NICK PARK (Director/Screenwriter/Producer)

NICK PARK (Director/Screenwriter/Producer) is a three-time Academy Award® winner in the category of Best Animated Short for the films “Creature Comforts,” “The Wrong Trousers” and “A Close Shave.” All three films were created at Aardman, where Park is a Co-Director, together with founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton. “The Wrong Trousers” and “A Close Shave” starred Park’s most famous creations, the cheese-loving Wallace and his faithful canine companion, Gromit.

In 2000, Park directed and produced DreamWorks Animation’s “Chicken Run,” the first feature-length film from Aardman, starring the voice of Mel Gibson. The film went on to be an international box office hit and was named the best-reviewed movie of that year.

Park became interested in animation as a child and started making films in his parents’ attic at the age of 13. One of his earliest works, “Archie’s Concrete Nightmare,” shot on standard 8mm film, was shown on BBC Television in 1975.
He went on to earn a BA in Communication Arts at Sheffield Art School in 1980, before moving on to the National Film & Television School in Beaconsfield, England. While there, he began working on “A Grand Day Out,” which marked the introduction of Wallace & Gromit. In February 1985, Park joined Aardman where he completed the film. He then directed “Creature Comforts” for Aardman’s “Lip Synch” series for Channel 4 Television.

In 1990, “Creature Comforts” won the Academy Award® for Best Animated Short and “A Grand Day Out” received a nomination, giving Park the rare distinction of having two films Oscar®-nominated in the same category in the same year. He also garnered BAFTA Award nominations for both films, this time winning for “A Grand Day Out.”

Park won his second Academy Award® and another BAFTA Award for the Wallace & Gromit film “The Wrong Trousers,” and his third Oscar® and BAFTA Award for “A Close Shave,” also starring the beloved duo. Two of the most successful animated shorts ever made, “The Wrong Trousers” and “A Close Shave” have won over 80 additional awards between them. Collectively, Park and Aardman were also honored with a BAFTA Special Award for Original Contribution to Television. In 1997, Park was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire).

During his tenure at Aardman, Park has also served as a director and animator on numerous projects, including pop promos, title sequences and inserts for children’s television.