Matthew Vaughn

Producer

• Born: March 7, 1971
• Place of Birth: Beverly Hills, California.

Contribution: Matthew Vaughn is a director and producer known for his crime drama Layer Cake (2004) as well as his work on hit superhero films such as Kick-Ass (2010) and X-Men: First Class (2011).

Background

Matthew Vaughn was born on March 7, 1971, in Beverly Hills, California, but moved to London when he was young. He is the son of television producer Kathy Ceaton and grew up believing that his father was actor Robert Vaughn, with whom Ceaton had a relationship around the time that Vaughn was conceived. In 2002, Robert Vaughn revealed information from a long-running patrimony case showing that he was not Matthew Vaughn’s father. Vaughn then confronted his mother and learned that he was actually the son of George Albert Harley Drummond, known as George de Vere Drummond, a British aristocrat and godson of George VI. Though Vaughn’s illegitimacy prevented him from claiming the title of Earl of Oxford, he changed his name to Matthew de Vere Drummond. However, he still uses Vaughn as his professional surname.

Vaughn attended Stowe School in Buckinghamshire, England, and then moved to Los Angeles briefly, where he worked as a director’s assistant. When Vaughn returned to London, he enrolled in University College London. He majored in anthropology and history briefly before dropping out of college to pursue a career in film.

Career

Vaughn began his career in film as a producer. His first project was the low-budget crime thriller The Innocent Sleep (1996), directed by Scott Michell. Vaughn then teamed up with friend Guy Ritchie to produce Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), a stylish crime drama that launched the career of Jason Statham and made Guy Ritchie into one of Britain’s most famous new directors. The film created a demand for British crime films and television, and Vaughn also produced the short-lived television series Lock, Stock . . ., which ran for seven episodes in 2000, before teaming up with Ritchie for his second British crime drama, Snatch (2000), this time featuring both Statham and American actor Brad Pitt.

Following Ritchie’s marriage to Madonna, Vaughn produced Ritchie’s 2002 film Swept Away, a vehicle for the American pop icon. The film was a critical and commercial failure, receiving nearly universally poor reviews. Vaughn then was the executive producer for five episodes of the documentary series Make My Day in 2003.

Vaughn’s first film as a director was the crime drama Layer Cake (2004), starring Daniel Craig and based on the 2000 novel by J. J. Connolly, who adapted the novel into the screenplay. Vaughn happened to meet Connolly on a train trip to Belgium; the two men struck up a friendship, and Connolly sent Vaughn a copy of the novel. The film was a critical success and was largely responsible for introducing Craig to American audiences. Vaughn, who also produced the film, won an Empire Award for best director for the film and was nominated for a 2005 BAFTA Award for most promising newcomer.

Vaughn was subsequently hired by Twentieth Century Fox to direct X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), the third in a successful series of films based on the early adventures of the X-Men, a team of superheroes from the Marvel Comics universe. Vaughn, however, did the unheard of and backed out of the project in 2005. Furthermore, he was critical of the film, directed by Brett Ratner, when it was released in 2006. Given his actions and words, Vaughn was not sure he would find work in Hollywood again.

Vaughn then produced and directed Stardust (2007), a fantasy epic based on the 1998 novel by Neil Gaiman and featuring an all-star cast, including Robert De Niro, Claire Danes, Ian McKellen, and Michelle Pfeiffer. Though the film was not a major box-office success, it received positive reviews and developed a strong following. The film won a 2008 Hugo Award for best drama and a 2008 Empire Award for best sci-fi or fantasy film, among other honors.

One of Vaughn’s subsequent films, Kick-Ass (2010), was based on a popular series of comic books portraying a young man who decides to become a vigilante to address crime in his city and is joined by a group of other misfit would-be superheroes. The film, which Vaughn produced, directed, and cowrote, became a critical and box-office hit. For his work, Vaughn was nominated for two British Independent Film Awards, one for best director and one for best screenplay (along with cowriter Jane Goldman), as well as several other awards. The film won an Empire Award for best British film, and Vaughn shared a Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Award for best original screenplay with Goldman.

Despite having backed out of directing X-Men: The Last Stand in 2005, Vaughn was tapped to direct and cowrite X-Men: First Class (2011), a prequel of sorts to the three X-Men films produced in the 2000s. Vaughn intended to create a more suspenseful film than the previous X-Men installments. He cast James McAvoy to play the role of Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender to play Erik Lehnsherr, also known as Magneto. Vaughn was originally slated to direct X-Men: Days of Future Past, the sequel to First Class, but reportedly turned down the opportunity in 2012.

In August 2013, Kick-Ass 2, the sequel to Kick-Ass, was released. Although Vaughn did not direct the sequel, he and his wife, the German supermodel Claudia Schiffer (credited as Claudia Vaughn), were both named as producers of the film. The following year, he directed, helped produce, and cowrote the screenplay for the action-packed spy comedy Kingsman: The Secret Service. Remaining in demand, he was then brought on to serve as a producer for the rebooted superhero film Fantastic Four and the biographical comedy-drama Eddie the Eagle in 2015. In addition to once again taking on the roles of director, cowriter, and coproducer for the sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), he was a coproducer for Rocketman (2019), a film about the life and career of Elton John. In 2021, Vaughn produced the third installment in the Kingsmen series, The King's Man. He then released the popular spy thriller Argylle (2024).

Impact

Both Vaughn and his longtime collaborator Guy Ritchie have earned a reputation as rebels among the British film community and outspoken critics of the British filmmaking style. Since making his directorial debut with Layer Cake, Vaughn has become one of the most sought-after directors in Hollywood and has displayed a fondness for the fantasy-action genre.

Personal Life

Vaughn married Claudia Schiffer in 2002. The couple live in England and have three children: Caspar Matthew, born in 2003; Clementine Poppy, born in 2004; and Cosima Violet, born in 2010. Their children all share Vaughn’s legal surname, de Vere Drummond. Vaughn’s mother, Kathy Ceaton, died in Oxfordshire, England, on July 21, 2013.

Bibliography

Boucher, Geoff. “‘Mined to Death’? X-Men Director Says Hollywood Is Killing the Superhero Movie.” Hero Complex. Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2010. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.

Fleming, Mike, Jr. “Matthew Vaughn Won’t Direct X-Men: First Class 2; Will Bryan Singer Replace Him?” Deadline Hollywood. PMC, 25 Oct. 2012. Web. 14 Aug. 2013.

"Matthew Vaughn." Internet Movie Database, 2024, www.imdb.com/name/nm0891216/?ref‗=nv‗sr‗srsg‗0‗tt‗0‗nm‗8‗in‗0‗q‗matthew%2520vau. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.

Norman, Neil. “Matthew Vaughn: The Director’s Cut.” Independent. Independent.co.uk, 3 Oct. 2004. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.

Plumb, Ali. “Millar on Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men Exit.” Empire. Bauer Consumer Media, 28 Nov. 2012. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.

Vaughn, Matthew. Interview by Chris Neumer. Stumped Magazine. Stumped Magazine, n.d. Web. 15 Aug.2013.

Vaughn, Matthew. “My Week: Matthew Vaughn.” Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 6 Oct. 2007. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.