Born in Aldershot, Hampshire, England; educated at RADA. He was only 19 when he began directing plays in the British provinces. He entered films in 1953 as a dubbing assistant and eventually moved up to assistant director on such films as THE INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS (1958), COVER GIRL KILLER, SERIOUS CHARGE and A TOUCH OF LARCENY (all 1959), SONS AND LOVERS and THE ENTERTAINER (both 1960), and THE GUNS OF NAVARONE, A TASTE OF HONEY and THE ROMAN SPRING OF MRS. STONE (all 1961). A film and TV director since 1963, he has shown a flair for choreographing action and fast chases, which led to his importation by Hollywood. His first US films were BULLITT (1968) and JOHN AND MARY (1969). He scored a commercial hit in 1977 with THE DEEP. He was nominated for Oscars® for his direction of BREAKING AWAY (1979) and THE DRESSER (1983), both of which also earned him nominations for Best Picture as their producer. His output has varied widely from genre films (KRULL, 1983) to well-regarded dramatic pieces (ELENI, 1985). For TV he directed episodes for "Danger Man," "The Saint," and other series. Other notable (non-nominated) directing credits include SUMMER HOLIDAY (1963), ONE WAY PENDULUM (1964), ROBBERY (1967, also writer), MURPHY'S WAR (1971), THE HOT ROCK (1972), THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE (1973), FOR PETE'S SAKE (1974), MOTHER, JUGS & SPEED (1976, also producer), EYEWITNESS (1981, also producer), SUSPECT (1987), THE HOUSE ON CARROLL STREET (1988, also producer), AN INNOCENT MAN (1989), YEAR OF THE COMET (1992, also producer), ROOMMATES and THE RUN OF THE COUNTRY (also producer) (both 1995), CURTAIN CALL (1999), and THE GIRL IN MELANIE KLEIN (announced for 2008).  Nominated for Best Picture 1979: BREAKING AWAY - Producer at 20th Century-Fox  Nominated for Directing 1979: BREAKING AWAY  Nominated for Best Picture 1983: THE DRESSER - Producer at Goldcrest/Television Limited/World Film  Nominated for Directing 1983: THE DRESSER 4 nominations