Miller, Jonathan

▪ British director

born July 21, 1934, London, Eng.

      actor, director, producer, medical doctor, and man of letters noted for his wide-ranging abilities.

      Miller was the son of a psychiatrist and a novelist. He graduated from St. John's College, Cambridge, in 1956 and studied medicine at the University College School of Medicine of London University, from which he took a degree in medicine in 1959. Miller made his professional stage debut at the Edinburgh Festival in 1961 as actor and coauthor in the satirical review Beyond the Fringe. He left the show in 1963 to write television scripts and to direct live theatre. His sometimes controversial interpretations of classic works from William Shakespeare and Richard Sheridan to Alice in Wonderland gained him notoriety, and his appointment (1973) as associate director of the National Theatre—not noted for its innovative spirit—served only to frustrate him; he resigned in 1975. He then became involved with the world of opera and directed, most notably, P.I. Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. In 1978 he wrote The Body in Question, a 13-part series on the history of medicine and of attitudes toward the human body, for the British Broadcasting Company; it also became a best-selling book. He continued his association with opera and theatre, not neglecting his interest in medicine. In 1988 he became artistic director of Old Vic in London. His directorial work took him to Germany, Italy, and the United States as well as throughout the United Kingdom.

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