A child of privilege, British actor Julian Fellowes found overnight success with his first produced screenplay "Gosford Park" (2001). The fourth son of a civil servant (his father worked in the foreign office), he was raised in a world populated by the upper class. His decision to pursue an acting career -- fueled by his association with the Cambridge Footlights -- led him to experience life on the other side. As he told The Guardian (January 24, 2002): "I was an insider-outsider from the age of 21 when I went to drama school. With my acting I have run the two lives in tandem. I would be doing rep, sleeping in digs with leaking walls, then I would go off to a huge stately and have them do my laundry at the weekend." By drawing on this dichotomy, Fellowes produced a brilliantly observant screenplay for "Gosford Park" which, in his own words, is "a social examination of the class system, the games that it involved people in and the amount of collusion that it required between the classes". The film drew rave reviews and earned eight Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Original Screenplay. After graduating from Cambridge and attending drama school, Fellowes honed his craft appearing on stage with various repertory companies as well as making the occasional guest appearance on TV (i.e., "The Duchess of Duke Street"). In 1981, he headed to L.A. and acted in several made-for-television movies, portraying a Nazi in support of Anthony Hopkins' Hitler in "The Bunker" (CBS, 1981), the Emperor Nero in the CBS biblical miniseries "Peter and Paul" (1981) and the Prince Regent in "The Scarlet Pimpernel" (CBS, 1982). Becoming disenchanted by Southern California, Fellowes returned to England, married and established Lionhead Productions, through which he served as associate producer on the syndicated TV drama "A Married Man" (1989), starring Anthony Hopkins.
Although interested in behind the scenes work, Fellowes continued to perform, becoming an in demand character player in projects ranging from "Goldeneye", a 1990 small screen biopic of James Bond creator Ian Fleming (in which he portrayed Noel Coward), to the features "Damage" (1992) and "Shadowlands" (1993). In 1994, he made his screenwriting debut adapting Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel "Little Lord Fauntleroy" into an award-winning miniseries. (It aired in the USA on the Disney Channel in 1995). In a rather odd twist, Fellowes was cast as the Minister of Defence in the James Bond film "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997). Drawing on his family background, he essayed a titled nobleman in the British miniseries "Aristocrats" (1999) and joined the cast of the BBC series "Monarch of the Glen" in 2000 as a Scottish lord. It was while appearing in the latter that he wrote the screenplay for "Gosford Park". While his success as a writer has brought numerous offers, Fellowes has stated he hopes not to abandon his performing career.
Profession(s):
Actor, screenwriter, producer
Sometimes Credited As:
Julian Fellows
ShoWest Screenwriter of the Year 2002
Writers Guild of America Award Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen "Gosford Park" 2002
National Society of Film Critics Award Best Screenplay "Gosford Park" 2001
New York Film Critics Circle Award Best Screenplay "Gosford Park" 2001
Oscar Best Original Screenplay "Gosford Park" 2001
International Emmy "Little Lord Fauntleroy" 1995
2005 Made directorial debut with "Separate Lies" a drama starring Emily Watson and Tom Wilkinson
2004 Penned the screenplay adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's "Vanity Fair"; directed by Mira Nair
2001 Feature screenwriting debut, "Gosford Park"; also served as an associate producer; received Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
2000 - 2001 Had recurring role as a Scottish nobleman in the BBC series "Monarch of the Glen"
1999 Played the upper-class Lord Richmond in the British miniseries "Aristocrats"
1998 Acted alongside Catherine Denueve in "Place Vendome"
1998 Produced and scripted a British TV adaptation of Mark Twain's "The Prince and the Pauper"
1997 Co-starred as an army officer in "Regeneration"
1997 Had featured role as the Minister of Defence in the James Bond film "Tomorrow Never Dies"
1995 Played the mysterious Bishop in the thriller "Savage Hearts"
1994 Wrote the teleplay adaptation of "Little Lord Fauntleroy"; received International Emmy
1993 Again supported Anthony Hopkins in "Shadowlands"
1992 Appeared in "Damage", starring Jeremy Irons and Juliette Binoche
1990 Portrayed Noel Coward in "Goldeneye", a syndicated biopic of James Bond creator Ian Fleming
1989 Co-starred in the HBO drama "Fellow Traveller", about the Hollywood blacklist of the 1950s
1984 Was associate producer of the syndicated miniseries "A Married Man", starring Anthony Hopkins
1982 Cast as the Prince Regent in the CBS movie "The Scarlet Pimpernel"
1981 Moved to Los Angeles
1981 Debut on American TV, co-starring with Anthony Hopkins in "The Bunker" (CBS), a drama about Adolph Hitler
1981 Played the Emperor Nero in the CBS miniseries "Peter and Paul"
1981 Feature acting debut in "Priest of Love"
1979 Appeared in the British miniseries "My Son, My Son" (BBC)
1977 Early TV credit, a guest appearance on the BBC series "The Duchess of Duke Street" (date approximate)
Raised in an aristocratic family
Joined the Cambridge Footlights while an undergraduate
Began acting career appearing in repertory theater
Returned to England
Established Lionhead Productions with Andrew Morgan