John Richard Schlesinger CBE (16 February 1926 – 25 July 2003) was an acclaimed English film and stage director, and actor. He emerged in the early 1960s as part of the British New Wave, later transitioning to a successful Hollywood career. Known for directing films revisiting provocative subject matter and being one of the rare openly gay directors in mainstream cinema, his notable works include 'A Kind of Loving' (1962), 'Billy Liar' (1963), and 'Far from the Madding Crowd' (1967). He received an Academy Award for Best Director for 'Midnight Cowboy' (1969) and Oscar nominations for 'Darling' (1965) and 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' (1971). His other œuvres include 'The Day of the Locust' (1975), 'Marathon Man' (1976), 'Madame Sousatzka' (1988), and 'Cold Comfort Farm' (1995). He earned several accolades including an Academy Award, four BAFTA Awards and received nominations for three Golden Globe Awards. In 1970, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1970 Birthday Honours for services to film, and in 2002, he was made a BAFTA Fellow. Schlesinger additionally served as an associate director of the Royal National Theatre. Four of Schlesinger's films are on the British Film Institute's Top 100 British films.