Fred Schepisi began his production career in the advertising world in Melbourne, Australia, where he served as head of the Film House for almost 20 years, directing both commercials and documentaries. His first feature-length film was the semi-autobiographical 'The Devil's Playground' . Featuring Paul Newman, Ed Harris, Joanne Woodward, Robin Wright Penn and Helen Hunt, this film debuted in the U.S. on HBO, was nominated for a number of awards and won a Golden Globe for Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture made for Television. Fred was awarded the Order of Australia for his service to the Australian film industry as a director, producer and screenwriter.
Father of actress Alexandra Schepisi.
Name is pronounced Skep-See.
Has directed 2 actresses to Oscar-nominated performances: Meryl Streep (Best Actress, Evil Angels ), and Stockard Channing (Best Actress, Six Degrees of Separation ).
(March 2004) Resides in Melbourne, Australia
