David Lean: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	Sir David Lean
Born	March 25, 1908 • Croydon • England
Died	April 16, 1991 (aged 83) • London • England
Awards And Honors	Academy Award (1963) • Academy Award (1958)
Notable Works	“A Passage to India” • “Blithe Spirit” • “Brief Encounter” • “Doctor Zhivago” • “Hobson’s Choice” • “In Which We Serve” • “Lawrence of Arabia” • “Ryan’s Daughter” • “The Bridge on the River Kwai” • “This Happy Breed”

Photos

Martita Hunt as Miss Havisham sits in a decaying, cobweb-covered dining room beside a young boy in a scene from the 1946 film Great Expectations, directed by David Lean.

John Mills as Pip holds a candlestick and looks at Valerie Hobson as Estella, who is seated in an ornate chair, in a dramatic scene from the 1946 film Great Expectations.

The Bridge on the River Kwai

Celia Johnson as Laura Jesson and Trevor Howard as Dr. Alec Harvey stand facing each other closely in a dramatic scene from the film Brief Encounter.

Director Sir David Lean sits atop a ladder beside a film camera, surrounded by crew and equipment on the set of Doctor Zhivago (1965) under a blue sky.

Alec Guinness as Fagin crouches beside John Howard Davies as Oliver Twist in a dimly lit, rough wooden attic in the 1948 film Oliver Twist.

Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia

Peter O'Toole as T.E. Lawrence wears traditional Arab robes and headgear in a scene from the film Lawrence of Arabia.

John Mills in Ryan's Daughter

See All Images →

Schlesinger, John

John Schlesinger

English film director

default image

Carol Reed

British director

Tony Richardson stands indoors, leaning with one arm on a surface, wearing a sweater over a collared shirt, looking directly at the camera in this 1977 black-and-white portrait.

Tony Richardson

British director and producer

Sam Mendes stands smiling in a dark pinstripe suit and white shirt, wearing a red poppy pin, with hands in his pockets in front of a Skyfall backdrop.

Sam Mendes

English director

Christopher Nolan wearing a black suit and tie, smiling slightly while attending the Oppenheimer United Kingdom premiere in London.

Christopher Nolan

British director

Danny Boyle smiling in front of a blue background, wearing glasses, a green sweater, and a black collared shirt.

Danny Boyle

British filmmaker

default image

Richard Attenborough

English actor, director, and producer

Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin

British actor, producer, writer, and director

Emerald Fennell smiling in front of a blue background with string lights, wearing a black top and a gold necklace with a star pendant.

Emerald Fennell

English actress, director, and writer

Peter Ustinov

Peter Ustinov

English actor, director, writer, and humanitarian

John Gielgud

John Gielgud

British actor and director

Lindsay Anderson sits backward on a wooden chair, resting his arms on the chair back and looking slightly upward, in a black and white portrait from 1971.

Lindsay Anderson

British critic and director

default image

Joel Coen

American filmmaker

default image

Ethan Coen

American filmmaker

Steven Spielberg wearing a tuxedo and bow tie, smiling at the camera on the red carpet at the Cannes International Film Festival.

Steven Spielberg

American film director and producer

Woody Allen speaking into a microphone with hands raised beside his face during a press conference, against a red background.

Woody Allen

American director, writer, and actor

Martin Scorsese smiling in a tuxedo and bow tie, holding an Oscar statuette at the Academy Awards, with a gold Oscar statue in the background.

Martin Scorsese

American filmmaker

Vincente Minnelli, seated at right, discusses a storyboard with actress Lana Turner, seated at left in costume, on the set of The Bad and the Beautiful.

Vincente Minnelli

American director

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

John Huston

American director, writer, and actor

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

Frank Capra

American film director

Empty movie theater and blank screen (theatre, motion pictures, cinema).

Oscar-Worthy Movie Trivia