Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes CBE (born 1 August 1965) is an English film and stage director, producer and screenwriter. In theatre, he is known for his dark re-inventions of the stage musicals Cabaret (1994), Oliver! (1994), Company (1995), and Gypsy (2003). He directed an original West End stage musical for the first time with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2013).
For directing the play The Ferryman, Mendes was awarded the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play in 2019.
Daniel Craig Could Land His First Oscar Nomination for Luca Guadagnino’s Sexually Charged Drama ‘Queer’
variety.comClayton Davis Senior Awards Editor James Bond. Benoit Blanc. Joe Bang. These characters have become synonymous with Daniel Craig’s career.
Now, Craig adds William Lee, a drug-addicted gay American expat, to that list in Luca Guadagnino’s sexually charged and fantastical love story, “Queer.” The film made its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday, where Guadagnino and co-star Drew Starkey participated in a post-screening Q&A.
Craig’s sensitive and transformative portrayal of a emotionally fractured man could be his greatest performance yet. It might even land him at the center of the Oscar race for best actor — if the more conservative Academy voters aren’t squeamish about the film’s sexually graphic scenes or put off by its non-traditional narrative.
Based on William S. Burroughs’ 1985 novel, “Queer” follows Lee, an American expat living a life of near isolation, save for brief encounters with a small group of acquaintances.
Read more on variety.com
