Nicholas Hytner

Sir Nicholas Robert Hytner (born 7 May 1956) is a theatre director, film director, and film producer. He was previously the Artistic Director of London's National Theatre. His major successes while director include Miss Saigon, The History Boys and One Man, Two Guvnors.

Early life

Hytner was born in the prosperous suburbs of south Manchester in 1956, to barrister Benet Hytner and his wife, Joyce. He is the eldest child of four, and has described his upbringing as being in "a typical Jewish, cultured family".

He attended Manchester Grammar School and went to University at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he studied English. He did some acting whilst at University, including co-scripting and performing in a televised production of the 1977 Cambridge Footlights Revue. However, Hytner did not consider acting his strong point. "I think I was savvy enough when I went to Cambridge to discover I was a poor actor," he said later. He also did some directing, including a production of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.