Trivia

Sam married English actress Kate Winslet in the West Indies in May 2003.

Was born in the same small Reading hospital where his wife, Kate Winslet, was born 10 years later.

His paternal grandparents were of Trinidad's ethnic Portuguese community. His grandfather is famed West Indian writer Alfred H. Mendes.

His father is Trinidadian.

Suggested the idea for initiating production on "Shrek the Musical" to Jeffrey Katzenberg of DreamWorks Animation during the creation of Shrek 2 (2004). Is a big fan of the first "Shrek" film.

He was offered the chance to direct The Avengers (2012) but turned it down.

He is the first Oscar-Winning director to helm a James Bond movie. He is also the first director, since John Glen, to helm two movies in a row.

He was nominated for a 1998 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Director of the 1997 season for "Othello" at the Royal National Theatre.

To date (2009), all of the leading actresses in his films are in relationships with film directors: American Beauty (1999)'s Annette Bening (Warren Beatty), Road to Perdition (2002)'s Jennifer Jason Leigh (Noah Baumbach), Away We Go (2009)'s Maya Rudolph (Paul Thomas Anderson), and his own wife, Kate Winslet, in Revolutionary Road (2008). The only exception is Jarhead (2005), in which the leading actors are all male.

Educated at Cambridge University in Cambridge, England, UK.

He was awarded the Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 2020 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to Drama. He is a theatre and film director in Greater London WC2H, England.

Resides in both New York City and London, England.

He was awarded the 1989 London Critics Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre Award) for Most Promising Newcomer as Director of Minerva Studio in Chichester, England.

Along with Delbert Mann, Jerome Robbins, Robert Redford, James L. Brooks and Kevin Costner, he is one of only six people to win the Academy Award for Best Director for their directorial debut: Mann for Marty (1955), Robbins for West Side Story (1961) (which he co-directed with Robert Wise, Redford for Ordinary People (1980), Brooks for Terms of Endearment (1983), Costner for Dances with Wolves (1990) and Mendes for American Beauty (1999).

Is a big cricket fan and is said to have incorporated the ideas of former England cricket captain Mike Brearly in his direction.

Directed 4 actors in Oscar nominated performances: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Paul Newman, and Michael Shannon. Spacey won for his performance in American Beauty (1999).

He was awarded the 2003 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Director of 2002 for "Twelfth Night" and "Uncle Vanya" in repertory company at the Donmar Warehouse in London.

Announced new film and theater production company, Scamp, with his two business partners, Pippa Harris (who heads the film division) and Caro Newling (who heads the theater division). Dreamworks is to automatically get first privileges with all of Scamp's film projects. (February 2004)

It was announced in March 2010 that he and Kate Winslet had separated earlier the same year.

He is one of only six directors to win an Academy Award for Best Director for their debut film.

He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1996 (1995 season) for Best Director for both "Company" and "The Glass Menagerie" at the Donmar Warehouse.

He is directing Julianne Moore and Bill Nighy in the Broadway theater production of "The Vertical Hour" in New York City. (January 2007)

He was awarded the 2003 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award: Special for his services and contributions as Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse for the past ten years.

He was awarded the 2002 London Critics Circle Theatre Award (Drama) for Best Director for both "Uncle Vanya" and "Twelfth Night" performed at the Donmar Warehouse.

Was nominated for Broadway's 1998 Tony Award as Best Director (Musical), along with collaborator Rob Marshall, for a revival of "Cabaret."

He was awarded the C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honors List for his services to drama.

He was nominated for Best Director at the 1999 Laurence Olivier Theatre Awards for the 1998 production of "The Blue Room".

He was awarded the 1995 London Critics Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre) for Best Director for "The Glass Menagerie".

Cites German director Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas (1984) as an "untouchable masterpiece".

He has listed his ten favorite films as The 400 Blows (1959), Blue Velvet (1986), Citizen Kane (1941), Fanny and Alexander (1984) The Godfather Part II (1974), Kes (1969), Rosemary's Baby (1968), Taxi Driver (1976), There Will Be Blood (2007) and Vertigo (1958).

Taught cricket (his passion) at Summer Fields School, Oxford, UK after leaving school for a year.

In 2000, he won his first Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play for his production of "The Real Thing".

Childhood friend of Tom Hollander.

Son, Joe Alfie Winslet Mendes, was born on December 22, 2003, in New York, and weighed 7 pounds and 13 ounces.

Ranked #91 in Premiere's 2003 annual Power 100 List.

In 1999, he was Nominated for a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play for "Electra".

He was awarded the 2002 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Director for "Uncle Vanya" and "Twelfth Night" performed at the Donmar Warehouse.

Ranked #15 in the 2008 Telegraph's list "the 100 most powerful people in British culture".

Directing "Twelfth Night" and "Uncle Vanya" for the Donmar Warehouse Theatre Co. at the Brooklyn Academy of Music featuring Emily Watson. (February 2003)

Grandson of writer Alfred H. Mendes.

He has directed two films that have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: American Beauty (1999) and 1917 (2019). The former won in the category.

Ex-stepfather of Kate Winslet's daughter, Mia.

Ex-brother-in-law of Anna Winslet, Beth Winslet, Joss Winslet and Edmund Harcourt.

Has a home in Cotswolds, England.

Ex-son-in-law of Roger Winslet.