BIOGRAPHY
Terence Davies was born in Kensington, Liverpool on 10 November 1945.
He was the youngest child in a large working-class Catholic family. After leaving school at 16, for ten years he worked as a clerk in a shipping office and a book-keeper in an accountancy firm. From 1965 to 1973 he gained amateur acting experience, winning the LAMDA Gold Medal and first prize in the National Arts Awards.
From 1973 to 1975 he was a student at The Coventry Drama School. While there he wrote the screenplay for Children, which he directed with backing from the BFI Production Board. He then went on to the National Television and Film School, where he completed Madonna and Child as his graduation film in 1980. Three years later, with funding from the Greater London Arts Association and the BFI, he made Death and Transfiguration. These three films comprise The Terence Davies Trilogy, which put him on the cinematic map as one of the most original British film-makers of the late 20th century.
He went on to make nine feature films, the most recent of which, Benediction, premiered in September 2021. His short films include But Why? (commissioned by the Viennalle 2021), Passing Time (commissioned by Filmfest Gent 2023), and Home! Home! (commissioned by Center Pompidou, 2024).
After a short illness, Terence died at his home in rural Essex on 7 October 2023.
Obituaries and tributes (follow the links below):
Photograph: James Dowling | Terence's study at his home in Essex, taken in October 2023