Peter Chelsom’s First Feature Film

Peter Chelsom, born on 20 April 1956 in St Annes on the Fylde Coast, to antiques shop owners Kay and Reginald Chelsom, is a renowned film director, writer, and actor. Educated at Wrekin College (1969–1973) and the Central School of Drama in London, Chelsom has crafted a remarkable career spanning acting and filmmaking. Holding dual citizenship in the United Kingdom and the United States, he is also an Honorary Citizen of Fivizzano, a small town in Tuscany, and a member of respected organisations such as the British Academy, the American Academy, the Directors Guild of America, and the Writers Guild of America. Chelsom initially gained recognition as an actor, performing at the Royal Shakespeare Company alongside Patrick Stewart, the Royal National Theatre with Sir Anthony Hopkins, and the Royal Court Theatre. He also appeared in film and television productions, including A Woman of Substance (1985) with Jenny Seagrove and Deborah Kerr. During this time, he developed a passion for writing and directing, which led to his BAFTA-nominated directorial debut Treacle, a short film that earned widespread acclaim and festival invitations. Alongside his filmmaking, he taught at the Central School of Drama from 1985 to 1998 and lectured at the Actors’ Institute and Cornell University.

His first feature film, Hear My Song (1991), was inspired by the life of Irish tenor Josef Locke and won Chelsom the Evening Standard British Film Awards’ Best Newcomer title. Roger Ebert praised the film as “the very soul of a great small film.” Chelsom followed this with Funny Bones (1995), a comedy-drama starring Jerry Lewis, Oliver Platt, and Leslie Caron. The film, exploring the complexities of humour, won Best Picture at five European festivals and the Peter Sellers Award for Comedy at the Evening Standard British Film Awards. In 1998, Chelsom directed The Mighty, based on the novel Freak the Mighty. Featuring a stellar cast including Sharon Stone and Gillian Anderson, the film received two Golden Globe nominations. Chelsom’s Hollywood journey began with Serendipity (2001), a romantic comedy starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale, which grossed $50 million. He later directed Shall We Dance? (2004), a remake of the Japanese classic, starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez. The film was a global hit, grossing $170 million worldwide. In 2009, Chelsom directed Hannah Montana: The Movie for Disney, breaking box office records with a $32 million opening weekend in the United States.

His subsequent projects included Hector and the Search for Happiness (2014), a heartfelt story about a psychiatrist’s quest for happiness, starring Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike, and Christopher Plummer. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and earned Chelsom Best Director at the Monte Carlo Film Festival. In 2017, he directed the science fiction romance The Space Between Us, featuring Gary Oldman, Asa Butterfield, and Britt Robertson. Throughout his career, Peter Chelsom has demonstrated a talent for creating films that balance humour and emotional depth, gaining critical and commercial success on both sides of the Atlantic. His contributions to cinema continue to inspire audiences worldwide.

The background image shows Peter Chelsom with Gary Oldman on the set of The Space Between Us.