Highest Rated: 92% Shakespeare in Love (1998)

Lowest Rated: 0% Golden Gate (1994)

Birthday: Apr 08, 1949

Birthplace: Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, UK

An accomplished director for British television for two decades, John Madden successfully expanded into feature films with an adaptation of "Ethan Frome" (1993) before winning Oscars for the massively popular "Shakespeare in Love" (1998). Prior to that paramount success, Madden directed a string of acclaimed series in his native England such as "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" (ITV, 1984-1994), "Prime Suspect (ITV, 1991-2006) and "Inspector Morse" (ITV, 1987-2000). From there, he developed into a skilled translator of books to screen with "Ethan Frome," but stumbled a bit with the forgotten "Golden Gate" (1994). Madden scored his first box office hit with the period romantic drama, "Mrs. Brown" (1997), which marked the first of several critically acclaimed collaborations with actress Judi Dench. He next reached career heights with "Shakespeare in Love," which shocked many by winning Best Picture over "Saving Private Ryan" (1998), while enjoying commercial success in both the U.S. and U.K. But in his efforts to replicate such success, Madden failed to deliver, thanks to a decade of disappointments with "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" (2001), "Proof" (2005) and the frustrating direct-to-DVD experience of "Killshot" (2009). Madden managed to bounce back with the cerebral spy thriller "The Debt" (2011) and the lighthearted drama "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" (2012), both of which boosted his flagging career while reminding critics and audiences of the mastery he had displayed in the previous decade.