Steve Barron

Early life

Barron was born in Dublin on 4 May 1956, the son of filmmaker Zelda Barron (née Solomons, 1929–2006) and actor Ron Barron. His mother was born in Manchester to an English mother and Russian father. His parents married in 1953 but the marriage was later dissolved. He has an older sister named Siobhan. He was raised in London and attended St Marylebone Grammar School.

Career

Camera Assistant

Steve Barron began his film career as a camera assistant on some of the biggest motion pictures made in Europe of the 1970s. These included Richard Attenborough’s epic A Bridge Too Far, Ridley Scott’s “The Duellists” and Richard Donner’s blockbuster Superman.

Music videos

With an eye on the evolving music industry of the late 1970s, Barron then co-founded a production company called Steploes to produce two concert films, one of which featured the influential rock band The Jam. Barron would then direct several music videos for them, including the UK number one hit "Going Underground”. The company eventually changed its name to Limelight and by 1983 it was the biggest music video production company in the world.

Drawing on his camera assistant experience, Barron decided to have the music video for The Human League’s "Don't You Want Me" photographed on the more cinematic 35mm film as opposed to 16mm and video. The elevated technical quality and his cinematic visuals earned heavy rotation on the new television channel, MTV. It also caught the attention of musical superstar Michael Jackson, for whom Barron then conceived and directed the award winning and highly influential “Billie Jean” - the first single of the world’s best-selling album, Thriller.

Many of these music videos combined his passion for animation and the latest electronic video post production technology. They included the groundbreaking computer animated "Money for Nothing" for Dire Straits, which would win Best Video at the 1986 MTV Awards. Barron was also awarded best director for his live action and animated music video for "Take On Me" by A-ha.

Feature Film Debut

In 1984, Barron’s debut feature film was the music-led romantic comedy Electric Dreams starring Virginia Madsen, released worldwide by Virgin and MGM. It made innovative use of the unique grammar and imagery that he helped pioneer for MTV, aided by a soundtrack featuring Culture Club, Giorgio Moroder and Jeff Lynne. Critics such as Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel heaped praise on Barron's direction of the movie.

In 1987, Barron joined forces with Muppet creator Jim Henson, screenwriter Anthony Minghella and producer Duncan Kenworthy, making his first foray into network television as a lead director. The show ‘Jim Henson’s The Storyteller’, starred John Hurt and a host of characters created using innovative, state of the art animatronic technology from Jim Henson's Creature Shop.

‘The Storyteller’ won an Emmy for the pilot episode 'Hans My Hedgehog' for NBC. His second episode 'Fearnot' broadcast in 1987, while a third, 'Sapsorrow', broadcast in 1988. The Washington Post said of 'Fearnot' - "This fantasy turns the television screen into Alice's looking glass, Snow White's magic mirror and The Thief of Baghdad's all-seeing eye. It is so seductively imaginative that you can almost feel it pulling you into a bottomless tube”.

Feature Films

In 1990, Barron's second movie became the first independent feature to break the 100 million-dollar theatrical barrier in the U.S. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles grossed over $200 million dollars worldwide. The film married the innovative visuals of MTV with state of the art, computerised Jim Henson animatronics and puppetry.

A Grammy nomination followed for Dire Straits' 'Calling Elvis' and the Billboard Best Director award for Natalie Cole's 'Unforgettable' duet with her father Nat King Cole.

In the mid-nineties Barron directed the Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin starring feature Coneheads for Paramount. He was Executive Producer on the Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone picture The Specialist, and the highly successful While You Were Sleeping starring Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman. He was also Executive Producer on ReBoot, the first fully computer animated network series.

In 1996, Barron directed The Adventures of Pinocchio, starring Oscar winner Martin Landau as well as the title character played by Jonathan Taylor Thomas, with sophisticated puppetry by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. The Washington Post wrote of the film, "The Adventures of Pinocchio evokes the look and language of traditional European picture book tales, and does so with so much charm that it offers a fresh new delight, not just a pale live-action imitation, of the Disney animated classic."

In autumn of 1998, Barron directed Merlin, a lavish $30 million television two-part series produced by Hallmark for NBC in America. Merlin attracted a stellar cast including Sam Neill, Helena Bonham-Carter, Miranda Richardson, Isabella Rossellini, Martin Short, James Earl Jones, Sir John Gielgud and Rutger Hauer. It was filmed at Pinewood Studios and featured extensive digital imagery and post production created by Framestore, whom Barron had been involved with during his music video days. 'Merlin' was nominated for 15 Emmy's, 4 Golden Globes and a DGA nod for outstanding Directing.

In 1999, Barron completed the two-part mini-series Arabian Nights, this time for the ABC network in America. Photographed on location in Turkey and Morocco, its stars include Alan Bates, Jason Scott Lee, John Leguizamo, Dougray Scott and Rufus Sewell. The show aired on ABC TV in the USA and BBC1 in the UK simultaneously, earning 5 more Emmy and a US National Television Critics nomination. Praising its presentation, Variety reviewer Michael Speier remarked: "A well–researched project that takes advantage of an accomplished cast, two-parter gets a big nod in the class department.”

Later Career

Barron was presented with an 'Outstanding Achievement in Music Videos' award at the Hammersmith Palais in London. 2007 also brought a Gotham Award for his first original screenplay Choking Man. Through these years Barron Exec-Produced two feature documentaries for 'Peace One Day' and 'The Day After Peace' with Jude Law and Angelina Jolie, which premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival and Cannes respectively. The film charts Jeremy Gilley's incredible journey to create a day of peace in the world calendar.

In 2009, Barron directed the Sci-Fi internet drama pilot ‘Slingers’, starring Sean Pertwee, with visual effects once again by Framestore.

2011 saw Barron direct the miniseries Treasure Island, for Sky and SyFy, starring Eddie Izzard, Elijah Wood and Donald Sutherland. Filmed in Dublin and Puerto Rico, Barron achieved two more Emmy nominations.

Premiering in 2013, Barron directed the Artificial Intelligence thriller mini-series for Sonar Entertainment - 'Delete'. It would win two Leo Awards, and starred Seth Green, Theresa Russell and Gil Bellows.

Between 2014 to 2019, Barron was lead director of season 1 and 2 of the highly rated ITV comedy drama, The Durrells, and directed the final three closing episodes of the forth and final season. Meredith Blake for the LA Times had this to say of the show, which received a BAFTA nomination for Best Dramatic Series:

“Not surprisingly, the series is gorgeous to look at, with special attention paid to the Corfiot flora and fauna. As usual in these British period pieces, the cast is uniformly excellent. The Durrell children are vividly realized oddballs, each irritating and endearing in nearly equal measure.”

In 2019, Barron returned to feature films, directing Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr. Oscar nominee Tom Berenger and Beau Bridges in the irreverent, superhero themed comedy, “Supervized”.

In 2021, Barron was the lead director of the David Tennant starring £40M international co-production of Around the World in 80 Days, with Romania and South Africa standing in for multiple world-wide locations. Produced by Slim Film + TV during the height of the COVID pandemic, critic Sheena Scott for Forbes stated “At a time when travel is becoming increasingly difficult, if not impossible, Around the World in 80 Days is a great period series to escape to.”

Sustainable Farming

In addition to directing television and film, Barron is also greatly committed to sustainable living, owning and operating the 53 acre Margent Farm in Cambridge, UK. The site grows and harvests hemp for organic, bio-composite building materials.

Autobiography

In November 2014, Barron published his autobiography, Egg n Chips & Billie Jean: A Trip Through the Eighties.

Filmography

Film

Cameraman

Trauma (1976)

The Duellists (1977)

A Bridge Too Far (1977)

Superman (1978) (Uncredited)

Executive producer

The Specialist (1994)

While You Were Sleeping (1995)

Peace One Day (2004) (Documentary)

Music videos

A-ha – "Take On Me" (1985), "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." (1985), "Hunting High and Low" (1986), "Cry Wolf" (1986), "Manhattan Skyline" (1987), "The Living Daylights" (1987), "Crying in the Rain" (1990), "Butterfly, Butterfly" (2010)

Adam and the Ants – "Antmusic" (1980)

Bryan Adams – "Cuts Like a Knife" (1983), "This Time" (1983), "Run to You" (1984), "Heaven" (1985), "Summer of '69" (1985)

Culture Club – "God Thank You Woman" (1986)

David Bowie – "As the World Falls Down" (1986) "Underground" (1986)

Def Leppard – "Let's Get Rocked" (1992)

Dire Straits – "Money for Nothing" (1985), "Heavy Fuel" (1991)

Dolly Parton – "Potential New Boyfriend" (1983)

Eddy Grant – "Electric Avenue" (1982), "I Don't Wanna Dance" (1982), "Living on the Front Line" (1983)

Fleetwood Mac – "Hold Me" (1982)

Fun Boy Three – "It Ain't What You Do...." (1982)

Heaven 17 – "Penthouse and Pavement" (1981), "Let Me Go" (1982), "Temptation" (1983)

The Human League – "Don't You Want Me" (1981), "Love Action" (1981), "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" (1983)

The Jam – "Strangetown" (1978), "When You're Young" (1979), "Going Underground" (1979), "Dreams of Children" (1979)