Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/68

Tom Hooper (born 1972) is a British film and television director. He began making short films at the age of 13, and had his first professional short, Painted Faces, broadcast on Channel 4 in 1992. He then read English at University College, Oxford, and joined the Oxford University Dramatic Society, where he directed Kate Beckinsale and Emily Mortimer. After graduating, he directed episodes of programmes including EastEnders and Cold Feet. Hooper directed the costume dramas Love in a Cold Climate (2001) and Daniel Deronda (2002), and the 2003 revival of the Prime Suspect series. Hooper made his feature film debut with Red Dust (2004) before directing the historical drama Elizabeth I (2005). He also worked on Longford (2006) and John Adams (2008). His subsequent features include The Damned United (2009), The King's Speech (2010), and Les Misérables (2012). Hooper won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for Elizabeth I. The King's Speech won multiple awards, including Best Director wins for Hooper from the Directors Guild of America and the Academy Awards.