David Lean
Known for
David Lean was an English director born in Croydon, Surrey, celebrated for some of the most visually monumental epics in the history of cinema. Brief Encounter and Great Expectations established his early reputation for precisely controlled, emotionally restrained British drama before he shifted toward large-scale international epic filmmaking. The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia, the latter renowned for its desert cinematography and epic scale, both won him the Academy Award for Best Director, and Doctor Zhivago extended his command of sweeping historical romance set against revolutionary Russia. A Passage to India, made after a fourteen-year absence from filmmaking, showed undiminished visual command late in his career. Lean's ability to combine intimate emotional storytelling with vast, meticulously composed widescreen landscape made him one of the most influential epic filmmakers in cinema history.
David Lean
16 Directed
David Lean was an English director born in Croydon, Surrey, celebrated for some of the most visually monumental epics in the history of cinema. Brief Encounter and Great Expectations established his early reputation for precisely controlled, emotionally restrained British drama before he shifted toward large-scale international epic filmmaking. The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia, the latter renowned for its desert cinematography and epic scale, both won him the Academy Award for Best Director, and Doctor Zhivago extended his command of sweeping historical romance set against revolutionary Russia. A Passage to India, made after a fourteen-year absence from filmmaking, showed undiminished visual command late in his career. Lean's ability to combine intimate emotional storytelling with vast, meticulously composed widescreen landscape made him one of the most influential epic filmmakers in cinema history.
Movies
Director
Lawrence of Arabia
1962
Director
Doctor Zhivago
1965
Director
The Bridge on the River Kwai
1957
Director
Brief Encounter
1945
Director
Oliver Twist
1948
Director
Great Expectations
1946
Director
A Passage to India
1984
Director
Ryan's Daughter
1970
Director
Hobson's Choice
1954
Director
Summertime
1955
Director
Blithe Spirit
1945
Director
In Which We Serve
1942
Director
The Passionate Friends
1949
Director
This Happy Breed
1944
Director
Madeleine
1950
Director
The Sound Barrier
1952
Latest Trailers
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Lawrence of Arabia
Full Filmography
A Passage to India
Director
1984
Film
Ryan's Daughter
Director
1970
Film
Doctor Zhivago
Director
1965
Film
Lawrence of Arabia
Director
1962
Film
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Director
1957
Film
Summertime
Director
1955
Film
Hobson's Choice
Director
1954
Film
The Sound Barrier
Director
1952
Film
Madeleine
Director
1950
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is David Lean still alive?
David Lean passed away on April 16, 1991 at age 83.
What are the most famous roles of David Lean?
David Lean is best known for directing Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Doctor Zhivago.
How many movies has David Lean directed?
Over a 49-year career (since 1942), David Lean has directed or written 16 films and worked on 0 TV shows.
What was David Lean's first movie?
The career of David Lean began with In Which We Serve (1942).
What is David Lean's most recent movie or series?
David Lean's most recent release is A Passage to India, which premiered on December 14, 1984.
David Lean
1908-03-25 · Croydon, Surrey, England, UK
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 the Academy Award for Best Director, winning twice for The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia, he has seven films in the British Film Institute's Top 100 British Films (with three of them being in the top five).