Bruce Beresford

Director
Producer
Writer

The true story of ballet dancer Li Cunxin, from his humble origins and training in Beijing to his American defection and later move to Australia.

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Mao's Last Dancer (2009)

Bruce Beresford was born in Australia and graduated from Sydney University in 1962. He served as Film Officer for the British Film Institute Production Board from 1966-1971 and as a Film Advisor to the Arts Council of Great Britain. Beresford has also directed several operas including Girl Of The Golden West (Puccini), staged for the Spoleto Festival in Charleston and Spoleto (Italy) and Elektra (Strauss), which was staged for the State Opera Company of South Australia and performed in Adelaide and Melbourne. It won the Award for Best Opera Production of 1991. Immediately prior to starting production on PARADISE ROAD, Beresford directed SWEENEY TODD for the Portland Opera in Oregon.

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Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 9 wins & 35 nominations total

Photos25

Dan Aykroyd, Morgan Freeman, Bruce Beresford, and Jessica Tandy in Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

Elizabeth Hurley, Bruce Beresford, and Peter Birch in Aria (1987)

Sharon Stone, Bruce Beresford, and Steven Haft in Last Dance (1996)

Sharon Stone and Bruce Beresford in Last Dance (1996)

Sean Connery, Bruce Beresford, and Colin Friels in A Good Man in Africa (1994)

Sean Connery and Bruce Beresford in A Good Man in Africa (1994)

Bruce Beresford and Leonard Goldberg in Double Jeopardy (1999)

Known for

Driving Miss Daisy

7.3

Director

1989

Breaker Morant

7.8

Director

1980

The Fringe Dwellers

6.7

Director

1986

Mr. Church

7.6

Director(directed by)

2016

Credits

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Director

Ladies in Black
- Director
- 2018
Flint
- Director
- TV Movie
- 2017
Roots
- Director
- TV Mini Series
- 2016
Mr. Church
- Director (directed by)
- 2016
Bonnie & Clyde
- Director
- TV Mini Series
- 2013
H.H. Dalai Lama: Essence of Mahayana Buddhism
- Director
- Video
- 2011
Peace, Love & Misunderstanding
- Director
- 2011
Mao's Last Dancer
- Director
- 2009
Orpheus
- Director
- TV Movie
- 2006
The Contract
- Director
- 2006
And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself
- Director
- TV Movie
- 2003
Evelyn
- Director
- 2002
Bride of the Wind
- Director
- 2001
Double Jeopardy
- Director (directed by)
- 1999
Sydney: A Story of a City
- Director
- 1999

Producer

Barracuda
- executive producer
- 2017
Surprise
- executive producer
- Short
- 2015
Canvas
- co-executive producer
- 2006
Curse of the Starving Class
- executive producer
- 1994
A Good Man in Africa
- producer
- 1994
The Fringe Dwellers
- producer
- 1986
Barry McKenzie Holds His Own
- producer
- 1974
Magritte: The False Mirror
- producer
- Short
- 1970
Paradigm
- producer
- Short
- 1970
You're Human Like the Rest of Them
- producer
- Short
- 1967
Film for Guitar
- producer
- Short
- 1966
King-size Woman
- producer
- Short
- 1965
Clement Meadmore
- producer
- Short
- 1963
The Devil to Pay
- producer
- Short
- 1962
The Hunter
- producer
- Short
- 1959

Quotes
[on Tender Mercies (1983) and lead actor Robert Duvall] Duvall was strange. First of all he was and is a great actor. You could ask him to do a scene five, six times and he'd do it exactly the same way every time. But, on the other hand, there would be delays, like we had to wire up a whole house and he'd just get restless. He'd get mad.