David Lean

David Lean

Known for

Directing

Born

March 25, 1908

Birthplace

Croydon, Surrey, England, UK

Died

April 16, 1991 (aged 83)

Biography

Sir David Lean CBE (25 March 1908 – 16 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, he is best remembered for adapting the works of Charles Dickens and Noël Coward, and for his large scale period epics such as The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), Ryan's Daughter (1970), and A Passage to India (1984).

Acclaimed and praised by directors such as Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick, Lean was voted 9th greatest film director of all time in the British Film Institute Sight & Sound "Directors Top Directors" poll 2002. Nominated seven times for th...

Best known work

Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence of Arabia
1962
The Bridge on the River Kwai
The Bridge on the River Kwai
1957
Doctor Zhivago
Doctor Zhivago
1965
Brief Encounter
Brief Encounter
1945
Great Expectations
Great Expectations
1946
A Passage to India
A Passage to India
1984
Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist
1948
The Greatest Story Ever Told
The Greatest Story Ever Told
1965
Ryan's Daughter
Ryan's Daughter
1970
Summertime
Summertime
1955

Filmography

  1. 2026

    Maverick: The Epic Adventures of David Lean

    as Self (archive footage)

  2. 2020

    Omar Sharif: Citizen of the World

    as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)

  3. 2019

    E. M. Forster: His Longest Journey

    as Self (archive footage)

  4. 2019

    Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast

    as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)

  5. 2017

  6. 2013

    Talking PicturesTV

    as Self (archive footage) (1 episode)

  7. 2010

    Doctor Zhivago: A Celebration

    as Self (Archive Footage)

  8. 2001

    The Making of Lawrence of Arabia

    as Self (archive footage)

  9. 1985

  10. 1985

  11. 1984

    A Passage to India

    Director, Screenplay, Editor

  12. 1979

    Lost and Found: The Story of Cook's Anchor

    as himself, Writer, Director

  13. 1978

    The South Bank ShowTV

    as Self (1 episode)

  14. 1973

  15. 1971

    Film '72TV

    as Self (2 episodes)

  16. 1971

  17. 1971

  18. 1970

  19. 1968

    The Dick Cavett ShowTV

    as Self - Guest (1 episode)

  20. 1967

    OmnibusTV

    as Self (1 episode)

  21. 1965

    Pasternak

    as Self (archive footage)

  22. 1965

  23. 1965

  24. 1965

    The Greatest Story Ever Told

    Second Unit Director

  25. 1965

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