Tom Hooper was educated at one of England's most prestigious schools, Westminster. His first film, Runaway Dog, was made when he was 13 years old and shot on a Clockwork 16mm Bolex camera, using 100 feet of film. At age 18, he wrote, directed and produced the short film Painted Faces (1992), which premiered at the London Film Festival; it was released theatrically and later shown on Channel 4. He studied English at England's top university, Oxford. At Oxford University, he directed theatre productions starring his contemporaries Kate Beckinsale and Emily Mortimer, and directed his first television commercials. His father was a non-executive director at United News and Media, which owned an ITV franchise.

Hooper's father introduced him to the British television director and producer Matthew Robinson, who gave him breaks by employing him to direct episodes of Byker Grove (1989) and EastEnders (1985), both series produced by Robinson. Further success came when he was approved by Helen Mirren to direct her in Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness (2003). He then worked with her again on Elizabeth I (2005). Hooper made the difficult transition from television to film with apparent ease, directing Michael Sheen in the Brian Clough biopic The Damned United (2009) and Colin Firth in The King's Speech (2010). Both films were critical and commercial successes, quickly establishing Hooper as one of the most in demand directors of his generation.

Hooper has garnered numerous awards in his career. He won an Academy Award for directing The King's Speech. The 2010 film was nominated for 12 Oscars, more than any other film of that year, and also won the Best Picture, Best Actor (Colin Firth), and Best Original Screenplay Oscars. The King's Speech received seven BAFTA Awards, including Best Film and Outstanding British Film. Hooper also won a Directors Guild of America Award for his direction. Among other accolades worldwide, The King's Speech additionally was honored with the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival; the Best British Film prize at the British Independent Film Awards; the Spirit Award for Best Foreign Film; the Producers Guild of America Awards' top prize; and the European Film Award for Best Film. The King's Speech earned $414 million at the worldwide box office.

Hooper was recently again a Directors Guild of America Award nominee for directing Working Title Films' Les Misérables. The 2012 film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won the Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway), Best Sound, and Best Make-up and Hair Styling Academy Awards. Les Misérables received those same accolades at the BAFTA Awards, as well as the BAFTA for Best Production Design. Among other accolades worldwide, Les Misérables was named one of the year's 10 Best Films by the American Film Institute with an AFI Award; won three Golden Globe Awards including Best Picture [Musical/Comedy]; was voted the Best Acting by an Ensemble award by the National Board of Review; and was nominated for four Screen Actors Guild Awards. Les Misérables earned $442 million at the worldwide box office.

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Trivia

Educated at Westminster School, London.
Studied English at Oxford University.
Directed 7 actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush, Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, and Alicia Vikander. Firth, Vikander and Hathaway won Oscars for their work in Hooper's movies.

Personal Quotes 

[speaking in 2009] I grew up in London and I grew up with the nice sense that the place that did the best drama in the world was London, and American television drama was awful, and you had a nice sort of sense of superiority. And I kind of feel that's been almost turned on its head. I certainly feel like English TV drama isn't necessarily taking as many risks as it perhaps once did and I feel there's a tremendous pressure to come up with the new detective story, to come up with the new hospital drama. Ironically, it's HBO who are at the moment fulfilling this role of old-fashioned public service broadcast.
[on the characterization of George VI in 'The King's Speech'] I didn't want to make a film about the miracle cure.The truth about most disabilities is it's about living with them - there is no miracle.
I'm sitting at the Oscars [in 2012] pretty sure that I'm going to direct "Les Miz" but not sure at all who I'm going to cast. And Anne Hathaway steps forth, to the front of the stage and sings a rendition of "On My Own," to Hugh Jackman. And I'm going: Hold on a second, is Anne Hathaway using the Oscar stage as the ultimate auditioning platform for her talents and is she also suggesting Hugh Jackman while she's at it? Or is this just coincidence? She claims it's coincidence. I think she's too shrewd. But we'll never know.
[on directing 'Les Miserables'] We live in a selfish age, obsessed with how we project various versions of ourselves. But you have to tell this story from the point-of-view that God exists. And what God means in practice is the act of compassion, the struggle of living your life in a moral way.