Known For
Directing
Born
Jun 28, 1947
Died
Feb 07, 2003
Place of Birth
London, England, UK
Credits
50 titles
Stephen Whittaker
Biography
Stephen Whittaker (28 June 1947 – 7 February 2003) was a British actor and director. He worked largely in British film and television, and attended Henley-in-Arden School in Warwickshire before further training as an actor at London's Corona Academy. He began his career aged 17, as a "bad boy" in the film To Sir With Love (1966), and in the classic BBC Doctor Who adventure The Web of Fear, as a soldier battling Yeti in the London Underground. In 1985, Whittaker took a director's training course and directed a short training film, which he sent to John Schlesinger (who had directed him in Yanks). Schlesinger suggested him to producer Mark Shivas as director for Channel 4's drama trilogy What If It's Raining?, written by Anthony Minghella. This was the beginning of a directing career of prestigious TV and film work. Shortly before Whittaker's death, writer Julian Fellowes spoke of him as "the most exciting director in the industry." In 2001, he filmed his final project, The Rocket Post, a romantic drama set on a remote Scottish island. The film had severe funding problems and was eventually released in 2006, three years after his death. The credits bear a dedication to his memory. Whittaker died following complications from a routine surgery.
Known For
Filmography
The Rocket Post
Director
Sons & Lovers
Director
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
Director
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
Director
Grafters
Director
A Life for a Life
Director
Stone, Scissors, Paper
Director
Tangier Cop
Director
Stone Cold
Director
Killing Me Softly
Director
Dalziel and Pascoe
Director
Hearts and Minds
Director
Closing Numbers
Director
Portrait of a Marriage
Director
Agatha Christie's Poirot
Director
Eurocops
Director
Love Birds
Director
Inspector Morse
Director
What If It's Raining
Director
Screen Two
Director
The Keep
S.S. Kommando
Only a Game
Dave Rawlings
Yanks
Merchant Seaman
The One and Only Phyllis Dixey
Reporter
The Paradise Run
Terrorist
The Legend of Robin Hood
Ralph Gammon
I Escaped from Devil's Island
Leper Count
Crown Court
Kevin Wilson Lewis
Runaway, Runaway
Assistant Director
Bury Me an Angel
The Killer
Scene
Director
Countercrime
George West
Doctor Who: The Web of Fear
Craftsman Weams
Up the Junction
Alf
Sat'day While Sunday
Ossie
Sanctuary
Peter Lord
To Sir, with Love
Schoolboy
Champion House
The Clerk
The World in Silence
Harold
BBC Play of the Month
Paratrooper
Thirty-Minute Theatre
Joey
Out of the Unknown
Harold
I Dream of Jeannie
Bellboy
Crossroads
Tony Mortimer
The Wednesday Play
Davis
Bewitched
Eddy
Doctor Who
Craftsman Weams
Z-Cars
Stan Finch
Armchair Theatre
Marco
ITV Play of the Week
Belhaven