Stephan Elliott
{{Short description|Australian film director (born 1964)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Stephan Elliott
|image = Stephan Elliott in 2012.jpg
|caption = Stephan Elliott at the premiere of his film A Few Best Men in 2012
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1964|8|27}}
|birth_place = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
|occupation = Director, screenwriter
|years_active = 1992–present
|partner = Wil Bevolley
}}
Stephan Elliott (born 27 August 1964) is an Australian film director and screenwriter. His best-known film internationally is The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994).
Career
Elliott began his career as an assistant director working in the Australian film industry in the 1980s.{{cn|date=December 2024}}
His first two feature films, Frauds (starring musician Phil Collins) and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, along with his shorter films Fast and The Agreement were produced by Rebel Penfold-Russell's Australian production company Latent Image Productions.{{cn|date=December 2024}}
Frauds, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Welcome to Woop Woop were all officially selected to screen at the Cannes Film Festival, with "Priscilla" winning the Prix du public as well as an Academy Award for Best Costume Design.{{cn|date=December 2024}}
In 2004 Elliott had a skiing accident and was hospitalised for several months. He said the accident caused him to rediscover his sense of humour.{{cite news|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/london_film_festival/article4987915.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616093014/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/london_film_festival/article4987915.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 June 2011|title=Easy Virtue director Stephan Elliott talks about comeback from horrifying accident|access-date=2008-10-23|publisher=The Times | location=London | first=James | last=Mottram | date=23 October 2008}}
His film Easy Virtue, co-written with Sheridan Jobbins, is based on the Noël Coward play of the same name. It stars Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jessica Biel and Ben Barnes and was produced by Barnaby Thompson for Ealing Studios in the UK, and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2008.{{cite web |url=http://tiff08.ca/filmsandschedules/films/easyvirtue |title=TIFF'08 – Easy Virtue |access-date=2008-09-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905065651/http://tiff08.ca/filmsandschedules/films/easyvirtue |archive-date=5 September 2008 }} It has also screened in the Rio Film Festival, Rome Film Festival and London Film Festival.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/filmNews/idUSTRE49Q6RQ20081027|title=Easy Virtue brings British humour to Rome Film Festival|accessdate=2008-10-27|agency=Reuters | date=27 October 2008}}
His next film, A Few Best Men starring Xavier Samuel and Olivia Newton-John{{cite web |url=http://www.encoremagazine.com.au/olivia-newton-john-to-star-in-stephan-elliotts-film-6459 |title=Olivia Newton-John to star in Stephan Elliott's a Few Best Men | Encore Magazine |access-date=2011-01-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117123503/http://www.encoremagazine.com.au/olivia-newton-john-to-star-in-stephan-elliotts-film-6459 |archive-date=17 January 2011 }} was released in 2012.
He also wrote the script for the stage play of Priscilla, which premiered in 2007 at Sydney's Lyric Theatre in Star City.{{cn|date=December 2024}}
Personal life
Elliott came out as gay during his presentation at the inaugural AACTA Awards in Sydney on 31 January 2012.{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-01/stephan-elliott-comes-out-at-aactas/3804882/?site=sydney|title=A Few Best Men director comes out at AACTAs|accessdate=2012-02-01|publisher=ABC News|location=Australia | date=1 February 2012}} He has been in a relationship with his partner, Wil Bevolley, since the late 1980s. They had a civil partnership ceremony in London in 2008.{{cite web|last1=Hornery|first1=Andrew|title=Closet door still closed|date=17 February 2012 |url=http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/private-sydney/closet-door-still-closed-20120217-1tefz.html}}{{cite web|title=Stephan Elliott, the Aussie wedding crasher|url=http://www.australiantimes.co.uk/the-wedding-crasher/|website=Australian Times|date=31 August 2012 }}
Filmography
- Frauds (1993)
- The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
- Welcome to Woop Woop (1997)
- Eye of the Beholder (1999)
- Easy Virtue (2008)
- A Few Best Men (2011)
- Rio, I Love You (2014)
- Swinging Safari (2017)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|0254632}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060222073126/http://www.stephanelliot.netfirms.com/ Unofficial fansite]
- [http://www.priscillathemusical.com/ Official website for 'Priscilla' the stage musical]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080912105808/http://www.tiff08.ca/filmsandschedules/films/easyvirtue Toronto Film Festival review of Easy Virtue]
- [http://easyvirtuereview.blogspot.com/ Compiled news articles about Stephan Elliott]
{{Stephan Elliott}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Stephan}}
Category:20th-century Australian LGBTQ people
Category:21st-century Australian LGBTQ people
Category:Australian film directors
Category:Australian comedy film directors
Category:Australian male screenwriters
Category:Australian LGBTQ screenwriters
Category:Australian gay writers
Category:Australian LGBTQ film directors