David Leland

Born: April 20 1947
Where: Cambridge, UK

The writer and director is probably best known for the BAFTA-winning British seaside drama Wish You Were Here, which launched the career of Emily Lloyd.

As a writer, he cut his teeth with extensive television work before going on to pen the scripts for movies including Mona Lisa, Personal Services and Land Girls.

On the directing front, he debuted with Wish You Were Here (which he also wrote) and also helmed The Big Man, Checking Out and the George Harrison tribute concert.

He also directed the gritty Bastogne segment of Steven Spielberg's WWII TV series Band of Brothers.

Leland also makes the occasional minor appearance as an actor and has turned up in Scars of Dracula, The Missionary and When Saturday Comes.

Originally an actor, he began writing for the stage and TV in the 1970s when Made in Britain caught the attention of Neil Jordan.

In 1986, he hired Leland to work on the screenplay for the acclaimed Mona Lisa, starring Bob Hoskins and Cathy Tyson.

The following year, Leland wrote the script for Terry Jones' Personal Services, based on the life of British madam Cynthia Payne.

Payne's teenage years were the focus of Leland's feature directorial debut Wish You Were Here, starring newcomer Lloyd.

He fared less well with his subsequent features - the 1988 comedy Checking Out and The Big Man in 1990.

After an eight year absence, he returned to features as co-scripter and director of The Land Girls, the story of the women who worked as farmers during WWII.

Recent work includes the Concert for George, a documentary film of the moving tribute to George Harrison organised by Eric Clapton and including appearances by Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty.