Lasse Hallström - Details

Lasse Hallström is known for his charming, humane filmmaking style that embraces life's many unusual characters and situations. Most recently this was brought to the fore in the highly acclaimed "The Cider House Rules," based on John Irving's novel about an orphan who decides to see the world, for which Michael Caine received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Hallström first came to the attention of American audiences with the release of "My Life As A Dog," which he wrote and directed. The film, which follows the adventures of a resilient 12 year old-boy in an eccentric country village, earned universal praise for its winsome warmth and poignancy and garnered Hallström Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay. The New York Film Critics also named "My Life As A Dog" as Best Foreign Film.

Next up for the director was "Once Around," a romantic comedy starring Holly Hunter as a repressed Boston woman who is swept off her feet by an obnoxious salesman millionaire played by Richard Dreyfuss. This was followed by the 1993 hit film "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?," the offbeat tale of a young who holds the troubled Grape family together. The film brought recognition to a young Leonardo DiCaprio, who earned an Oscar nomination for his role as Johnny Depp's autistic younger brother. Hallström then directed "Something to Talk About," starring Julia Roberts, Dennis Quaid, Gena Rowlands, Robert Duvall and Kyra Sedgewick in the story of two generations of a tumultuous Southern family.

Hallström began his career in his native Sweden, working in television and directing music videos, notably for the famed Swedish band ABBA. This relationship led to Hallström directing and editing "ABBA: The Movie" in 1977. He went on to direct several films in his homeland, including "A Lover and his Lass," "Father To Be" and "The Children of Bullerby Village."
Hallström will next direct the motion picture based on E. Annie Proulx's award-winning novel The Shipping News.