Family owns a well-known ice cream shop on the Isle of Wight
Wrote his first play in 1981, the well-received Whale Music, and went on to pen the politically charged Made in Bangkok, which won Best Play from the London Critics' Circle for its West End production
Made his feature-film directorial debut with the 1991 supernatural romance Truly Madly Deeply, for which he won a Best Original Screenplay BAFTA
His breakthrough movie, 1995's The English Patient, was nominated for 12 Oscars and won nine, including Best Director and Best Picture
Collaborated with his wife, prominent choreographer Carolyn Choa, on a 2006 production of Madame Butterfly at New York City's Metropolitan Opera
Awards
2009BAFTA Film Awards-Best Film:nominated
2009BAFTA Film Awards-Best Short Film:nominated
2008Oscar-Best Motion Picture of the Year:nominated