Phillip Noyce

Having established himself as an accomplished practitioner of the thriller genre in his native Australia, director Phillip Noyce came to Hollywood, where he became a director-for-hire on several studio films before returning home to helm two of his most acclaimed films. Noyce first made a name for himself in the Australian film industry with his period drama, "Newsfront" (1978), before moving to television to helm the critically hailed miniseries "The Dismissal" (1983). Later in the decade, he found international success with the taut thriller, "Dead Calm" (1989), which gained him entrée into Hollywood while helping introduce the world to Aussie actress Nicole Kidman. But once he began directing studio movies, Noyce's track record became hit-or-miss. After an inauspicious American debut with the improbable Rutger Hauer thriller "Blind Fury" (1989), he directed Harrison Ford as government agent Jack Ryan in the popular "Patriot Games" (1992). Noyce found himself in the doghouse after directing Sharon Stone in the rather ridiculous "Sliver" (1993), before rebounding nicely by reuniting with Ford for "Clear and Present Danger" (1994). Following "The Saint" (1997) and "The Bone Collector" (1998), Noyce had tired of Hollywood and returned to Australia to direct two of his best films, "Rabbit-Proof Fence" (2002) and "The Quiet American" (2002), both of which rejuvenated his creative juices and allowed him to confidently return to Hollywood later in the decade.