Richard Lester Biography

Fast Facts

• MTV gave him an award in 1984 that designated him as "the father of the music video․"
• The Los Angeles Film Critics Association named him the recipient of the 2014 Career Achievement Award
• Won a Special Tribute Award at the 2006 Almería International Short Film Festival
• Enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania when he was only 15
• In less than a year, he worked his way from working as a stage hand to a floor manager to an assistant director to a director
• Quote: "In the old days, they'd say, 'You're the father of MTV․' I'd say, 'I want a blood test!' But I think my tendency towards the surreal meant I was genetically well prepared to play with music and image․"
• Quote: "[on C․G․] "I thought: Do I want to learn this other technique at my stage? I probably don't․ There are plenty of hungry young guys, let them get on with it․ I'll go play tennis․""
• Best known for the two films he made with the Beatles, "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!," which not only helped the band take its hold on pop culture, but also helped establish the music video as a legitimate art form
• His films in the 1960s and 1970s were known for their hyperkinetic humor
• The only film he watched as a child was "Fantasia," and it wasn't until college that he started prolifically watching films