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Richard Lester (born January 19, 1932) is an American-born British-based film director possibly...

Richard Lester (born January 19, 1932) is an American-born British-based film director possibly most notable for his work with The Beatles in the 1960s. Lester was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was something of a child prodigy, and at 15 began studies at the University of Pennsylvania, He started in television in 1950, working as a stage hand, floor manager, assistant director, and then to director less than a year, because no-one else was around that knew how to do the work. In 1953, Lester moved to London and began work as a director in independent television, working for the legendary low cost television producers The Danziger Brothers on episodes of Mark Saber, a half-hour detective series. A variety show he produced caught the eye of Peter Sellers, who enlisted Lester's help in translating The Goon Show to television as The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d. It was a hit, as were two follow-up shows, A Show Called Fred and Son of Fred. Lester recalls that A Show Called Fred was "broadcast live and that's why I went into film directing where you can do a second take!" A short film Lester made with Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers, The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film, was