---
name: "Anthony Minghella"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/anthony-minghella"
fi1m_id: "anthony-minghella"
imdb_id: "nm0005237"
tmdb_id: 2239
wikidata_id: "Q188726"
roles: ["Writer","Director","Producer"]
born: "6 January 1954"
died: "18 March 2008"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 13
average_fi1m_score: 71
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-10-05T04:03:24.476665+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Anthony Minghella

## Identity

Anthony Minghella

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/anthony-minghella
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** anthony-minghella
- **IMDb ID:** nm0005237
- **TMDB ID:** 2239
- **Wikidata ID:** Q188726
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Minghella, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q188726, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005237/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2239

Writer and director. Born 6 January 1954 in Ryde, Isle of Wight, England, UK. Died 18 March 2008.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer, Director, Producer
- **Born:** 6 January 1954, Ryde, Isle of Wight, England, UK
- **Died:** 18 March 2008
- **Active:** 1986–2011
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 13: 1 acting, 4 directing, 3 writing, 4 producing, 1 other
- **Frequently works with:** [Jude Law](https://film.one/person/jude-law.md), [Nicole Kidman](https://film.one/person/nicole-kidman.md), [Ralph Fiennes](https://film.one/person/ralph-fiennes.md), [Sydney Pollack](https://film.one/person/sydney-pollack.md), [William Horberg](https://film.one/person/william-horberg.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 3 nominated)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 71, as writer, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 83 (2), 1990s 79 (3), 2000s 66 (6), 2010s 79 (2)
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Action & Adventure 1, Crime 1, Family 1, Music 1, Mystery 1
- **Screen time:** 2 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $54m across 1 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Minghella, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q188726, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005237/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2239

## Streaming the US now

- **BritBox:** [*Inspector Morse*](https://film.one/tv/inspector-morse.md) (84)
- **Peacock:** [*The Storyteller*](https://film.one/tv/the-storyteller.md) (82)
- **Hulu:** [*The Talented Mr. Ripley*](https://film.one/film/the-talented-mr-ripley.md) (80)
- **Apple TV:** [*The English Patient*](https://film.one/film/the-english-patient.md) (78)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Reader*](https://film.one/film/the-reader.md) (56)
- **Paramount+:** [*Nine*](https://film.one/film/nine.md) (46)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Anthony Minghella

> Anthony Minghella makes longing awkward and recognisable, and gives actors room to make us care. His best work is moving and unsettling, though sweetness and solemnity sometimes get in the way.

In *The Talented Mr. Ripley* (1999), Matt Damon's Tom works at being agreeable while Jude Law's Dickie scarcely has to try. We felt painfully embarrassed for Tom because Damon's eagerness exposes how badly he needs Dickie's approval. Anthony Minghella makes that need understandable before asking what it might excuse. His writing is strongest here, when wanting someone else's life becomes awkward and recognisable. The thriller's increasingly elaborate plotting puts too much strain on it, but the people remain worth watching.

His television writing already allowed strange things to happen without explaining them away. For Jim Henson's *The Storyteller* (1988), Minghella adapted folk tales with room for wit and fear, though the programme can become too solemn. In *Truly Madly Deeply* (1991), the supernatural becomes a problem for Juliet Stevenson's Nina when Alan Rickman's Jamie, the man she mourns, returns. Allowing Jamie to be difficult gives the comedy something useful to do beyond interrupting the grief.

But Minghella can become anxious about leaving us with an uncomfortable feeling. In *Truly Madly Deeply*, he reaches for sweetness before Stevenson's grief needs any softening, and Barrington Pheloung's music presses the point. With *The English Patient* (1996), adapting Michael Ondaatje's novel, he gives the central romance and the people around it more room, sometimes too much. Gabriel Yared's score supplies emotional directness, while Kristin Scott Thomas supplies an urgency the screenplay cannot always sustain.

The larger literary adaptations continued with *Cold Mountain* (2003), from Charles Frazier's novel. His collaborators are especially useful when they make a character's desires visible. In *Ripley*, John Seale's cinematography makes the Italian surroundings inviting enough for Tom's fixation to seem understandable. Roy Walker's production design makes the wealth seem settled, leaving Tom's wanting conspicuous. Occasionally that polish softens the unpleasantness, but the scenery has a reason to be there.

We would begin with *Ripley* if the literary reputation sounds forbidding. Minghella makes its class envy and sexual longing painfully familiar, while the ensemble suggests lives that do not begin when Tom notices them. Save *The English Patient* for an evening without interruptions; it asks for enough patience without having to compete for it.

## Biography

Anthony Minghella (6 January 1954 – 18 March 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter and film director. He began his career writing for television, including episodes of *Inspector Morse* (1987), and had a background in theatre and radio before moving into feature films.

His directorial debut was *Truly Madly Deeply* (1991), which he also wrote. He achieved international acclaim with *The English Patient* (1996), for which he wrote the screenplay and directed; the film won nine Academy Awards, including Best Director for Minghella. Subsequent films he directed and wrote include *The Talented Mr. Ripley* (1999), *Cold Mountain* (2003) and *Breaking and Entering* (2006).

Minghella served as Chairman of the Board of Governors at the British Film Institute from 2003 to 2007. He received further Academy Award nominations for adapted screenplays and was posthumously nominated as a producer for *The Reader* (2008).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org.*

## On Fi1m (13)

### Performed in (1)

- *Atonement* (2007), Fi1m 83, as Interviewer — [page](https://film.one/film/atonement.md)

### Directed (4)

- *Cold Mountain* (2003), Fi1m 62, Director, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/cold-mountain.md)
- *The Talented Mr. Ripley* (1999), Fi1m 80, Director, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/the-talented-mr-ripley.md)
- *The English Patient* (1996), Fi1m 78, Director, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/the-english-patient.md)
- *Truly Madly Deeply* (1991), Fi1m 80, Director, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/truly-madly-deeply.md)

### Wrote (3) — the average rests on these

- *Nine* (2009), Fi1m 46, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/nine.md)
- *The Storyteller* (1988), Fi1m 82, Writer, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-storyteller.md)
- *Inspector Morse* (1987), Fi1m 84, Writer — [page](https://film.one/tv/inspector-morse.md)

### Produced (4)

- *Margaret* (2011), Fi1m 78, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/margaret.md)
- *The Reader* (2008), Fi1m 56, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/the-reader.md)
- *Michael Clayton* (2007), Fi1m 86, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/michael-clayton.md)
- *The Interpreter* (2005), Fi1m 62, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/the-interpreter.md)

### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *Silver Linings Playbook* (2012), Fi1m 80, Thanks — [page](https://film.one/film/silver-linings-playbook.md)

## Complete filmography (46)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Metropolitan Opera: Madama Butterfly* (2024), Director
- *The Metropolitan Opera: Madama Butterfly* (2019), Production Design
- *The Metropolitan Opera - Puccini: Madama Butterfly* (2016), Production Design
- *Silver Linings Playbook* (2012), Thanks — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/silver-linings-playbook.md)
- *Margaret* (2011), Executive Producer — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/margaret.md)
- *Nine* (2009), Screenplay — Fi1m 46, [page](https://film.one/film/nine.md)
- *Remembrance* (2009), Writer
- *The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency* (2009), series, Creator
- *The Metropolitan Opera: Madama Butterfly* (2009), Director
- *The Reader* (2008), Producer — Fi1m 56, [page](https://film.one/film/the-reader.md)
- *New York, I Love You* (2008), Writer
- *Love You More* (2008), Producer
- *Michael Clayton* (2007), Executive Producer — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/michael-clayton.md)
- *Atonement* (2007), as Interviewer — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/atonement.md)
- *Breaking and Entering* (2006), Producer, Director, Screenplay
- *Catch a Fire* (2006), Producer
- *In Rehearsal: A New Butterfly for the Met* (2006), Actor
- *The Interpreter* (2005), Executive Producer — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/the-interpreter.md)
- *Cold Mountain* (2003), Screenplay, Director — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/cold-mountain.md)
- *The Quiet American* (2002), Executive Producer
- *Heaven* (2002), Producer
- *Iris* (2001), Executive Producer
- *The Warrior* (2001), Presenter
- *Play* (2001), Director
- *Welcome to Hollywood* (2000), as Anthony Minghella
- *The Talented Mr. Ripley* (1999), Screenplay, Director — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/the-talented-mr-ripley.md)
- *The English Patient* (1996), Screenplay, Director — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/the-english-patient.md)
- *Mr. Wonderful* (1993), Director
- *The Storyteller: Greek Myths* (1991), series, Creator
- *Truly Madly Deeply* (1991), Director, Writer — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/truly-madly-deeply.md)
- *Living with Dinosaurs* (1990), Writer
- *The Jim Henson Hour* (1989), series, Writer
- *The Storyteller: The True Bride* (1988), Writer
- *The Storyteller: The Heartless Giant* (1988), Writer
- *The Storyteller: Sapsorrow* (1988), Writer
- *The Storyteller: A Story Short* (1988), Writer
- *The Storyteller: The Luck Child* (1988), Writer
- *The Storyteller: Fearnot* (1988), Writer
- *The Storyteller* (1988), series, Writer, Screenplay — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-storyteller.md)
- *The Storyteller: The Soldier and Death* (1988), Writer
- *Inspector Morse* (1987), series, Writer — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/inspector-morse.md)
- *What If It's Raining* (1986), series, Writer
- *Boon* (1986), series, Writer
- *Maybury* (1981), series, Writer
- *Grange Hill* (1978), series, Director
- *A Little Like Drowning* (1978), as Eduardo · Writer, Director

## Gallery

- ![Memorial to Anthony Minghella, Ryde (2024)](https://film.one/media/person/60701/gallery-96d7fcaf75fe.jpg) Memorial to Anthony Minghella, Ryde (2024) — Tim Sheerman-Chase, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Memorial_to_Anthony_Minghella%2C_Ryde.jpg/1280px-Memorial_to_Anthony_Minghella%2C_Ryde.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Anthony Minghella](https://film.one/media/person/60701/gallery-2000d79f38a9.jpg) Anthony Minghella — Image via TMDB
- ![Anthony Minghella](https://film.one/media/person/60701/gallery-7fa11aa4124c.jpg) Anthony Minghella — Image via TMDB
- ![Anthony Minghella](https://film.one/media/person/60701/gallery-a2d2f5ed4530.jpg) Anthony Minghella — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 3 nominated

- 2009: Best Picture (nominated), for *The Reader*
- 2000: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated), for *The Talented Mr. Ripley*
- 1997: Best Director (won), for *The English Patient*
- 1997: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated), for *The English Patient*

### BAFTA Film Awards — 3 won

- 1997: Best Adapted Screenplay (won), for *The English Patient*
- 1997: Best Film (won), for *The English Patient*
- 1992: Best Original Screenplay (won), for *Truly, Madly, Deeply*

### Other awards — 1 won, 2 nominated

- European Film Award for Best Film 2009: European Film Award for Best Film (nominated), for *The Reader*
- Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film 1997: Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film (won), for *The English Patient*
- European Film Award for Best Film 1997: European Film Award for Best Film (nominated), for *The English Patient*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/anthony-minghella