Tony Richardson (June 5, 1928 - November 14, 1991) was an English theatre and Academy Award-winning film director and producer.

Representative of the British "New Wave" of directors, he developed the ideas that led to the formation of the English Stage Company, along with his close friend George Goetschius and George Devine. Richardson later co-founded Woodfall Films with the dramatist John Osborne. Richardson and Osborne eventually fell out during production of the film Charge of the Light Brigade.

In 1964 Richardson received two Academy Awards (Best Director and Best Picture) for Tom Jones (1963).

He was married to the actress Vanessa Redgrave between 1962 and 1967 (he left her for actress Jeanne Moreau), and had two daughters, Natasha Richardson (born 1963) and Joely Richardson (born 1965), both of whom are actresses.

Richardson was bisexual (which he had carefully hidden for as long as possible), and died of complications from AIDS at 63 in 1991.

Richardson was born Cecil Antonio Richardson in Shipley, Yorkshire in 1928, and attended Ashville College, Harrogate.

                       

Courtesy of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Richardson