John Richard Schlesinger was an eminent Academy Award winning English film director, counted among England’s new lot of directors of the 1960s who successfully ushered a new perspective and modern outlook in their films. Schlesinger made his debut in the film industry in the 1950s as an actor in supporting roles in British films as also in TV productions. His first directorial venture was a short documentary titled ‘Sunday in the Park’ which was followed by others including one on renowned composer, conductor and pianist, Benjamin Britten. He endeavoured into a full-fledged directorial career in the 1960s. Starting with the fiction ‘A King of Loving’ for the next almost four decades he delivered several critically acclaimed and hit films working both in the US and in his homeland. Some of his finest films were ‘Darling’, ‘Pacific Heights’ and ‘Midnight Cowboy’ of which the latter earned him ‘Academy Award for Best Director’. His stage directions included plays like ‘Timon of Athens’ (1965), ‘I and Albert’ (1972) and George Bernard Shaw's famous play ‘Heartbreak House’ (1975). Many operas like ‘Les contes d'Hoffmann’ (1980) and ‘Der Rosenkavalier’ (1984) were directed by him. In recognition to his contributions in films he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1970. On January 10, 2003, a Golden Palm Star was dedicated in his honour on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.
