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Sharon Maguire

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sharon Maguire (born 17 August 1960) is a film director best known for directing the romantic comedy film Bridget Jones's Diary (2001).[1] The film was based on the book of the same name by her close friend, Helen Fielding, and one of the main characters – "Shazza" – is allegedly based on Maguire.[2][3][4]

Early life

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Born in Coventry to Irish Catholic parents,[5] Maguire studied English and drama at the University of Wales Aberystwyth. After leaving university she worked as a copywriter in publishing before doing a postgraduate degree in journalism at City University, London.

Career

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She began a career in television, working as a researcher for The Media Show (C4) and then as a producer/director at the BBC's The Late Show. She then went on to direct several documentaries for BBC's Omnibus and Bookmark, before leaving the corporation to direct commercials. Bridget Jones's Diary marked Maguire's feature directorial debut.

In 2001, she directed Bridget Jones's Diary from a screenplay by Helen Fielding, Andrew Davies and Richard Curtis which was praised by critics.[6]The film stars Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones, with Colin Firth and Hugh Grant.[7][8]

In 2016, she co-founded the television production company, 7 Stories, which creates scripted drama for TV.[citation needed]

In 2016 she directed Bridget Jones's Baby from a screenplay by Helen Fielding, Dan Mazer and Emma Thompson, based on a story by Fielding. It is the sequel to Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) and the third installment in the Bridget Jones film series. The film stars Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones, Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey.[9] [10]

Personal life

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She has three children with her partner, director Anand Tucker.[11]

Filmography

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Films

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Year Title Role Notes
2001 Bridget Jones's Diary Director [8][6]
2008 Incendiary Writer & Director [12]
2016 Bridget Jones's Baby Director [13][14][15]
2020 Godmothered Director [16]
2020 An Excellent Choice Director
TBA Longbourn Director

Documentary

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Year Title Role Notes
1991 The Thing is... Babies Director C4
1993 The Godfather Director BBC The Late Show
1995 Rumer Godden: An Indian Affair Director BBC Bookmark
1995 H.G. Wells: Bromley Boy Director BBC Bookmark
1995 H.G. Wells: The Panther and the Jaguar Director BBC Bookmark
1997 Dame Henrietta's Dream Director

TV

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Year Title Role Notes
2013 Call Me Crazy: A Five Film Director Lifetime TV

References

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  1. ^ "Sharon Maguire". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  2. ^ April 24, Gillian Flynn; EDT, 2001 at 04:00 AM. "Meet the inner circle that made 'Bridget Jones's Diary'". EW.com. Retrieved 8 January 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "Life support". the Guardian. 3 March 2002. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  4. ^ "This was Plan B, actually". the Guardian. 4 December 2005. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  5. ^ Juarez, Vanessa (24 January 2008). "Sundance BuzzCheck: Michelle Williams' eerie "Incendiary"". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  6. ^ a b Zacharek, Stephanie (13 April 2001). ""Bridget Jones's Diary"". Salon. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Sharon Maguire to make 'modern Pride and Prejudice'". The Guardian. 18 April 2001. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  8. ^ a b Holden, Stephen (13 April 2001). "FILM REVIEW; 120 Pounds and 1,000,000 Cigarettes Later". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  9. ^ movieweather (21 October 2016). Interview Sharon Maguire BRIDGET JONES' BABY. Retrieved 6 March 2025 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ Jaafar, Ali (14 July 2009). "Third 'Bridget Jones' in works". variety.com. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  11. ^ Dawson, Angela. "EXCLUSIVE: Sharon Maguire Returns to Deliver 'Bridget Jones's Baby'". frontrowfeatures.com. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  12. ^ "Film review: Incendiary". the Guardian. 23 October 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  13. ^ Lee, Ashley (16 September 2016). "Rapid Round: 'Bridget Jones' Baby' Director on Fortysomething Stories, Her "Inner Obama Voice" (Q&A)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  14. ^ Holden, Stephen (14 September 2016). "Review: A Zany Renée Zellweger and Mystery Daddy in 'Bridget Jones's Baby'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  15. ^ Travers, Peter (15 September 2016). "'Bridget Jones' Baby' Review: Renée Zellweger Is Back, Better Than Ever". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  16. ^ Winkelman, Natalia (4 December 2020). "'Godmothered' Review: Revising the Fairy Tale Formula". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
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