Adrian Lyne

Seductive Psychological Filmmaker

Adrian Lyne

Shadows of the mind

a descent into the unseen

from london roots to a passion for cinema

Biography

Adrian Lyne (director/writer/producer) is the creative force behind some of the most talked-about movies of our time, among them Fatal Attraction, 9½ Weeks, and Indecent Proposal.

Born in Peterborough, England, and raised in London, Lyne attended the Highgate School, where his father was a teacher, and in his twenties played trumpet with the jazz group The Colin Kellard Band. An avid moviegoer during his school days, Lyne was inspired to make his own films by the work of French New Wave directors like Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, and Claude Chabrol. Two of Lyne’s early short films, The Table and Mr. Smith, were official entries in the London Film Festival.

breaking through

early features that shaped a generation

Lyne made his feature filmmaking debut in 1980 with Foxes, a perceptive look at the friendship of four teenage girls growing up in Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley, starring Jodie Foster. His next film, Flashdance ― an innovative blend of rock ‘n’ roll, new dance styles, and breathtaking imagery ― created a sensation in 1983. Lyne’s bravura visuals, perfectly wedded to Giorgio Moroder’s powerful score, propelled the story of an aspiring ballerina (Jennifer Beals, in her film debut) who works in a factory by day and dances in a club at night. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards®, with the theme song, “What a Feeling,” winning an Oscar® for Best Original Song.

In 1986, Lyne attracted controversy with 9½ Weeks. Based on the novel by Elizabeth McNeill, the tale of a sexually obsessive relationship starred Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger, and although considered too explicit by its American distributor ― and cut for U.S. release ― it became a huge hit abroad in its unedited version.

defining the era

obsession, fear & psychological thrillers

Lyne’s fourth film was the 1987 box-office phenomenon Fatal Attraction, which to date has generated over $600 million in revenues worldwide. The story of a happily married lawyer (Michael Douglas) who tries to break off an affair with an attractive single woman (Glenn Close), only to have her become obsessed with him and endanger his family, the film struck a powerful chord with audiences and was one of the most successful films of the year. Deemed “the Zeitgeist hit of the decade” by TIME magazine, Fatal Attraction was nominated for six Academy Awards® including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Glenn Close), Best Supporting Actress (Anne Archer), Best Screenplay, and Best Editing.

In 1990, Lyne pushed the boundaries of psychological terror with the thriller Jacob’s Ladder. Written by Academy Award® winner Bruce Joel Rubin, and starring Tim Robbins, the film took audiences on a torturous ride through Vietnam veteran Jacob Singer’s nightmarish world of reality and inexplicable hallucinations, culminating in a shocking, intensely debated conclusion. The film won Best Picture at the Avoriaz International Fantastic Film Festival.

later works and legacy

pushing boundaries in love, desire & betrayal

Lyne’s Indecent Proposal, released in 1993, examined how the sexes look at relationships and money. Starring Robert Redford, Woody Harrelson, and Demi Moore, Indecent Proposal became a worldwide hit. In 1997, Lyne’s film Lolita ― based on the modern classic novel by Vladimir Nabokov ― was scheduled for theatrical release, but American distributors shied away from it due to its controversial subject matter. The film premiered on Showtime, and was so well received that national theatrical distribution soon followed.

In 2002 came Lyne’s Unfaithful, loosely based on Claude Chabrol’s The Unfaithful Wife. The film stars Richard Gere and Diane Lane in a disturbing story of a marriage in trouble. Lane received much praise for her performance, winning awards for Best Actress from the National Society of Film Critics and New York Film Critics. She was also nominated for both a Golden Globe® and an Academy Award® for Best Actress.

When not working in the United States, Lyne lives with his family in a rural village in Southern France.

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