
Directing
Sam Mendes
Born 1965-08-01 · Reading, Berkshire, England, UK
Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes CBE (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was knighted in the 2020 New Year Honours List. In 2000, Mendes was awarded the Shakespeare Prize by the Alfred Toepfer Foundation in Hamburg, Germany. In 2005, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Directors Guild of Great Britain. In 2008, The Daily Telegraph ranked him number 15 in their list of the "100 most powerful people in British culture". Born in Berkshire to a Trinidadian Catholic father and an English Jewish mother, Mendes grew up in North London. He read English at Peterhouse at Cambridge University. He began directing plays there before joining Donmar Warehouse, a centre of 1990s London theatre culture. In theatre, he is known for his dark re-inventions of the stage musicals Cabaret (1993), Oliver! (1994), Company (1995), and Gypsy (2003). For the first time, he directed an original West End stage musical with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2013). For his work on the London stage, Mendes has received three Laurence Olivier Awards for Company, Twelfth Night, and The Ferryman. On Broadway, he earned two Tony Awards for Best Direction of a Play for The Ferryman in 2019 and The Lehman Trilogy in 2022. In film, he made his directorial debut with the drama American Beauty (1999), which earned him the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Director. He has since directed the films Road to Perdition (2002), Jarhead (2005), Revolutionary Road (2008), and the James Bond films Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015). For the war film 1917 (2019), he received the BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Director, as well as his second Academy Award nomination for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Description above from the Wikipedia article Sam Mendes, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Acting credits
7.3Pull back the curtain on the remarkable history of six decades of James Bond music, from Sean Connery’s Dr No through to Daniel Craig’s final outing in No Time to Die.
The Sound of 007
2022
NRAn intimate behind-the-scenes look at the making of Sam Mendes’ “Jarhead,” featuring Jake Gyllenhaal and Jaime Foxx.
"Jarhead" Diaries
2006
7.2The story of three men with a shared dream: James Bond franchise producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and Bond creator and author Ian Fleming. It’s the thrilling and inspiring narrative behind the longest running film franchise in cinema history, which began in 1962.
Everything or Nothing
2012
7.0A powerful, in-depth documentary profiling U.S. Marines back from duty in Iraq. Produced for the “Jarhead” DVD.
Semper Fi: Life After the Corps
2006
6.8A documentary that highlights the deadly combination of sleep deprivation and long days of work, focusing on the American film industry.
Who Needs Sleep?
2006
7.8A promotional short documentary on the making of the film American Beauty, directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball.
American Beauty: Look Closer...
2000
NRDocumentary that profiles of U.S. Marines who were cast as background extras in “Jarhead.” Produced for the “Jarhead” DVD.
Jarhead: Background
2006
7.1Set in modern upper-crust Manhattan, an exploration of love and commitment as seen through the eyes of a charming perpetual bachelor questioning his single state and his enthusiastically married, slightly envious friends.
Company
1996
No synopsis available yet.
Tom Hanks: A League of His Own
2016
7.8This documentary celebrates one of Britain’s greatest actors, Dame Judi Dench, and looks back over her remarkable 60-year career.
Judi Dench: All the World's Her Stage
2016
6.2Kevin Spacey, Sam Mendes and the Bridge Project Company go on the road in NOW: in the Wings on a World Stage. In over 200 performances, and across 3 continents, Kevin and the troupe reveal some of the most intimate moments behind the scenes of their staging of Shakespeare's classic tragedy, "Richard III." Their story and experiences weave around, and reflect on, excerpts from the play from their various locations, from Epidaurus to Doha, and provides a great opportunity for those who have never experienced Spacey on stage to witness his immerse and captivating interpretation of Richard III. NOW chronicles the first collaboration between Spacey and Mendes since both won Academy Awards® for their work on American Beauty.
NOW: In the Wings on a World Stage
2014
NRAustralian film editor Jill Bilcock is one of the world's most sought after film editors, having edited beloved films such as STRICTLY BALLROOM, ROMEO+JULIET, MURIEL’S WEDDING, ELIZABETH, MOULIN ROUGE!, ROAD TO PERDITION and THE DRESSMAKER. This documentary looks at her craft and charts how an outspoken arts student in 1960s Melbourne became one of the world’s most acclaimed film artists. Featuring interviews with Jill and many of today's leading filmmakers and actors, such as Baz Luhrmann, Jocelyn Moorehouse, Sam Mendes, Shekhar Kapur, Fred Schepisi and Cate Blanchett.
Jill Bilcock: The Art of Film Editing
2017
6.5Learn how the one shot, 360-degree format was executed and the pivotal role Academy Award® winner Roger Deakins served in bringing Sam Mendes’ vision to life.
Allied Forces: Making 1917
2020
4.8Produced by Channel 4, Still Tickin´: The Return of A Clockwork Orange examines the controversy over Kubrick’s iconic film, explaining the film’s “demonic level of attention,” and its influence on culture, politics and society, which led to the director’s self-imposed ban.
Still Tickin': The Return of 'A Clockwork Orange'
2000
5.5No synopsis available yet.
A Cinematic Life: The Art and Influence of Conrad Hall
2010
5.8From breathtaking highs — a World Cup win, an astonishing last stand in the Ashes, and an inspiring England captaincy — to the lows — a trial for affray, personal tragedy, and mental health challenges, which saw him take time away from the game — the documentary follows Ben Stokes in an honest film about the man behind the extraordinary cricketer.
Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes
2022
Behind the camera
8.0At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers.
1917
2019
8.0At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers.
1917
2019
8.0At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers.
1917
2019
8.0Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter's attractive friend.
American Beauty
1999
7.7The powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.
Hamnet
2025
7.3When Bond's latest assignment goes gravely wrong, agents around the world are exposed and MI6 headquarters is attacked. While M faces challenges to her authority and position from Gareth Mallory, the new Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, it's up to Bond, aided only by field agent Eve, to locate the mastermind behind the attack.
Skyfall
2012
6.6A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.
Spectre
2015
NROne of four biopics, focusing on individual members of The Beatles, this one telling the story of the group from the perspective of John Lennon.
The Beatles: John
2028
NROne of four biopics, focusing on individual members of The Beatles, this one telling the story of the group from the perspective of John Lennon.
The Beatles: John
2028
7.4Mike Sullivan works as a hit man for crime boss John Rooney. Sullivan views Rooney as a father figure, however after his son is witness to a killing, Mike Sullivan finds himself on the run in attempt to save the life of his son and at the same time looking for revenge on those who wronged him.
Road to Perdition
2002
7.4Mike Sullivan works as a hit man for crime boss John Rooney. Sullivan views Rooney as a father figure, however after his son is witness to a killing, Mike Sullivan finds himself on the run in attempt to save the life of his son and at the same time looking for revenge on those who wronged him.
Road to Perdition
2002
6.7Jarhead is a film about a US Marine Anthony Swofford’s experience in the Gulf War. After putting up with an arduous boot camp, Swofford and his unit are sent to the Persian Gulf where they are eager to fight, but are forced to stay back from the action. Swofford struggles with the possibility of his girlfriend cheating on him, and as his mental state deteriorates, his desire to kill increases.
Jarhead
2005
7.0A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children. Based on a novel by Richard Yates.
Revolutionary Road
2008
7.0A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children. Based on a novel by Richard Yates.
Revolutionary Road
2008
6.6The duty manager of a seaside cinema, who is struggling with her mental health, forms a relationship with a new employee on the south coast of England in the 1980s.
Empire of Light
2022
6.6The duty manager of a seaside cinema, who is struggling with her mental health, forms a relationship with a new employee on the south coast of England in the 1980s.
Empire of Light
2022
6.6The duty manager of a seaside cinema, who is struggling with her mental health, forms a relationship with a new employee on the south coast of England in the 1980s.
Empire of Light
2022
6.6A recent widow invites her husband's troubled best friend to live with her and her two children. As he gradually turns his life around, he helps the family cope and confront their loss.
Things We Lost in the Fire
2007
NROne of four biopics, focusing on individual members of The Beatles, this one telling the story of the group from the perspective of Paul McCartney.
The Beatles: Paul
2028
NROne of four biopics, focusing on individual members of The Beatles, this one telling the story of the group from the perspective of Paul McCartney.
The Beatles: Paul
2028
6.7Verona and Burt have moved to Colorado to be close to Burt's parents but, with Verona expecting their first child, Burt's parents inexplicably decide to move to Belgium, now leaving them in a place they hate and without a support structure in place. They set off on a whirlwind tour of of disparate locations where they have friends or relatives, sampling not only different cities and climates but also different families. Along the way they realize that the journey is less about discovering where they want to live and more about figuring out what type of parents they want to be.
Away We Go
2009
8.1Inside the Kit Kat Club in 1931 Berlin, starry-eyed singer Sally Bowles and the lewd Emcee sound the clarion call to decadence, while outside, the Nazi party grows into a brutal force. (Filmed live during the 1993 revival, Sam Mendes' directorial debut takes place at the Donmar Warehouse in London's West End.)
Cabaret
1993
NROne of four biopics, focusing on individual members of The Beatles, this one telling the story of the group from the perspective of George Harrison.
The Beatles: George
2028
NROne of four biopics, focusing on individual members of The Beatles, this one telling the story of the group from the perspective of George Harrison.
The Beatles: George
2028