---
name: "Richard Lester"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/richard-lester"
fi1m_id: "richard-lester"
imdb_id: "nm0504513"
tmdb_id: 10586
wikidata_id: "Q346508"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "19 January 1932"
died: "25 March 2006"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "director"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-26T15:38:11.708251+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."
---

# Richard Lester

## Identity

Richard Lester

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/richard-lester
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** richard-lester
- **IMDb ID:** nm0504513
- **TMDB ID:** 10586
- **Wikidata ID:** Q346508
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lester, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q346508, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504513/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/10586

Director. Born 19 January 1932 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.. Died 25 March 2006.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 19 January 1932, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
- **Died:** 25 March 2006
- **Also known as:** Richard Lester Liebman, Dick Lester
- **Cannes Film Festival:** 1 Cannes prize (1 won)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lester, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q346508, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504513/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/10586

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*A Hard Day's Night*](https://film.one/film/a-hard-days-night.md) (86)

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

## Biography

Richard Lester is an American film director. Born Richard Lester Liebman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 19 January 1932, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and began his career in American television before moving to Britain in 1956.

He is best known for directing the Beatles films *A Hard Day's Night* (1964) and *Help!* (1965), as well as *The Knack ...and How to Get It* (1965), *A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum* (1966), *The Three Musketeers* (1973), *The Four Musketeers* (1974), *Superman II* (1980) and *Superman III* (1983). Lester's early work with comedians Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers influenced his fast-paced style. He retired from feature directing after *The Return of the Musketeers* (1989).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, screenonline.org.uk, bfi.org.uk.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *A Hard Day's Night* (1964), Fi1m 86, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/a-hard-days-night.md)

## Complete filmography (28)

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

- *Richard Lester!* (1998), Actor
- *Paul McCartney's Get Back* (1991), Director
- *The Return of the Musketeers* (1989), Director
- *Finders Keepers* (1984), Director, Executive Producer
- *Superman III* (1983), Director
- *Superman II* (1980), Director
- *Cuba* (1979), Director
- *Butch and Sundance: The Early Days* (1979), as Man Watching Hearse Pass by (uncredited) · Director
- *The Ritz* (1976), Director
- *Robin and Marian* (1976), Director
- *Royal Flash* (1975), Director
- *La route* (1975), Actor
- *The Four Musketeers* (1974), Director
- *Juggernaut* (1974), Director
- *The Three Musketeers* (1973), Director
- *The Bed Sitting Room* (1969), Director, Producer
- *Petulia* (1968), Director
- *How I Won the War* (1967), Director, Producer
- *A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum* (1966), Director
- *Help!* (1965), Director
- *The Knack... and How to Get It* (1965), Director
- *A Hard Day's Night* (1964), Director — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/a-hard-days-night.md)
- *The Mouse on the Moon* (1963), Director
- *It's Trad, Dad!* (1962), Director
- *Mildred* (1960), Script
- *The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film* (1959), Director, Cinematography, Writer, Music, Editor
- *A Show Called Fred* (1956), series, Director
- *The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d* (1956), series, Director

## Gallery

- ![Director Richard Lester during the set of How I Won the War in 1967.](https://film.one/media/person/3910566/gallery-dbcfa2661985.jpg) Director Richard Lester during the set of How I Won the War in 1967. — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Richard_Lester.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Richard Lester](https://film.one/media/person/3910566/gallery-39c988f684ee.jpg) Richard Lester — Pietro Luca Cassarino, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Richard_Lester_Bologna_2014_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Richard Lester](https://film.one/media/person/3910566/gallery-9d58960e8dd7.jpg) Richard Lester — Image via TMDB
- ![Richard Lester](https://film.one/media/person/3910566/gallery-24eba75167da.jpg) Richard Lester — Image via TMDB
- ![Richard Lester](https://film.one/media/person/3910566/gallery-ef3b183b7751.jpg) Richard Lester — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Cannes Film Festival — 1 won

- 1965: Palme d'Or (won)

*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/richard-lester