William Nicholson was born on January 12, 1948 in Tonbridge, Kent, England, UK. He is a producer and writer, known for Les Misérables (2012), Gladiator (2000) and Unbroken (2014). He earned his first Oscar nomination for writing the screenplay for Shadowlands (1993). He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2015 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to Drama and Literature.
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Biography from TMDB.
- January 12, 1948 (78)
- Lewis, Sussex, England, UK
- Writer, also director
- 17 on MovieCove · 24 credits in all
What are William Nicholson's films like?
Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 17
Light 2 · Serious 3 · Dark 12
A split, not a type: Grounded 9 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 2
Gentle 1 · Charged 6 · Intense 10
A split, not a type: Steady 7 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 4
Straight-faced 17 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
A split, not a type: Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0
A split, not a type: Casual 8 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 2
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 12
Resolved 13 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet13
- Tragic1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch William Nicholson's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for William Nicholson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
24 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Thirteen Lives(2022)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Hope Gap(2019)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Breathe(2017)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Everest(2015)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Unbroken(2014)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Les Misérables(2012)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
The Many Lives of Richard Attenborough (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Gladiator(2000)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Grey Owl(1999)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Firelight(1997)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Crime of the Century(1996)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
First Knight(1995)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Nell(1994)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Shadowlands(1993)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Sarafina!(1992)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
A Private Matter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
The March (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
The Vision (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Life Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Shadowlands(1985)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Screen Two (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Martin Luther, Heretic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Career shape
A full career of 24 titles from 1983 to 2022.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do William Nicholson's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 82nd percentile, the median of all 17; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 75th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up11
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th2
Shape of the crowd
10 of their 17 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved4
- Crowd Pleaser10
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the dialogue 54/100 and the plot and story 50/100 in their films, across 17 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is William Nicholson's work okay for kids?
Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, frightening / intense runs heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does William Nicholson work with?
People who share at least 2 of William Nicholson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; David M. Thompson shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Richard AttenboroughShared titles: Grey Owl (1999), Shadowlands (1993)See all 2 shared titles with Richard Attenborough
Actors
- Tom HollanderShared titles: Breathe (2017), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Tom Hollander
- Eddie RedmayneShared titles: Les Misérables (2012), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Eddie Redmayne
- Russell CroweShared titles: Les Misérables (2012), Gladiator (2000)See all 2 shared titles with Russell Crowe
- Joss AcklandShared titles: Firelight (1997), Shadowlands (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Joss Ackland
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Alex HeffesShared titles: Hope Gap (2019), Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Alex Heffes
- George FentonShared titles: Grey Owl (1999), Shadowlands (1993)See all 2 shared titles with George Fenton
- Lesley WalkerShared titles: Grey Owl (1999), Shadowlands (1993)See all 2 shared titles with Lesley Walker
- Roger PrattShared titles: Grey Owl (1999), Shadowlands (1993)See all 2 shared titles with Roger Pratt
Producers
- David M. ThompsonShared titles: Hope Gap (2019), Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013), Sarafina! (1992), Shadowlands (1985)See all 4 shared titles with David M. Thompson
- Eric FellnerShared titles: Everest (2015), Les Misérables (2012), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)See all 3 shared titles with Eric Fellner
- Tim BevanShared titles: Everest (2015), Les Misérables (2012), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)See all 3 shared titles with Tim Bevan
- Jonathan CavendishShared titles: Breathe (2017), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Jonathan Cavendish
