Who Is Alex Garland And What Movies Has He Directed?

Quick Facts

Alex Garland is one of those people who seem to have almost done it all as far as the creative world is concerned. He is a writer, a movie director, and producer who is known for works such as Ex Machina, and he has also been involved in video games as a writer and supervisor. With a career that has spanned more than 2 decades, the multi-talented English writer has recorded a wide range of achievements that include his visible works as well as nominations and awards won.

Who Is Alex Garland?

As noted, the Englishman is a filmmaker and writer among a lot of other things. He was born Alexander Medawar Garland in London, England on 26 May, 1970. He was brought up by his parents, Caroline Medawar a Psychologist and the political cartoonist Nicolas Garland together with an older half-sister (Emily) and a younger brother (Theodore).

Before his parents got married, his father who also had a career in the theatre as a director was first married to Harriet Crittall for only two years before the marriage ended in 1968. The next year, his father and mother tied the knot but their union ended in 1994 and the next year, he married Priscilla Roth.

For his education, the grandson of Nobel Prize-winning British biologist Peter Medawar went to the University of Manchester from where he obtained a degree in History of Art.

Following his education, he moved to South East Asia where he remained for the next 6 months before finally returning frequently to the Philippines, a place he has come to love.

He started his career as a novelist in 1996 with the publication of his first work, The Beach which is based on his journey across Europe. The novel which has grown into a classic has been translated into many languages and has sold close to a million copies has been adapted into a film. His next work, The Tesseract was released in 1998 but not to the same success as his first work. His third book, The Coma came in 2004, receiving mixed reactions.

As a filmmaker, he started his career as a screenwriter for 28 Days Later. In 2007, he produced his first film, 28 Weeks Later and he also wrote Sunshine. In 2010, he wrote and produced Never Let Me Go, followed by Dredd in 2012. Alex Garland made his directorial debut in 2014 when he wrote and directed Ex Machina, followed by Annihilation in 2018.

Garland was also involved in a couple of video games; Enslaved: Odyssey to the West as a co-writer in 2010 and then DmC Devil May Cry as a story supervisor.

The writer is married, he tied the knot with British actress and director, Paloma Baeza who is of Mexican descent. Their union has been blessed with two kids, Eva and Milo. The couple has managed to keep most things about their personal life away from the public domain.

What Movies Has Alex Garland Directed?

Although famous as a writer and filmmaker, Alex Garland does not have too many films under his belt. In fact, as a director, he has only been involved in two films; Ex Machina (2014) and Annihilation (2018).

1. Ex Machina (2014)

Without prior directing experience, Garland achieved so much with this film which he also wrote. The film earned him a lot of accolades including the British Independent Film Awards, Directors Guild of America Award, and the Silver Scream Award among others. More so, it got some nominations including the Saturn Award nominations for best writing and best directing. It also got an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

This psychological sci-fi tells the story of a programmer who after winning a competition, finds himself participating in an experiment that centers on the development of a humanoid artificial intelligence that is extremely true.

2. Annihilation (2018)

Only the second film he wrote and also direct, this 2018 film did not record the same success as the first but it also received wide praises.

In this movie, a former biologist Lena who is portrayed by Natalie Portman joins a mission into a quarantine zone for mutating animals and plants known as “The Shimmer” with the aim of discovering what happened to her husband. As she would find out, the laws of nature do not apply there.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.