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David Yates

A skilled director with a strong visual style and a flair for realism who crafted stories of modern intrigue and corruption, David Yates made the rare jump from working on edgy television projects in his native England to overseeing one of the world's most lucrative film series. After a decade-long journey which brought him to the forefront of small screen drama, Yates hit his stride with the arresting political dramas "State of Play" (2003) and "Sex Traffic" (2004), both of which lead to BAFTA Awards recognition and the unlikely assignment of taking over the blockbuster "Harry Potter" franchise. Of course, his British roots may have explained a bit of why he was brought to Hollywood to begin work on "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (2007), but his penchant for rather bleak material in the past might not have put him on top of the list for desired directors. It was, however, his work on British television that caught the attention of producers, allowing Yates to settle in to direct the final four installments to the series. Following "Order of the Phoenix," he directed "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (2009), and the highly anticipated finale "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" (2010) and "Part 2" (2011), each of which earned widespread critical praise while smashing box office records. Because of a certain young wizard, Yates was suddenly an in-demand filmmaker who had virtual carte blanche to direct anything he wanted.