David Furnish
Encyclopedia
David James Furnish is a Canadian/British
filmmaker, former advertising executive, and now a film director and producer most known for his documentary Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras
. He is the civil partner of British entertainer Elton John
.
, Ontario
, Canada to Jack Furnish (retired, former director of Bristol-Myers) and Gladys Furnish (retired, homemaker). He has an older brother, John, and a younger brother, Peter. Furnish graduated from the Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute
in 1981 and received an Honours Business Administration undergraduate degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business
at the University of Western Ontario
in 1985. He was recruited by the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather
, eventually transferred to the London, England, office and was appointed to their Board.
A mutual friend of Furnish and Elton John left a message for Furnish inviting him to a dinner party at John's house on October 30, 1993. Initially fearing that the dinner would be unpleasant, or that John would be boring, he instead found John to be interesting and engaging. Both were attracted to each other; John asked for his phone number and the two had a private dinner the following night.
Furnish resigned from his position in 1994 after finding it increasingly difficult to balance the position's demands with the demands of his new life with John.
With a keen interest in film, Furnish enrolled in courses at the British Film Institute. He is currently co-chief of Rocket Pictures along with John.
Furnish is a contributing editor for Tatler
magazine and also is a regular columnist for Interview
and GQ.
Furnish currently serves on the board of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, attending fundraisers and other events in support of that cause.
Furnish was proposed to by John in May 2005 at a dinner party with friends and family at one of their homes in Old Windsor
. Furnish and John entered into a civil partnership on 21 December 2005, the first day that civil partnerships could be performed in England, in the town of Windsor, Berkshire
. Their son Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John was born on 25 December 2010 in California via a surrogate
. Zachary weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
filmmaker, former advertising executive, and now a film director and producer most known for his documentary Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras
Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras
Tantrums & Tiaras is a 1997 documentary about the musician Sir Elton John directed by his civil partner David Furnish. It was recorded during Elton's tour Made in England in 1995 and includes parts of interviews and concerts. Included in the documentary is a large part of a concert John performed...
. He is the civil partner of British entertainer Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
.
Life and career
David Furnish was born in ScarboroughScarborough, Ontario
Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada to Jack Furnish (retired, former director of Bristol-Myers) and Gladys Furnish (retired, homemaker). He has an older brother, John, and a younger brother, Peter. Furnish graduated from the Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute
Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute
The Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute is a secondary school located in Scarborough, Ontario at 2300 Pharmacy Avenue. The school was opened in the fall of 1964 when there was only farmland around it, and as the population in the area grew, so did the school...
in 1981 and received an Honours Business Administration undergraduate degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business
Richard Ivey School of Business
The Richard Ivey School of Business is located on the University of Western Ontario campus in London, Ontario, Canada, and is consistently rated as the top business school in Canada. It is offered, along with a range of other programs, by the University of Western Ontario, but is managed separately...
at the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
in 1985. He was recruited by the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather
Ogilvy & Mather
Ogilvy & Mather is an international advertising, marketing and public relations agency based in Manhattan and owned by the WPP Group. The company operates 497 offices in 125 countries with approximately 16,000 employees.-History:...
, eventually transferred to the London, England, office and was appointed to their Board.
A mutual friend of Furnish and Elton John left a message for Furnish inviting him to a dinner party at John's house on October 30, 1993. Initially fearing that the dinner would be unpleasant, or that John would be boring, he instead found John to be interesting and engaging. Both were attracted to each other; John asked for his phone number and the two had a private dinner the following night.
Furnish resigned from his position in 1994 after finding it increasingly difficult to balance the position's demands with the demands of his new life with John.
With a keen interest in film, Furnish enrolled in courses at the British Film Institute. He is currently co-chief of Rocket Pictures along with John.
Furnish is a contributing editor for Tatler
Tatler
Tatler has been the name of several British journals and magazines, each of which has viewed itself as the successor of the original literary and society journal founded by Richard Steele in 1709. The current incarnation, founded in 1901, is a glossy magazine published by Condé Nast Publications...
magazine and also is a regular columnist for Interview
Interview (magazine)
Interview is an American magazine which has the nickname The Crystal Ball Of Pop. It was founded in late 1969 by artist Andy Warhol. The magazine features intimate conversations between some of the world's biggest celebrities, artists, musicians, and creative thinkers...
and GQ.
Furnish currently serves on the board of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, attending fundraisers and other events in support of that cause.
Furnish was proposed to by John in May 2005 at a dinner party with friends and family at one of their homes in Old Windsor
Old Windsor
Old Windsor is a large village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the English county of Berkshire.-Location:...
. Furnish and John entered into a civil partnership on 21 December 2005, the first day that civil partnerships could be performed in England, in the town of Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
. Their son Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John was born on 25 December 2010 in California via a surrogate
Surrogacy
Surrogacy is an arrangement in which a woman carries and delivers a child for another couple or person. This woman may be the child's genetic mother , or she may carry the pregnancy to delivery after having an embryo, to which she has no genetic relationship whatsoever, transferred to her uterus...
. Zachary weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces.
Movies
- Tantrums and TiarasElton John: Tantrums & TiarasTantrums & Tiaras is a 1997 documentary about the musician Sir Elton John directed by his civil partner David Furnish. It was recorded during Elton's tour Made in England in 1995 and includes parts of interviews and concerts. Included in the documentary is a large part of a concert John performed...
; director (1997) - Women Talking Dirty; producer (1999)
- Desert Flower; co-producer (1999)
- Kofi AnnanKofi AnnanKofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
: Center of the Storm; executive producer (2002) - Fame and Fashion: Inside Gucci - Sex and Fashion; director, script writer (2002)
- Fame and Fashion: Inside Versace - Fame and Fashion; director, script writer (2002)
- It's a boy girl thing; producer (2006)
- Pride and Predator; producer (announced 2009)
- Gnomeo and JulietGnomeo and JulietGnomeo & Juliet is a 2011 computer-animated family comedy film based on William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. The film is directed by Kelly Asbury, and the two main characters are voiced by James McAvoy and Emily Blunt. The film was released on , 2011.-Plot:Mrs. Montague and Mr. Capulet are...
; producer (11 February 2011)