Sharon Maguire

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

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

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

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

Filmography

Films

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

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

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