Richard Curtis

Richard Curtis (born November 8, 1956, in Wellington, New Zealand) is a New Zealand-born British writer and filmmaker whose work helped define modern British comedy and the contemporary romantic comedy. Best known for his screenwriting, Curtis has also worked as a director, producer, and occasional on-screen participant, building a career that bridges television, cinema, and popular culture.

Across film, he is closely associated with crowd-pleasing rom-com storytelling, with credits tied to genre touchstones such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and Love Actually. On television, his influence is equally significant through landmark British comedy series including Blackadder, Mr. Bean, and The Vicar of Dibley, where sharp character work and warm humor became his signature.

Curtis also appears as himself in a range of documentaries and retrospectives, including There’s Something About Romcoms, Blackadder Rides Again, and Roald Dahl’s Most Marvellous Book. Beyond entertainment, he is widely recognized as the founder of the UK charity Comic Relief, reflecting a public-facing commitment to social impact alongside his screen career.