Jez Butterworth
Encyclopedia
Jeremy “Jez” Butterworth (born March 1969) is an English
dramatist and film director
.
, England
, and attended Verulam Comprehensive School
, St Albans
and St John's College, Cambridge
. His brother Steve is a producer and brothers Tom and John-Henry are also writers.
A major influence on Butterworth's work is 2005 Nobel Literature Laureate
Harold Pinter
: "I know and admire Harold Pinter enormously. He has a ginormous influence on me. Conversations with him have inspired my work."
Butterworth has had major success with his play Mojo
(which premiered at the Royal Court Theatre
in 1995). It won the Laurence Olivier, an Evening Standard and the George Devine
awards. Butterworth wrote and directed the film adaptation of Mojo, released in 1997. This featured Harold Pinter
. He directed and co-wrote with his brother Tom the film Birthday Girl
(2001), which was produced by his brother Steve and starred Nicole Kidman
.
Butterworth also achieved positive reviews with his plays The Night Heron (which premiered at the Royal Court in 2002) and The Winterling (also at the Royal Court in 2006).
In May 2007 Butterworth received the E. M. Forster Award
from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
His play Parlour Song opened to "rave reviews" at the Atlantic Theatre Company, in New York City
in March 2008.
Butterworth's fourth play for the Royal Court premiered in July 2009 to outstandingly positive reviews—the comedy Jerusalem
, described as a "contemporary vision of life in [England's] green and pleasant land". Jerusalem was the second important Butterworth production in London in 2009. The production starred Mark Rylance
as Johnny Byron, and featured Mackenzie Crook
as Ginger in a supporting role and was a sell-out. It won the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards for 2009 and the production, with the same cast, transferred to the Apollo Theatre
on Shaftesbury Avenue in January 2010. In late 2009, the play was named at number two in the Times Top Twenty Plays of the Decade. Jerusalem
opened on Broadway, New York, in April 2011, with many of the original UK cast.
The Almeida Theatre
presented the European première of Parlour Song in March 2009.
Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth were named recipients of the Writers Guild of America West's 2011 Paul Selvin Award for their screenplay for the film Fair Game (2010), directed by Doug Liman and which starred Naomi Watts and Sean Penn. In May
2011, Butterworth's play Jerusalem was nominated for Tony Award
and Mark Rylance, in the role of Johnny 'Rooster' Byron, won the Tony Award of Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play.
TV
Film as a writer
Film as a director
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
dramatist and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
Life and career
Butterworth was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and attended Verulam Comprehensive School
Verulam School
Verulam School is a state secondary school for boys in St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK. It was founded in 1938 and was originally named St Albans Boys' Modern School. The name was changed in the 1940s to St Albans Grammar School for Boys and subsequently, following its change of status to a...
, St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
and St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
. His brother Steve is a producer and brothers Tom and John-Henry are also writers.
A major influence on Butterworth's work is 2005 Nobel Literature Laureate
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
: "I know and admire Harold Pinter enormously. He has a ginormous influence on me. Conversations with him have inspired my work."
Butterworth has had major success with his play Mojo
Mojo (play)
Mojo is a 1995 play written by English playwright Jez Butterworth that premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London, directed by Ian Rickson....
(which premiered at the Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
in 1995). It won the Laurence Olivier, an Evening Standard and the George Devine
George Devine
George Alexander Cassady Devine CBE was an extremely influential theatrical manager, director, teacher and actor in London from the late 1940s until his death. He also worked in the media of TV and film.-Biography:...
awards. Butterworth wrote and directed the film adaptation of Mojo, released in 1997. This featured Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
. He directed and co-wrote with his brother Tom the film Birthday Girl
Birthday Girl
Birthday Girl is a 2001 British-American drama and crime film directed by Jez Butterworth. The plot focuses on English bank clerk John Buckingham who orders a Russian mail-order bride, Nadia. It becomes clear upon her arrival that Nadia cannot speak English, and early into her stay, two mysterious...
(2001), which was produced by his brother Steve and starred Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
.
Butterworth also achieved positive reviews with his plays The Night Heron (which premiered at the Royal Court in 2002) and The Winterling (also at the Royal Court in 2006).
In May 2007 Butterworth received the E. M. Forster Award
E. M. Forster Award
The E. M. Forster Award is a $20,000 award given annually to an Irish or British writer to fund a period of travel in the United States. The award, named after the English novelist E. M. Forster, is administered by the American Academy of Arts and Letters...
from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
His play Parlour Song opened to "rave reviews" at the Atlantic Theatre Company, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in March 2008.
Butterworth's fourth play for the Royal Court premiered in July 2009 to outstandingly positive reviews—the comedy Jerusalem
Jerusalem (play)
Jerusalem is a play by Jez Butterworth that opened at the downstairs theatre of the Royal Court Theatre in London in 2009. The production starred Mark Rylance as Johnny 'Rooster' Byron and Mackenzie Crook as Ginger. After receiving rave reviews its run was extended. In January 2010 it transferred...
, described as a "contemporary vision of life in [England's] green and pleasant land". Jerusalem was the second important Butterworth production in London in 2009. The production starred Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance is an English actor, theatre director and playwright.As an actor, Rylance found success on stage and screen. For his work in theatre he has won Olivier and Tony Awards among others, and a BAFTA TV Award...
as Johnny Byron, and featured Mackenzie Crook
Mackenzie Crook
Paul Mackenzie Crook is a British actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Gareth Keenan in The Office and Ragetti in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.-Life and career:...
as Ginger in a supporting role and was a sell-out. It won the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards for 2009 and the production, with the same cast, transferred to the Apollo Theatre
Apollo Theatre
The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. Designed by architect Lewin Sharp for owner Henry Lowenfield, and the fourth legitimate theatre to be constructed on the street, its doors opened on 21 February 1901 with the American...
on Shaftesbury Avenue in January 2010. In late 2009, the play was named at number two in the Times Top Twenty Plays of the Decade. Jerusalem
Jerusalem (play)
Jerusalem is a play by Jez Butterworth that opened at the downstairs theatre of the Royal Court Theatre in London in 2009. The production starred Mark Rylance as Johnny 'Rooster' Byron and Mackenzie Crook as Ginger. After receiving rave reviews its run was extended. In January 2010 it transferred...
opened on Broadway, New York, in April 2011, with many of the original UK cast.
The Almeida Theatre
Almeida Theatre
The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325 seat studio theatre with an international reputation which takes its name from the street in which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diverse range of drama and holds an annual summer festival of...
presented the European première of Parlour Song in March 2009.
Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth were named recipients of the Writers Guild of America West's 2011 Paul Selvin Award for their screenplay for the film Fair Game (2010), directed by Doug Liman and which starred Naomi Watts and Sean Penn. In May
May
May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days.May is a month of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere and spring in the Northern Hemisphere...
2011, Butterworth's play Jerusalem was nominated for Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
and Mark Rylance, in the role of Johnny 'Rooster' Byron, won the Tony Award of Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play.
Work
Plays- I Believe In Love 1992
- Huge 1993
- MojoMojo (play)Mojo is a 1995 play written by English playwright Jez Butterworth that premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London, directed by Ian Rickson....
1995 - The Winterling 1996
- The Night Heron 2002
- Parlour Song 2008
- JerusalemJerusalem (play)Jerusalem is a play by Jez Butterworth that opened at the downstairs theatre of the Royal Court Theatre in London in 2009. The production starred Mark Rylance as Johnny 'Rooster' Byron and Mackenzie Crook as Ginger. After receiving rave reviews its run was extended. In January 2010 it transferred...
2008
TV
- Night of the Golden Brain 1993
- Christmas 1996
Film as a writer
- Mojo 1997
- Birthday GirlBirthday GirlBirthday Girl is a 2001 British-American drama and crime film directed by Jez Butterworth. The plot focuses on English bank clerk John Buckingham who orders a Russian mail-order bride, Nadia. It becomes clear upon her arrival that Nadia cannot speak English, and early into her stay, two mysterious...
2001 co-wrote with Tom Butterworth - The Last LegionThe Last LegionThe Last Legion is a 2007 film directed by Doug Lefler. Produced by Dino De Laurentiis and others, it is based on a 2003 Italian novel of the same name written by Valerio Massimo Manfredi...
2007 - Huge 2009
- Fair GameFair Game (2010 film)Fair Game is a 2010 biographical film drama directed by Doug Liman and starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn. It is based on Valerie Plame's memoir, Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House which details the scandalous events that took place in mid 2003, implicating senior White...
2010
Film as a director
- Mojo 1997
- Birthday GirlBirthday GirlBirthday Girl is a 2001 British-American drama and crime film directed by Jez Butterworth. The plot focuses on English bank clerk John Buckingham who orders a Russian mail-order bride, Nadia. It becomes clear upon her arrival that Nadia cannot speak English, and early into her stay, two mysterious...
2001