Jim Sharman
James David Sharman ( born March 12, 1945 in Sydney ) is an Australian film and theater director.
He was born the son of a traveling circus showman, spent his entire childhood in the circus and as he discovered his passion for the theater. In 1966 he graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney from. Later he became interested in experimental theater.
During his work on the musical Hair, in which he led in 1970 directing, he met Brian Thomson, who became his set designer. Some time later he worked in Jesus Christ Superstar and attracted the attention of lyricist Tim Rice. He was the one who Sharman and Thomson proposed to come with him to London, to bring the musical on a big stage. One of the actors in Jesus Christ Superstar was Richard O'Brien, who later became the role of Riff Raff in the Rocky Horror Picture Show took over, and the script, some of the texts and the music contributed. As for the stage version Sharman took over the director for the film version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which celebrated its premiere in the U.S. on March 24, 1975. Jim Sharman is known as one of the most famous and best theater directors in Australia.