guerrilla fighter for the ANC.
Death
Irvin died from complications of cancer at his sister-in-law's home in England, on 11 August 2026, aged 86.[2][5]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Bedtime | Short |
| 1980 | The Dogs of War | |
| 1981 | Ghost Story | |
| 1984 | Champions | |
| 1985 | Turtle Diary | |
| 1986 | Raw Deal | |
| 1987 | Hamburger Hill | |
| 1989 | Next of Kin | |
| 1990 | Eminent Domain | |
| 1991 | Robin Hood | |
| 1994 | Freefall | |
| Widows' Peak | ||
| 1995 | A Month by the Lake | |
| 1996 | Crazy Horse | |
| 1997 | City of Industry | |
| 2000 | Shiner | |
| 2001 | The Fourth Angel | |
| 2003 | The Boys from County Clare | |
| 2005 | Dot.Kill | |
| The Fine Art of Love | ||
| 2007 | The Moon and the Stars | |
| 2008 | The Garden of Eden | |
| 2016 | Mandela's Gun |
Documentary works
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Inheritance | |
| Gala Day | ||
| 1965 | Carousella | |
| 1967 | Mafia No! | |
| 1969 | Tomorrow Night in London | |
| Medieval England: The Peasants Revolt | ||
| TBD | Water from an Ancient Well | In production[6] |
Television
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Five More | Episode: "Strangers" |
| 1974 | Childhood | Episode: "Possessions" |
| Haunted | TV movie | |
| Possessions | ||
| 1974–75 | The Nearly Man | 6 episodes |
| 1977 | Hard Times | Miniseries |
| ITV Playhouse | Episode: "The Proofing Session" | |
| 1978 | Life at Stake | Episode: "The Million Dollar Children" |
| The Sunday Drama | 2 episodes | |
| Power Struggle | TV movie | |
| 1979 | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | Miniseries |
| 1983 | All for Love | Episode: "Down at the Hydro" |
| 1998 | When Trumpets Fade | TV movie |
| 1999 | Noah's Ark | Miniseries |
Documentary works
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | East of Howerd | |
| Go Go Go Said the Bird | ||
| 1968 | One Pair of Eyes | Episode: "Gerald Scarfe: I Think I See Violence All Around Me" |
Awards and nominations
| Institution | Year | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Film Festival | 1995 | Best Film | Widows' Peak | Won |
| Avoriaz International Fantastic Film Festival | 1982 | Grand Prize | Ghost Story | Nominated |
| Berlin International Film Festival | 1984 | Golden Bear | Champions | Nominated |
| British Academy Film Awards | 1967 | Best Short Film | Mafia No! | Nominated |
| British Academy Television Awards | 1978 | Best Drama Series/Serial | Hard Times | Nominated |
| 1980 | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | Nominated | ||
| Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels | 1999 | Silver FIPA (Fiction) | When Trumpets Fade | Won |
| Harlem International Film Festival | 2018 | Best Director | Mandela's Gun | Won |
| Karlovy Vary International Film Festival | 1994 | Crystal Globe | Widows' Peak | Nominated |
| Mystfest | 1997 | Best Film | City of Industry | Nominated |
References
- 1 2 "John Irvin". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. 2014. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wiseman, Andreas. "John Irvin, Director of Hamburger Hill & Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy TV Drama, Dies Aged 86". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 "John Irvin interview". THE FLASHBACK FILES. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
- ↑ Hinson, Hal (28 August 1987). "Hamburger Hill". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
- ↑ "John Irvin obituary: Bafta-winning director". The Times. 21 August 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ Henderson, Ian (15 March 2023). "'Water from an ancient well' is a feature documentary film that celebrates the life and times of Abdullah Ibrahim". Abdullah Ibrahim. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
External links
- John Irvin at IMDb