Michael Dudok de Wit

Michael Dudok de Wit (born 1953 in Abcoude) is a Dutch animator, director and illustrator based in London. After his high school education in the Netherlands, Dudok de Wit attended the Geneva School of Fine Arts. In 1978, he graduated from the West Surrey College of Art (now the University for the Creative Arts) with his first film The Interview. After working for a year in Barcelona, he settled in London where he directs and animates award-winning commercials for television and cinema. In 1992, he created the short film Tom Sweep, followed by The Monk and the Fish (1994), which was made in France with the studio Folimage. This film was nominated for an Oscar and has won numerous prizes including a César Award for Best Short Film and the Cartoon d'or. Michael also writes and illustrates children's picture books and teaches animation at art colleges in England and abroad. His most well-known film Father and Daughter (2000) won an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, the Grand Prix atAnnecy, and dozens of other major awards. His most recent short film is "The Aroma of Tea" (2006), drawn entirely with tea. All of his films since Tom Sweep feature Michael's trademark brush stroke drawing and his use of ink and watercolour, very much inspired by Chinese and Japanese art. His films: The Monk and the Fish and Father and Daughter were included in the Animation Show of Shows.

Born: January 1, 1953 (Age 71)