Forsyth, Bill (1946- )

Scottish film director and screenwriter. Forsyth established a reputation with a series of comedies set in Scotland, including Gregory's Girl (1980) and Local Hero (1983), which combined whimsy and dry humour.

His first feature film was That Sinking Feeling (1979). Other films include Comfort and Joy (1984), Housekeeping (1987), and Being Human (1994). In 1988 he wrote and directed Gregory's Two Girls, a sequel to his most popular success.

Forsyth began his career directing documentaries and industrial films. His work with the Glasgow Youth Theatre from 1972 culminated in That Sinking Feeling, in which, within the framework of a gently comedic genre piece, he juxtaposes a recognizably contemporary world with sympathetic portraits of inveterate dreamers. From Gregory's idle fantasizing about his dream woman to the villagers' sabotage of a Texan oilman's plans in Local Hero, the line that separates the real and magical worlds is subtly blurred in Forsyth's work.