Lean, Sir David

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Lean, Sir David (1908–91) English film director. His early films, such as In Which We Serve (1942) and Brief Encounter (1945), were collaborations with Noel Coward. Lean followed these with the Dickens’ adaptations, Great Expectations (1946) and Oliver Twist (1948). He is best known for meticulously crafted, visual spectaculars such as The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962), winning an Academy Award for best director for the latter. Other films include Doctor Zhivago (1965) and Ryan's Daughter (1970). In 1984 he made his final film, A Passage to India, and was knighted.

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