Richard Lester Biography (1932-)

Born January 19, 1932, in Philadelphia, PA, son of Elliott (a teacher and playwright) and Ella (a nurse; maiden name, Young) Lester; married Deirdre Vivian Smith (a choreographer), August 28, 1956; children: Dominic, Claudia. Addresses: Agent: Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA, 90212-1825.

Nationality: American
Gender: Male
Occupation: Director, producer, composer
Birth Details: January 19, 1932; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Famous Works

CREDITS
Film Director
(As Dick Lester) The Running, Jumping and Standing Still Film (short film), 1959
It's Trad, Dad (also known as Ring-a-Ding Rhythm), Columbia, 1961
The Mouse on the Moon, United Artists, 1963
A Hard Day's Night, United Artists, 1964
The Knack ... and How to Get It (also known as The Knack),United Artists, 1964
Help!, United Artists, 1965
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, United Artists, 1966
How I Won the War, United Artists, 1967
(British sequences) Mondo Teeno (documentary; also known as Larivolta dei teenagers), 1967
Petulia, Warner Bros., 1968
The Bed-Sitting Room, United Artists, 1969
The Three Musketeers (also known as The Three Musketeers: The Queen's Diamonds and Los tres mosqueteros), Twentieth Century-Fox,1974
Juggernaut, United Artists, 1974
The Four Musketeers (also known as The Revenge of Milady, The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge, and Los cuatro mosqueteros), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1975
Royal Flash, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1975
Robin and Marian, Columbia, 1976
The Ritz, Warner Bros., 1977
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1979
Cuba, United Artists, 1979
Superman II, Warner Bros., 1981
Superman III, Warner Bros., 1983
Finders Keepers, Warner Bros., 1984
The Return of the Musketeers (also known as El regreso de los mosqueteros), Universal, 1989
Get Back (documentary), Seven Arts, 1991
Film Producer
It's Trad, Dad (also known as Ring-a-Ding Rhythm), Columbia, 1961
How I Won the War, United Artists, 1967

(With others) The Bed-Sitting Room, United Artists, 1969
(With others) Robin and Marian, Columbia, 1976
(Uncredited) Superman (also known as Superman: The Movie),Warner Bros., 1978
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1979
(With others), Alex's Apartment, Bayshore Productions, 1992
Film Work
Other
(As Dick Lester) Cinematographer and coeditor, The Running, Jumping and Standing Still Film (short film), 1959
Executive producer, Finders Keepers, Warner Bros., 1984
Film Appearances
(As Dick Lester) Painter, The Running, Jumping and Standing Still Film (short film), 1959
Man in the street, The Knack ... and How to Get It (also known asThe Knack), United Artists, 1964
La route, 1972
(In archive footage; uncredited) The Compleat Beatles, 1982
Himself, The Making of "A Hard Day's Night" (also known as YouCan't Do That! The Making of "A Hard Day's Night"), 1995
Richard Lester! (documentary), E Films, 1998
Television Director
Episodic
The Goon Shows, Associated Rediffusion (England), 1956
Directed episodes of Idiot Weekly, Price 2d, A Show Called Fred, Son of Fred, and The Vise (also known as Saber of London and Uncovered).
Television Work
Other
Director, Downbeat (series), Associated Rediffusion (England), 1954
Producer, Watching the Detectives (special), Arts and Entertainment, 1991
Television Appearances
Specials
Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow, 1987
Spike, 1996
Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The Early Years (1955-1970), AmericanMovie Classics, 2000
Other
Y usted ... De que re rie? (also known as El gag ... y como conseguirlo), 2000
Appeared in the series The Dick Lester Show.
WRITINGS
Film
(As Dick Lester) Author and composer, The Running, Jumping and Standing Still Film (short film), 1959
Also author of Mildred.
Television Episodes
Writer for episodes of the series Idiot Weekly, Price 2d, A Show Called Fred, and Son of Fred.
Other Television Writing
Author of Curtains for Harry (musical special), Associated Rediffusion (England); scriptwriter for CBC (Canada); composer (with Reg Owen), Sea War Series (England).
Other
(With Steven Soderbergh) Getting Away with It: Or, the Further Adventures of the Luckiest Bastard You Ever Saw, Faber & Faber (London), 2000
Contributor to periodicals, including Action and Films and Filming.

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books

International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Volume 2: Directors, St. James Press, 1996
Rosenfeldt, Diane, Richard Lester: A Guide to Reference and Resources, [Boston, MA], 1978
Sinyard, Neil, The Films of Richard Lester, [London], 1985
Yule, Andrew, The Man who "Framed" the Beatles: A Biography of RichardLester, D. I. Fine (New York City), 1994

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