Waris Hussein

Waris Hussein moved to England at age nine with his parents. He later attended Cambridge University, graduating with honors, and at 21 started as a trainee director at the BBC, where his mother, the late Attia Hussein, worked. In addition to reading news in Hindi, she was also the station's dramatic star--translating William Shakespeare in Urdu and Hindi--as well as an author. Young Hussein, too, was influenced by his mother's artistic abilities and knew very early on that he wanted to be a director. After starting in television with work on Doctor Who (1963) (including directing the very first episode, An Unearthly Child (1963)), Hussein moved on to film, directing such legends as Lord Laurence Olivier, Bette Davis and Dame Joan Plowright.While considering himself a British filmmaker, Hussein has worked both sides of the Atlantic, as well as India.