Gordon Lewis is an Irish–British film producer and author. Known for producing numerous music films and concerts for George Michael, Soft Cell, The Pretenders, Queen, John Lydon, The Cure, Talk Talk, Paul Weller, Roger Taylor, Depeche Mode, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Neil Young, Elton John, and David Bowie.[1]
Gordon Lewis | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gordon Lewis Dublin, Ireland |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Website | www |
Early life
editBorn in Dublin, Ireland, Lewis spent his childhood with his mother Cathleen at Regina Coeli, a haven for over 150 mothers and their children.[2][3][4] Lewis move to London and left school at 15, and he started as a messenger at London Weekend Television (LWT).[5]
Career
editIn 1980, Lewis set up the Gordon Lewis Organisation (GLO). He produced co-productions with ABC network in the USA and ITV, 'Where Were You' TV series. GLO had offices in London and Los Angeles. Music acts Lewis produced include Queen, Bananarama, Terence Trent D'arby, John Lydon, Dead or Alive, ABC, Men Without Hats, and Bryan Ferry; and the feature film, 'The Cure in Orange', for cinema.[6]
Lewis moved into making commercials. The first commercial, Tuborg Lager, featured the music of The Art of Noise and won nine International awards. The directors who worked for GLO were Tim Pope, Peter Care, Duncan Gibbons, Mark Romanek, Vaughan Arnell, and Jake Scott.
In 1987, Lewis moved into other businesses, opened the first stylish café bars and clubs in Soho, London, and became known as The Sultan of Soho. .[7]
Lewis wrote his debut book, Secret Child, in 2015, published by HarperCollins and became a Sunday Times bestseller. He released 2022 Little People and Soho Hustle in 2023. Coming in late 2024, Soho Hustle USA and Frank Duff, Forgotten Irish Hero.[8][9]
Lewis and Ho produced award-winning short films. Yewweng Ho directed Secret Child (2018) and Mical (2020), which received rave reviews and many international film festival awards. In 2024, Dream of the Return won 8 awards. Darius Shu was the cinematographer for the films.[10]
Filmography
editMusic videos
editSome of the music videos produced by Gordon Lewis[11]
| Year | Artist | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Sex Pistols | Anarchy in the UK |
| 1977 | Rod Stewart | You're in My Heart |
| Sex Pistols | Pretty Vacant | |
| Bonnie Tyler | It's A Heartache | |
| 1981 | Soft Cell | Tainted Love |
| 1982 | Wham! | Young Guns |
| Soft Cell | Sex Dwarf | |
| 1983 | Kim Wilde | Dancing in the Dark |
| Neil Young & The Shocking Pinks | Wonderin' | |
| Men Without Hats | The Safety Dance | |
| The Pretenders | 2000 Miles | |
| 1984 | Slade | Run Runaway |
| Hall & Oates | Adult Education | |
| The Cars | Magic | |
| Queen | It's a Hard Life | |
| 1985 | Depeche Mode | Shake the Disease |
| The Style Council | Speak Like A Child | |
| Thomas Dolby | May The Cube Be With You | |
| The Cure | Close to Me | |
| Depeche Mode | It's Called A Heart | |
| Talk Talk | Life's What You Make It | |
| Bonnie Tyler | Loving You's a Dirty Job | |
| 1986 | Talk Talk | It's My Life |
| Bananarama | Venus | |
| Public Image Limited (John Lydon/Johnny Rotten) | Rise | |
| Jermaine Stewart | We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off | |
| 1987 | Terence Trent D'Arby | Dance Little Sister |
| ABC | King Without A Crown | |
| 1977 | The The | Infected |
| David Bowie | Time Will Crawl | |
| Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam | Someone to Love Me for Me | |
| 1988 | The Pretenders | The Singles |
| 1988 | Mel & Kim | That's the Way It Is |
| 1990 | Natural History | The Very Best of Talk Talk |
| 2000 | The Pretenders | Greatest Hits |
| 2001 | The Cure | Greatest Hits |
| 2003 | David Bowie | Best of Bowie |
| 2003 | Queen | Greatest Video Hits |
Films
edit| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Soft Cell: Non Stop Erotic Cabaret | Tim Pope |
| 1987 | The Cure in Orange | Tim Pope |
| 2018 | Secret Child | Yewweng Ho |
| 2020 | Mical | Yewweng Ho |
| 2021 | Dream of the Return | Yewweng Ho |
Books
edit- Secret Child (2015)
- Secret to Sultan (2020)
References
edit- ^ "Soho Hustle | Gordon Lewis". Soho Hustle. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ ""Secret Child" – short film portrays pain of growing up in an Irish mother and babies home". IrishCentral.com. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ Association, British Dyslexia. "The accidental author: Gordon Lewis". British Dyslexia Association. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ "'Being there meant my mother and I could be together'". independent. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ McDonagh, Michael J. "How an Irish boy born in a home for unwed mothers became an international success story". The Irish Post. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "Gordon Lewis | About". Secret Child. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ McDonagh, Michael J. "How an Irish boy born in a home for unwed mothers became an international success story". The Irish Post. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ "Andrew Lownie Literary Agency :: Book :: Secret Child". Andrew Lownie Literary Agency. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ "Gordon Lewis (author of Secret Child)". HarperCollins Publishers UK. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "Mical | Official Film Site". Mical The Film. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ "Gordon Lewis". IMDb. Retrieved 14 September 2021.