Peter Medak, a Hungarian-born British film director, was born in Budapest, Hungary, which was then part of the Warsaw Bloc, a region under Soviet influence. At the age of 18, Medak fled to England during the bloody uprising against the Soviet regime, seeking refuge and a new life.
He began his career in the British film industry by working with Associated British Picture Corporation in Borehamwood. Medak's early career was marked by a series of assistant roles, including assistant editor, assistant cameraman, and 3rd, 2nd, and 1st assistant director, on numerous British films throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Medak had the privilege of working alongside some of the most renowned British film directors of his time, including Sir Carol Reed, David Lean, Anthony Asquith, and Fred Zimmerman. In 1963, he was signed by Universal Studios in Hollywood, where he spent the first six months observing and learning from legendary directors such as Alfred Hitchcock.
Medak soon began directing television shows in both Hollywood and London, before signing with Paramount Studios in 1967. It was during this period that he finally achieved his dream of directing his first feature film, Negatives, released in 1968, which starred Glenda Jackson.
Medak's subsequent work included two highly acclaimed black comedies, The Ruling Class and A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, both released in 1972. The latter earned him an Academy Award nomination. Since then, Medak has directed numerous feature films on both sides of the Atlantic, including The Krays, which won him the Evening Standard Award for Best Director in England. Some of his later films include Let Him Have It, Romeo is Bleeding, The Men's Club, and more.
