Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (OBE) (born February 20, 1943) is an award winning British film and theatre director. He was brought up in a Jewish immigrant family (whose surname was originally Lieberman, but was Anglicized before Leigh's birth). His father was a doctor in an overwhelmingly working-class area of Salford (near Manchester). Initally trained as an actor at RADA, Leigh went onto start his directing skills at East 15 Acting School where he met the actress Alison Steadman. He has made a number of films, usually choosing "down to earth" subjects and subject matter. His films are usually set in London.
