The British filmmaker Christopher Nolan and his wife and producer, Emma Thomas, They will be recognized with the appointment of knight and dame, respectively, for their services to the cinema. This recognition comes after the overwhelming success of his biopic “Oppenheimer” during the 2024 awards season.
Earlier this month, London-born Nolan received his first Oscar for best director for the film about the “father of the atomic bomb,” starring the Irish actor Cillian Murphy in the lead role. Prior to this win, Nolan had been nominated for six Academy Awards, but had never won an Oscar in the directing category until this year’s ceremony.
Nolan and Thomas have collaborated on all of the director’s major film productions, including “The Dark Knight” trilogy, 2010’s “Inception,” 2014’s “Interstellar,” 2017’s “Dunkirk” and 2020’s “Tenet.”
The director, who was born in London to a British father and an American mother, studied English Literature at University College London (UCL), choosing this institution for its filmmaking facilities.
It was at UCL where he met his future wife, with whom he has four children: Flora, Oliver, Rory and Magnus. Together they founded and run the production company Syncopy, which has been behind many of their blockbuster hits.
When Nolan received the British Film Institute (BFI) scholarship for being “one of the world’s most innovative and influential film directors,” he gave the credit to his wife. He stated that he never felt alone making films, as Thomas “always saw things the same way I did in terms of the importance of the medium.”
It is worth mentioning that the Hollywood industry is full of actors who have been recognized by royalty.
Patrick Stewart, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anthony Hopkins and Sean Connery, are some of the actors who have been named “Gentlemen.” At the same time, the actresses who received the “Lady” distinction were Julie Andrews, Elizabeth Taylor, Judi Dench and Maggie Smith.
This is not the only recognition that Christopher Nolan has received in recent weeks. Anne Hathaway, who worked with Nolan on the acclaimed film Interstellar and in The Dark Knight Risesassured that the director was an enormous support in one of the darkest moments of her career due to the harassment she received online after winning the Oscar for Best Actress for her work in The Miserables.
Jake Gyllenhaal also has fond memories of Christopher Nolan. Recently, the actor recalled the time when Christian Bale beat him to the role of Batman in the successful saga directed by Nolan. It was then that the director took it upon himself to call Jake on the phone with the intention that he would not feel bad about the decision, since it was made based on the chemistry that Bale had with the rest of the cast.“I remember getting a call from Christopher Nolan and thinking, ‘Wow, this is great. I’ve come far,’” Gyllenhaal reflected. “I just have to keep trying. I have to keep trying.”
