About

Known credits:
40
Birthday:
1938-01-11
Place of birth:
Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, UK
Website:
N/A

Gavin Millar

Overview

Gavin Millar (11 January 1938 – 20 April 2022) was a Scottish film director, critic and television presenter. Millar was born in Clydebank, near Glasgow, the son of Tom Millar and his wife Rita (née Osborne). The family relocated to the Midlands when he was nine and he was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham. He undertook national service in the Royal Air Force and then read English at Christ Church, Oxford from 1958 to 1961. Millar took a postgraduate film course at the Slade School of Fine Art in London.

Millar was a film critic for The Listener from 1970 to 1984. He also contributed to Sight and Sound and the London Review of Books. He wrote a new section to Karel Reisz's book The Technique of Film Editing for the 1968 edition. On television, he wrote, produced and presented Arena Cinema for the BBC from 1976 to 1980, and wrote and presented numerous other cinema and visual arts documentaries.

In 1980, he directed Dennis Potter's Cream in My Coffee for London Weekend Television, which received a BAFTA nomination. His first feature film as director was 1985's Dreamchild. He would later collaborate with Dreamchild's producer Rick McCallum again on the episode Peking, March 1910, part of George Lucas's television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles in 1993. It was later re-edited to be part of Journey of Radiance when the series became The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones on its DVD release. His 1994 television film Pat and Margaret, featuring Victoria Wood, received a further BAFTA nomination, and Housewife, 49 (2006), a later collaboration with Wood, won the 2007 award.

Millar died of a brain tumour on 20 April 2022, aged 84. He was survived by his five children and by six grandchildren.

Known for

Acting

2004 The Making of Rocky Road to Dublin Actor Voiceover Interviewer (Archive Footage) 58
Average
1995 Funny Bones Actor Steve Campbell 59
Average
1990 Creative Process: Norman McLaren Actor Interviewer (archive footage) 59
Average
1986 Made In Ealing: The Story of Ealing Studios Actor Narrator 59
Average
1979 Talking Pictures: Quadrophenia Actor Host N/A
N/A
1976 Monsieur Hulot's Work Actor Self - Interviewer N/A
N/A
1970 The Eye Hears, the Ear Sees Actor Self N/A
N/A

Directing

2009 Albert Schweitzer Directing Director 58
Average
2006 Housewife, 49 Directing Director 59
Average
2006 Pickles: The Dog Who Won the World Cup Directing Director N/A
N/A
2004 King of Fridges Directing Director N/A
N/A
2004 Benefit to Mankind Directing Director N/A
N/A
2002 Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister Directing Director 58
Average
2000 My Fragile Heart Directing Director N/A
N/A
2000 The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Journey of Radiance Directing Director 58
Average
2000 Complicity Directing Director 58
Average
1998 Talking Heads 2 Directing Director 58
Average
1997 Sex & Chocolate Directing Director 59
Average
1996 The Crow Road Directing Director 69
Fair
1995 Belle Époque Directing Director 70
Good
1994 Pat and Margaret Directing Director 58
Average
1994 The Dwelling Place Directing Director 69
Fair
1992 My Friend Walter Directing Director N/A
N/A
1991 A Murder of Quality Directing Director 58
Average
1989 Danny the Champion of the World Directing Director 58
Average
1988 The Most Dangerous Man in the World Directing Director N/A
N/A
1988 Tidy Endings Directing Director 58
Average
1987 Scoop Directing Director 58
Average
1986 The Russian Soldier Directing Director N/A
N/A
1985 Mr. and Mrs. Edgehill Directing Director 58
Average
1985 Dreamchild Directing Director 59
Average
1985 Unfair Exchanges Directing Director N/A
N/A
1983 The Weather in the Streets Directing Director 58
Average
1983 Secrets Directing Director 58
Average
1982 Intensive Care Directing Director N/A
N/A
1981 A Pretty British Affair Directing Director N/A
N/A
1980 Cream in My Coffee Directing Director 58
Average
1975 Goodbye Directing Director 59
Average
1970 The Eye Hears, the Ear Sees Directing Director N/A
N/A

Production

1979 Talking Pictures: Quadrophenia Production Producer N/A
N/A