Born in Sligo, Ireland; educated at University College, Dublin (literature, history). Justly respected film writer-director who first established himself as an acclaimed author of moody, turbulent short stories and novels dealing with passion, sexuality and the changes of the last generation in his native Ireland. On films he has creatively controlled, Jordan has crafted stories that involve unconventional love and the moral issues of violence and death. Elements of whimsy, fantasy, surprise and horror are common in Jordan's films, even in the political thrillers which stand as some of his finest efforts. At its best, his is a provocative cinema, which, though not as experimental as some would have it, nonetheless combines a stylistic freshness with pensive philosophical, social and sexual dimensions. After enjoying success with his collection of stories A Night in Tunisia and the novel The Past, Jordan began in films as a script consultant on John Boorman's striking EXCALIBUR (1981). Soon thereafter, he helmed three impressive British features of his own. ANGEL/DANNY BOY (1982) was an intriguing study of a musician who becomes obsessed with the murder of a mute woman, and THE COMPANY OF WOLVES (1984) was a haunting, serious revamp of the story of Little Red Riding Hood. The best known of these films, though, was MONA LISA (1986), a gritty urban thriller that transformed the career of Bob Hoskins from character actor to lead parts and featured Michael Caine. Buoyed by his initial successes, Jordan tried Hollywood. After the re-edited HIGH SPIRITS (1988), and WE'RE NO ANGELS (1989), which packaged Robert De Niro and Sean Penn, proved disappointing, Jordan returned to Britain to work on his own. His THE MIRACLE (1991) proved an interesting take on one of his stories from Nights in Tunisia. In 1992, Jordan's THE CRYING GAME, a film meant for small channel distribution, parlayed a plot secret about sexual identity into a stunning cultural and commercial success. It earned six Oscar® nominations (winning for Jordan's screenplay) and many critics' awards, and became known for having the best-kept secret in recent Cinema. Jordan returned in triumph to Hollywood, where he landed the plum, if daunting, assignment of adapting Anne Rice's tricky bestseller, INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE: THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES (1994), to the screen. Once he got the cast he wanted, Jordan found himself with enough box office insurance to handle his big-budget assignment pretty much as he wanted. The result received mixed if generally favorable reviews and proved thematically consistent with many aspects of Jordan's earlier work, its dank, downbeat tone meshing stylishly and well with its heady sexuality and metaphysical musings. Other notable credits include THE COURIER (1988, exec. prod.), MICHAEL COLLINS (1996, writer & director), THE BUTCHER BOY (1997, exec. prod., writer & director), IN DREAMS (1999, screenplay), THE END OF THE AFFAIR (1999, producer, screenplay & director), THE LAST SEPTEMBER (1999, exec. prod.), NOT I (2000, director), THE GOOD THIEF (2002, exec. prod., writer & director), THE ACTORS (producer & story) and THE INTERMISSION (producer) (both 2003), BREAKFAST ON PLUTO (2005, producer, writer & director), THE BRAVE ONE (2007, director), and A KILLING ON CARNIVAL ROW (scheduled for 2009, writer & director). Jordan is the award-winning author of a number of acclaimed novels and collections of stories. Nearly all his stories are set in Ireland and most deal with the subjects of children, family relationships and childhood memories.  Nominated for Achievement in Directing 1992: THE CRYING GAME  Best Achievement in Writing - Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen 1992: THE CRYING GAME 2 nominations, 1 Award