Age: 78
Birthplace: Norton, County Durham, England
Francis George "Franc" Roddam (born 29 April 1946) is an English film director, businessman, screenwriter, television producer and publisher.
Roddam's films include Quadrophenia, K2, Aria, Lords of Discipline and War Party. He created the worldwide TV phenomenon, Masterchef, which is shown in 200 countries worldwide and there are 47 locally-produced versions.
He also produced formats for Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Making Out, and Harry, all of which were highly successful TV dramas. He directed the award-winning TV drama Dummy, which won the prestigious Prix Italia Drama Prize. He directed the Grammy-nominated/Golden Globe nominated US mini-series Moby Dick and Cleopatra.
He won awards for his BBC documentaries, Mini and The Family. He is the founder and Chairman of Ziji Publishing, whose many titles include The Last Templar which sold over 5 million copies worldwide. He is a sponsor and former Governor of the London Film School and is an active member of the Greenworld Campaign.
Director on numerous accounts, including: