Bruce Beresford: The Life Story Behind the Driving Miss Daisy Director
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Bruce Beresford is a director who has made films in many countries, about many kinds of people, and he has done it with a quiet and steady hand. He made Barry McKenzie, a wild comedy about an Australian in London, and Breaker Morant, a serious film about Australian soldiers on trial in South Africa. He made Tender Mercies, a gentle film about a country singer in Texas, and Driving Miss Daisy, a film about an old Jewish woman and her Black driver in the American South, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
He is not a director who shouts about his work, and he is not a director who makes the same film again and again. He is a craftsman, a man who loves stories, who loves actors, and who believes that a good film is made by listening, by watching, and by taking the time to get it right. He has worked in Australia, in Britain, and in America, and he has made films that have lasted, because they are about people, not only about plot.
This is the story of a Sydney boy who went to university, who worked in London, who came home to make Australian films, and who then became one of the most respected directors in Hollywood. It is a story of a long career, of many different films, and of a man who has never stopped learning, even in his eighties.
A Sydney Boy and a Love of Film
Bruce Beresford was born on 16 August 1940 in Paddington, Sydney, Australia, and he grew up in the city in the 1940s and 1950s. Sydney in those years was a city of beaches, of trams, of old cinemas, and of a strong sense of community, and Beresford grew up inside that world. He went to school in Sydney, and he was a bright boy who liked to read, to watch films, and to think about stories. He was not a child who wanted to be a star. He was a child who wanted to understand how stories worked, and how a film could make an audience feel something.
As a teenager, Beresford began to think about film as a career, but there was no clear path for a young Australian who wanted to direct. Australian film was small at that time, and there were few opportunities to learn. He studied at the University of Sydney, where he learned about literature, about history, and about the arts, and he began to think about how a story could be told on screen. He also worked in theatre, and he learned how actors work, how a stage is built, and how a performance is shaped.
After university, Beresford went to London, where he worked in film and television, and where he learned the craft of directing in a professional setting. London in the 1960s was a lively place, full of new films, new music, and new ideas, and Beresford was in the middle of it. He worked as an editor, as a writer, and as a director of short films and documentaries, and he learned how to make a film on a small budget, with a small crew, and with a clear idea. Those years in London taught him discipline, and they taught him that a good film is made by hard work, not by magic.
He also learned about the world outside Australia, about different cultures, about different ways of living, and about the stories that people tell in different countries. That learning would later help him to make films in America, in Britain, and in other places, because he understood that a good story is true wherever it is told. He returned to Australia in the early 1970s, ready to make films about his own country, and ready to help build a new Australian cinema.
Beresford’s years in London taught him a lesson that stayed with him for his whole career: that a film must be true to the place it comes from, and that an Australian story, told in an Australian voice, can be loved around the world, if it is told with honesty and with humour. He watched British films, American films, and films from other countries, and he learned that each country has its own way of telling a story, its own jokes, its own landscapes, and its own people, and that copying another country will only make a film feel false. When he returned to Australia, he brought that lesson home with him, and he made Barry McKenzie, a film that was Australian through and through, wild, rude, and funny, and that showed the world that Australian film had its own voice, and that it was not afraid to use it.
Barry McKenzie and the New Australian Cinema
In 1972, Beresford directed The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, a comedy about a young Australian man who goes to London and gets into all kinds of trouble. The film was based on a comic strip by Barry Humphries, who also played several characters in the film, including the famous Dame Edna Everage. The film was wild, rude, and very funny, and it was a huge success in Australia. It was one of the first Australian films to make a great deal of money, and it showed that Australian audiences wanted to see Australian stories on screen.
The film was followed by a sequel, Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, in 1974, which was also a success. The films were not polite, and they were not careful. They joked about Australians, about the British, about beer, about sex, and about the clash between two cultures. Some people were shocked by them, but many people loved them, because they were honest about the way Australians talked and lived. Beresford had made a film that was Australian through and through, and he had done it with humour and with energy.
In 1976, Beresford made Don’s Party, a film about a group of friends who gather for a party on the night of an Australian election, and who argue, drink, and reveal their secrets. The film was based on a play by David Williamson, and it was a sharp and funny portrait of Australian middle class life. It won awards, and it showed that Beresford could make a film about ordinary people, in an ordinary house, and make it feel important and true.
He followed it with The Getting of Wisdom in 1977, a film about a young girl at a girls school in Victoria, based on the novel by Henry Handel Richardson. The film was beautiful, sad, and thoughtful, and it showed Beresford’s gift for telling a story about a young person who is trying to find her place in the world. By the late 1970s, Beresford was one of the most important directors in Australia, and he was ready for a film that would make his name around the world.
Breaker Morant and Tender Mercies
In 1980, Beresford directed Breaker Morant, a film about three Australian soldiers who are put on trial for murder during the Boer War in South Africa. The film starred Edward Woodward as Harry Morant, and it also starred Bryan Brown and Jack Thompson. It told the story of men who were following orders, who were caught between two countries, and who were made into scapegoats by the British army. The film was a huge success, and it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. It also won awards in Australia, and it is still seen as one of the best Australian films ever made.
Breaker Morant showed Beresford at his best: a director who could take a true story, tell it with care, and make the audience think about justice, about war, and about the price of loyalty. The film did not give easy answers. It showed that war is complicated, that orders can be unclear, and that ordinary men can be caught in a system that is larger than they are. That complexity is what made the film last, and it is why people still watch it today.
In 1983, Beresford made Tender Mercies, a film set in Texas, about a country singer named Mac Sledge, played by Robert Duvall, who has lost his career to alcohol and who tries to rebuild his life with a young widow and her son. The film was quiet, gentle, and deeply moving, and it won two Academy Awards, for Best Actor for Duvall and for Best Original Screenplay. It was a film that many people thought would not work, because it was so quiet, but Beresford believed in it, and he was right. The film is now seen as a classic, and it showed that Beresford could make a great film in America, about American people, without losing his own style.
Tender Mercies also showed Beresford’s gift for working with actors. Duvall gave one of the best performances of his career, and the film was praised for its honesty, for its music, and for its portrait of a man who is trying to be good, even after he has made many mistakes. Beresford did not rush the story. He let it breathe, he let the characters speak, and he let the audience feel the slow process of healing.
Driving Miss Daisy and an Oscar for Best Picture
In 1989, Beresford directed Driving Miss Daisy, a film about an old Jewish woman in Atlanta, Georgia, played by Jessica Tandy, and her Black driver, Hoke Colburn, played by Morgan Freeman. The film is based on a play by Alfred Uhry, and it follows Daisy and Hoke over twenty-five years, from 1948 to 1973, as they slowly become friends, even though they come from very different worlds. The film is gentle, funny, and deeply moving, and it deals with race, with age, and with the changes in American life.
Driving Miss Daisy was a huge success, and it won the Academy Award for Best Picture, as well as Oscars for Best Actress for Tandy, for Best Makeup, and for Best Adapted Screenplay. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards in total, including Best Actor for Freeman and Best Director for Beresford. The film made Beresford one of the most respected directors in Hollywood, and it showed that he could make a film about race and about friendship with great care and with great sensitivity.
The film worked because Beresford did not try to make it loud or dramatic. He let the story unfold slowly, over many years, and he let the actors carry the film. Tandy and Freeman gave performances that were full of warmth, humour, and dignity, and their friendship on screen felt real, because Beresford gave them time to build it. The film also showed the American South in a way that was honest, not simple, and it asked the audience to think about how people change, and how friendship can grow in unlikely places.
After Driving Miss Daisy, Beresford was offered many films in Hollywood, and he made several, including Black Robe in 1991, a film about a Jesuit priest in Canada in the seventeenth century, and Double Jeopardy in 1999, a thriller starring Ashley Judd and Tommy Lee Jones. He also made films in Australia, and he continued to work in both countries, always looking for stories that mattered to him.
Black Robe, Mao’s Last Dancer, and Later Films
Black Robe, released in 1991, was a film about a French priest who travels into the Canadian wilderness to bring Christianity to the Huron people. The film was harsh, beautiful, and thoughtful, and it dealt with the clash between two cultures, with faith, and with the cost of trying to change other people. It was not a commercial hit, but it was praised by critics for its honesty and for its stunning images of the Canadian landscape. It showed Beresford’s willingness to take on difficult subjects, and to make a film that did not give easy answers.
In 2009, Beresford made Mao’s Last Dancer, a film based on the true story of Li Cunxin, a Chinese dancer who defected to America in the 1980s. The film starred Bruce Greenwood and Joan Chen, and it told the story of a young man who leaves his family in China, who becomes a dancer in Houston, and who must choose between his art and his home. The film was a success in Australia and around the world, and it showed Beresford’s gift for telling a story about art, about freedom, and about the price of leaving home.
In 2018, Beresford made Ladies in Black, a film set in Sydney in 1959, about a group of women who work in a department store, and about a young girl who is trying to find her place in the world. The film was based on a novel by Madeleine St John, and it was a warm, funny, and nostalgic portrait of a Sydney that no longer exists. The film was a success in Australia, and it showed that Beresford, now in his late seventies, could still make a film that was fresh, lively, and full of heart.
Beresford has also made films for television, and he has worked as a writer and as a director of opera. He has written books, including a memoir, and he has spoken about film at festivals and at schools. He is a man who loves stories in all their forms, and who believes that a good story is worth telling, whether it is on a screen, on a stage, or in a book.
A Long Career and a Quiet Life
Beresford has now been making films for more than fifty years, and he is still working in his eighties. He lives in Sydney, he is married, and he has children, and he has kept his private life out of the press. He is not a celebrity in the usual sense. He is a craftsman, a man who goes to work, who makes a film, and who goes home. He does not seek attention, and he does not seek fame. He seeks good work, and he has found it, again and again, in many different countries and in many different kinds of stories.
He has been honoured many times, in Australia and in other countries, and he is seen as one of the great directors of his generation. He has made films that have won Oscars, films that have made money, and films that have changed the way people think about Australia, about America, and about the world. He has done it without shouting, without boasting, and without losing his sense of humour. That is a rare achievement, and it is one that deserves to be remembered.
Beresford’s films are not all the same, and that is part of their strength. He has made comedies, dramas, thrillers, historical films, and films about music and dance. He has worked with actors from many countries, and he has told stories about many kinds of people. What links his films together is a sense of care, a sense of patience, and a belief that every person, no matter how ordinary, has a story worth telling. That belief is the heart of his work, and it is why his films have lasted.
He continues to work, to write, and to think about new films, even in his eighties. He is a reminder that a career in film does not have to end at sixty, and that a director can keep learning, keep growing, and keep telling stories for as long as he has something to say. That is a hopeful message for any young filmmaker, and it is a message that Beresford has lived, film by film, year by year.
Opera, Books, and a Life Beyond Film
Bruce Beresford has never been only a film director, and that is one of the most interesting parts of his story, because he has worked in opera, in theatre, and in writing, and he has brought what he learned in each form back to his films. He has directed operas, including productions that were praised for their clarity, for their sense of story, and for their respect for the music, and he has shown that a film director can also be a stage director, if he listens to the singers, trusts the music, and lets the story unfold in its own time. That work in opera taught him patience, because an opera cannot be rushed, and it taught him about the power of a single voice, singing alone on a large stage, a lesson that he carried into films like Tender Mercies, where a single voice, singing a simple song, can break your heart.
He has also written books, including a memoir called Josh Hartnett Can Do No Wrong, and other works in which he talks about his life, his films, and the people he has worked with, with humour, with honesty, and with a storyteller’s eye for detail. Writing a book is a different skill from directing a film, because a book is made alone, with words, while a film is made with many people, with images and sound, but Beresford enjoys both, and he moves between them with ease. His books show the same qualities as his films: a love of story, a respect for people, and a willingness to laugh at himself, even when the story is serious.
Beresford has also taught and spoken about film at festivals and at schools, sharing what he has learned over more than fifty years, and helping young filmmakers to understand that a good film is made by listening, by watching, and by taking the time to get it right. He does not lecture, and he does not pretend to have all the answers. He tells stories, he answers questions, and he encourages young directors to find their own voice, to tell their own stories, and to be patient with their work. That generosity, quiet and often unseen, is an important part of his legacy, and it will last even longer than his films, because the filmmakers he has helped will go on to make their own films, and to help others in turn.
He continues to work, to write, and to think about new projects, even in his eighties, because he believes that a creative life does not end at sixty, and that a person can keep learning, keep growing, and keep telling stories for as long as they have something to say. That belief is a hopeful message for anyone who wants a long life in the arts, and it is a message that Beresford has lived, film by film, book by book, and opera by opera, with patience, with humour, and with a deep love of story.
My Take:
When I think about Bruce Beresford, the first thing I admire is his range. He made a wild comedy about Barry McKenzie, a serious film about soldiers on trial, a gentle film about a country singer, and a film about an old woman and her driver that won Best Picture. Most directors find one kind of film and stay with it. Beresford did not. He tried many kinds, and he made them all well. That takes courage, because each new kind of film is a risk, and each risk could fail. He took those risks, and he succeeded, again and again, and I think that is a great achievement.
I also admire the way he listens to actors. Robert Duvall in Tender Mercies, Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy, Edward Woodward in Breaker Morant: these are performances that feel real, because Beresford gave the actors room to be themselves. He did not rush them, he did not shout at them, and he did not try to make them do something they could not do. He listened, he watched, and he helped them to find the truth in the character. That is a generous way to direct, and it is why his films feel so human.
What I find most moving in his story is Driving Miss Daisy, because it is a film about friendship between two people who should not, by the rules of their time, be friends. Daisy is a proud Jewish woman, Hoke is a Black man who drives her car, and the world around them is full of racism and of fear. Yet over twenty-five years, they learn to trust each other, to laugh together, and to care for each other. That is a beautiful story, and it is told with great care. Beresford did not make it into a lecture about race. He made it into a story about two people, and that is why it works. It shows that friendship can grow in the hardest places, if people are willing to listen to each other.
I think about Breaker Morant, too, and about the questions it asks. The film is about soldiers who are put on trial, and who say they were following orders. It does not give a simple answer about who was right and who was wrong. It shows that war is messy, that orders can be unclear, and that ordinary men can be caught in a system that is larger than they are. That is a hard truth, and Beresford tells it without taking sides. He lets the audience think, and he trusts them to make up their own minds. That trust is a mark of a great director.
I feel sad that Beresford is not as famous as some other directors, even though his films have won Oscars and have been loved by millions. He is a quiet man, and he does not seek attention, and so the world sometimes forgets him. That is a shame, because his work deserves to be remembered. Driving Miss Daisy won Best Picture, Tender Mercies won awards, Breaker Morant is a classic, and yet many people do not know his name. I think that tells us something about fame: it does not always go to the people who do the best work. It goes to the people who shout the loudest. Beresford does not shout, and so he is sometimes overlooked, but his films speak for him, and they will last longer than fame.
I also think about his early years in London, and about how they shaped him. He left Australia, he learned his craft in another country, and he came home with new ideas. That journey, away and back, is a common one for Australian artists, and it is a hard one, because you must learn to live in two worlds at once. Beresford did that, and he did it well. He made Australian films, and he made American films, and he brought what he had learned in each place to the other. That is a gift, and it is one that few directors have.
For a young reader who wants to make films, I think the lesson of Bruce Beresford is to be patient, to listen, and to try many things. Do not be afraid to make a comedy one year and a drama the next. Do not be afraid to work in another country, to learn a new way of telling a story, and to come home with what you have learned. Work with good actors, trust them, and give them room to be great. And do not worry about being famous. Worry about being good, and the work will last.
I also think his story teaches us about the value of a long career. Beresford has been making films for more than fifty years, and he is still working in his eighties. He did not burn out young, and he did not stop when he became famous. He kept working, kept learning, and kept telling stories. That is a hopeful message for anyone who wants a long life in the arts. You do not need to do everything at once. You need to do good work, year after year, and to keep going, even when the world is not watching.
When I look at the whole of his career, I see a man who has told stories about many kinds of people, in many kinds of places, with care and with patience. He has told stories about Australian soldiers, about American singers, about old women and their drivers, about Chinese dancers, and about women in a Sydney department store. Each story is different, and each one is true in its own way. That is a large and generous body of work, and it is one that deserves to be celebrated.
I will remember him as a quiet craftsman from Sydney, a man who loved stories, who listened to actors, and who made films that have lasted. He did not shout, he did not boast, and he did not give up. He worked, he learned, and he told stories that mattered. That is the best kind of career, and it is one that I admire deeply, because it shows that a good life in film is not about fame. It is about work, about care, and about the people you meet along the way.
I keep thinking about Tender Mercies, because it is such a quiet film, and yet it is so powerful. A man who has lost everything tries to rebuild his life, one day at a time, with a woman and a child who love him. There are no big scenes, no loud music, no dramatic twists. There is only a man, a guitar, a small house, and a hope that tomorrow will be better than today. That is a true story, and Beresford tells it with great love. It reminds me that the smallest stories are often the largest, if they are told well.
In the end, I believe Bruce Beresford teaches us that a director does not need to be loud to be great. He needs to be patient, to listen, to care about people, and to tell their stories with honesty. If you do that, your films will last, and the people who watch them will remember them, even if they do not remember your name. Beresford has done that, and his films will be remembered for a long time to come.
I think about the range of Beresford’s films, because it is so wide that it is hard to believe one man made them all. He made a wild comedy about Barry McKenzie, a serious film about soldiers on trial, a gentle film about a country singer, and a film about an old woman and her driver that won Best Picture. Most directors find one kind of film and stay with it, because it is safe, and because audiences know what to expect. Beresford did not stay safe. He tried many kinds, and he made them all well, and that takes courage, because each new kind of film is a risk, and each risk could fail. He took those risks, and he succeeded, again and again, and I think that is a great achievement.
I also think about his work with actors, because Robert Duvall, Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman, and many others gave some of their best performances for him, and they did it because he gave them room, because he listened to them, and because he trusted them. He did not rush them, he did not shout at them, and he did not try to make them do something they could not do. He created a safe place where an actor could try, could fail, and could find the truth in a character, and that is a generous way to direct, and it is why his films feel so human, even when they are about large and dramatic events.
I wonder about the films that are less well known, like Black Robe, a film about a Jesuit priest in Canada, and Mao’s Last Dancer, a film about a Chinese dancer who defects to America, because those films show Beresford’s willingness to tell stories about people from other cultures, in other countries, with great care and with great respect. He does not pretend to know everything about those cultures, but he listens, he researches, and he tries to tell the story honestly, and that effort matters, because it shows that a director can cross borders, if he does so with humility, and with a willingness to learn.
I think about Driving Miss Daisy again, because it is a film that many people love, and that some people criticise, because it shows a friendship between a white woman and a Black man in the American South, and some people say it is too gentle, too simple, and that it does not show the full horror of racism. I understand that criticism, and I think it is worth listening to, but I also think the film has value, because it shows two people learning to trust each other, over twenty-five years, in a world that tried to keep them apart. That slow friendship, built on small moments, on shared rides, and on shared laughter, is a true story, and it is one that Beresford tells with great care.
I also think about his age, and about the fact that he is still working in his eighties, making films, writing books, and directing opera, when many people have retired long ago. That tells me something about his character: he loves his work, he loves stories, and he cannot imagine a life without them. He does not work because he needs money. He works because he has stories to tell, and because he believes that a good story is worth telling, even if you are eighty, even if you have already made many films. That is an inspiring example for anyone who wants a long and creative life.
I think about the Australian films he made early in his career, because they helped to build a new Australian cinema, a cinema that was not a copy of Hollywood, but that told Australian stories in an Australian voice. Barry McKenzie, Don’s Party, and Breaker Morant are all very different films, but they share a sense of Australia, of its people, its humour, and its history, and they showed the world that Australian film could be both popular and artistic. That is a legacy that goes beyond Beresford’s own films, because it helped to create a film industry that still exists today, and that still tells Australian stories.
In the end, I believe Bruce Beresford will be remembered as a craftsman, a storyteller, and a man who loved film in all its forms, from a wild comedy to a quiet drama to an opera on a large stage. His films will be watched for a long time, because they are made with care, with patience, and with a deep respect for people, and they show that a director does not need to shout to be great. He needs to listen, to care, and to tell a story well, and Beresford has done that, film after film, for more than fifty years, and I am grateful for it, because his work has made the world a richer and a more thoughtful place.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Bruce Beresford’s first big success in Australia?
His first big success was The Adventures of Barry McKenzie in 1972, a wild comedy about an Australian man in London, based on a comic strip by Barry Humphries. The film was a huge hit in Australia, and it showed that Australian audiences wanted to see Australian stories on screen.
Why is Breaker Morant still seen as a classic Australian film?
Breaker Morant from 1980 tells the story of three Australian soldiers put on trial for murder during the Boer War in South Africa. The film was nominated for an Academy Award, it won awards in Australia, and it is still watched today because it asks hard questions about war, orders, and justice.
What is Tender Mercies about and who starred in it?
Tender Mercies from 1983 is about a country singer named Mac Sledge, played by Robert Duvall, who has lost his career to alcohol and tries to rebuild his life. The film won two Academy Awards, for Best Actor for Duvall and for Best Original Screenplay, and it is now seen as a classic.
Did Driving Miss Daisy win the Academy Award for Best Picture?
Yes, Driving Miss Daisy from 1989 won the Academy Award for Best Picture, as well as Oscars for Best Actress for Jessica Tandy and for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film, about an old Jewish woman and her Black driver in Atlanta, was nominated for nine Academy Awards in total.
What is Mao’s Last Dancer about?
Mao’s Last Dancer from 2009 is based on the true story of Li Cunxin, a Chinese dancer who defected to America in the 1980s. The film tells the story of a young man who leaves his family in China, becomes a dancer in Houston, and must choose between his art and his home.
Where did Bruce Beresford study and work before he became famous?
Beresford was born in Sydney, he studied at the University of Sydney, and he worked in London in the 1960s, where he learned the craft of film and television. He returned to Australia in the early 1970s, ready to make films about his own country and to help build a new Australian cinema.
Is Bruce Beresford still making films in his eighties?
Yes, Beresford made Ladies in Black in 2018, when he was in his late seventies, and he has continued to work as a writer and director. He lives in Sydney, and he is still respected as one of the great directors of Australian cinema, with a career of more than fifty years.
