Director and producer MARTIN CAMPBELL won international raves for 1998's The Mask of Zorro, which went on to gross $93.8 million dollars in the U.S. and over $250 million worldwide. Nominated for two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes and numerous other awards, TheMask of Zorro was a hit with critics and made genuine stars out of its leads Catherine Zeta-Jones and Antonio Banderas.
Campbell preceded his The Mask of Zorro success with the James Bond thriller GoldenEye, which grossed over $350 million worldwide and helped rejuvenate the Bond franchise for United Artists.
Before coming to the United States in 1988 from his home in England to helm his first major studio release, the suspense thriller Criminal Law, Campbell had established himself as one of England's top directors. He won critical praise for his work on the British telefilm "Reilly: Ace of Spies" and the much touted BBC series "Edge of Darkness," a five- hour presentation about nuclear contamination in England which depicted murder and high- ranking corruption. "Edge of Darkness" garnered critical raves and six British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
It was the critical and popular success of "Edge of Darkness" that paved the way for Campbell to break into Hollywood. Following Criminal Law, he helmed Defenseless and the futuristic action-adventure No Escape. He also directed several television productions, including the HBO drama "Cast A Deadly Spell" and two episodes of the acclaimed NBC series, "Homicide."
Campbell was born in New Zealand and moved to London in 1966, where he began his career as a TV cameraman. He went on to line-produce the controversial British feature Scum and to produce Black Joy, which was selected for competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
He made his directorial debut on the British police action series "The Professionals." His work on the popular BBC series "Shoestring" and the series "Minder" further displayed Campbell's talents and helped launch his career as a director.
Movie Database
In Theaters
(750 votes)
(55 votes)
(21 votes)