Mike Leigh

Leigh's social-realist comedies depict British working class life. He begins work on his films without a script, piecing them together from improvisations with his cast. His latest film is Vera Drake about a working class woman in Britain in the 1950s who secretly performs abortions.

In the United States, Leigh's best known for his more recent films "Life is Sweet" "High Hopes" and "Naked." But he's been making movies for British television and theatre for nearly 30 years. His social-realist comedies depict British working class life. He begins work on his films without a script, piecing them together from improvisations with his cast. His latest is "Secrets & Lies."

The British director and screenwriter's latest movie examines the life of London's working class in the age of Margaret Thatcher.