| Birth date | 21 February 1958 (age 68) |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Germany |
| Occupation | Film and television director, screenwriter, novelist |
| Years active | 1981–present |
Timothy "Tim" Sullivan (born 21 February 1958) is a German-born British film and television director and screenwriter, known for his work with Granada Television and his feature film Jack and Sarah (1995). More recently, he is better known as a crime fiction writer, with a series of novels featuring an autistic detective, DS George Cross.
Early life and education
Tim Sullivan was born in Germany, where his father was stationed with the Royal Air Force. He attended Clifton College in Bristol, England, before gaining an exhibition scholarship to read English and Law at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.[1][2] While at Cambridge, Sullivan was a member of the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club, and partnered with writer Richard Maher on the play Klev, which ran at the Crown Theatre, Hill Place in 1978.[3] He also supplied extras to Chariots of Fire (1981).
Career
After leaving Cambridge Sullivan got a summer job as a chauffeur to Anthony Andrews on the production of Brideshead Revisited. The producer Derek Granger learned that Sullivan was writing a screenplay with Derek Jarman (Bob Upadown), and encouraged him to get a job as a researcher with Granada Television.[1]
After working as a researcher on the first series of Alfresco, Sullivan and Richard Maher partnered to write their first television series, a sitcom entitled The Train Now Leaving, set in the dining carriage of an InterCity train running between London and Manchester. Granada commissioned seven 30-minute scripts for development.[4]
Sullivan stayed at Granada for several more years, directing episodes of series such as Busman's Holiday, Stop That Laughing at the Back, Coronation Street and The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes, as well as adapting A Handful of Dust as a feature film for London Weekend Television (1988) and directing Thatcher: The Final Days (1991).[1][5] In 1995, Sullivan wrote and directed his first feature film, Jack and Sarah, starring Richard E. Grant and Samantha Mathis. The film was inspired by the attention a male colleague at Granada received when his childcare arrangements broke down and he had to bring his child into work.[1]
Into the 2000s, Sullivan worked freelance on many television and film projects, including directing the final episode of Cold Feet for Granada, and the one-off comedy drama Catwalk Dogs for Shed Productions.[5] In 2005, having worked on the film Flushed Away, Sullivan was hired by DreamWorks to write an initial script draft for Shrek 4,[6] though his script was abandoned by the time production on the film began.
Sullivan wrote the film Letters to Juliet, starring Amanda Seyfried, which was released in the United States in 2010, taking over $80 million worldwide. He has been developing a film based on the London Marathon and another The Wedding Dress.[5] He has worked with many notable directors and producers in the US including Ron Howard, Scott Rudin and Jeffrey Katzenberg.
In 2020, Sullivan self-published two crime novels featuring the detective DS George Cross, 'The Dentist' and 'The Cyclist', within four months the two titles achieved over 200,000 downloads and he was signed by British publisher Head of Zeus. Further novels in the DS Cross series, 'The Patient', 'The Politician', 'The Monk', 'The Teacher' and 'The Bookseller' have now been published. The eighth in the series 'The Tailor' will be published in July of 2026.
In June 2023 he was awarded an MLitt with distinction in Crime Fiction and Forensic investigation at the University of Dundee. He also won the Val McDermid dissertation prize.
Filmography
| Year(s) | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | A Handful of Dust | Screenwriter |
| 1991 | Where Angels Fear to Tread | |
| 1995 | Jack and Sarah | Director and screenwriter |
| 2006 | Flushed Away | Additional screenplay material |
| 2010 | Letters to Juliet | Screenwriter |
| 2015 | The von Trapp Family: A Life of Music | |
| 2021 | My Little Pony: A New Generation | Writer Co-producer |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Alfresco | Researcher | 2 episodes |
| 1985 | Wild Winter | Director | 1 episode |
| Hank Wangford at Strangeways | Television special | ||
| Our Backyard | 2 episodes | ||
| TX | 1 episode | ||
| Hold Tight | 1 season | ||
| 1986 | i Feel Fine | 6 episodes | |
| Busman's Holiday | 14 episodes | ||
| 1987 | Stop That Laughing at the Back | 5 episodes | |
| 1988 | Coronation Street | 17 episodes | |
| 1990–1992 | El C.I.D. | 2 episodes | |
| 1990 | Made in Heaven | ||
| 1991 | Thatcher: The Final Days | Television film | |
| 1993–1995 | The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes | 3 episodes | |
| 2003 | Cold Feet | 2 episodes | |
| 2007 | Catwalk Dogs | Television film |
Bibliography
The Dentist (Head of Zeus, 2021)
The Cyclist (Head of Zeus, 2021)
The Patient (Head of Zeus, 2022)
The Politician (Head of Zeus, 2022)
The Monk (Head of Zeus, 2023)
The Teacher (Head of Zeus, 2025)
The Bookseller (Head of Zeus, 2026)
References
- ^ Summers, Sue (18 June 1995). "Cinema/ The British are coming (again)". The Independent (Independent Newspapers): p. 32.
- ^ "Tripos results: English, Education", The Times, 5 July 1978, p. 12.
- ^ Staff (17 August 1978). "Current Production". The Stage and Television Today: p. 48.
- ^ Staff (6 October 1983). "Granada takes on cartoon and BR for new comedies". The Stage and Television Today: p. 19.
- ^ Staff (16 June 2008). "In the right direction". The Independent (Independent News & Media): p. 8.
- ^ Staff (6 March 2005). "DreamWorks plans 'Shrek 4'". Variety.com (Reed Business Information). Retrieved on 29 August 2010.
- Tim Sullivan filmography". British Film Institute. Retrieved on 17 April 2010.
External links
- [1] at RCW literary agents
- Tim Sullivan at IMDb
- "Lights, camera, action" – Profile of Sullivan in Optima, the Fitzwilliam College alumni newsletter (p. 10).
- www.timsullivan.co.uk