Guy Ritchie
- Profession: Film Director and Writer
- Place/Date of Birth: Hatfield, 10 September 2020
02/02/01
Madonna cant cook won’t cook. ’She does not know how to cook,’ Guy has been heard to lament. ’I eat like a f--king horse and she does not cook for me. I keep trying to crowbar her in there, but she’s got no interest.’ Up until now Madonna’s all-thumbs cooking style has been something of a joke among the Ritchies and their friends. Sting’s wife Trudie Styler, who first introduced the couple was recently reported to have presented the reluctant chef with a signed copy of her new organic cookery book, inscribed ’For you, Mrs Ritchie, put your pinny on love. With love from Mrs Sumner’ (Sting’s real name).
19/01/01
The press were delighted to catch a snap of Ritchie kissing his new wife Madonna at the Hollywood premier of his film Snatch, which took place last night. Friendly support was provided by the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston and Robert Downey Jr, who arrived with Sting’s wife Trudie Styler.
Snatch stars Brad Pitt and Vinnie Jones and Jason Statham, from Ritchie’s first hit Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, also attended.
31/12/00
Guy Ritchie has a secret brother, Kevin Baynton, who was given up for adoption as a baby by Guy’s mother when she was an unmarried 17-year-old. Mother and son were finally reunited in 1991, a short time after which he met up with his half brother Guy, and they have reportedly remained in contact ever since. He was not, however, invited to Guy and Madonna’s wedding.
Kevin has said that he understands that it was not possible for them to invite everyone, and hopes to be in contact with them soon.
09/12/00
Filmmaker Guy Ritchie lost his own shotgun licence. Guy was questioned by police about the gun a week after it was stolen during a raid on the home he shares with bride-to-be Madonna. Police revoked his licence because he should have had the shotgun locked up; it was revoked with "immediate effect"
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His second film, Snatch, also did well, taking £3m in its first weekend earlier this year, a record opening for an 18-rated film. The diamond-heist drama has so far grossed £12.3m in the UK and is soon to be released in the US. But, of course, it is not just Ritchie’s film successes that command the hundreds of column inches written about him each week. The 32-year-old’s marriage with pop icon Madonna and the birth of their son Rocco has caught the imagination of the public.
He began his career as a film runner in the UK in 1993, quickly progressing to directing music promos for bands and commercials by 1995. The money he made from this enabled him to direct his first film - Hard Case, a 20-minute short and after meeting his producing partner Matthew Vaughn, the two formed SKA Films. They went on to make Lock Stock, and two years later Snatch was released.
Ritchie also spotted the acting potential in footballer Vinnie Jones, who terrified opponents on the field with his crunching tackles.
He is now working on a 17th Century civil war action drama, which is slated for production in 2001.
He spent much of his childhood at Loton Park, in Shropshire, the 17th century home of his baronet stepfather.
Ritchie was born in Hatfield in Hertfordshire in 1968. His parents divorced when he was five, and he went to live with his mother, Amber, who was a model, and her new husband, Sir Michael Leighton, until she divorced again when he was 12.
It is reported that his severe dyslexia meant he attended a total of 10 schools, and left with one GCE in film studies. He got a job at Island Records, before pursuing his interest in film-making.
July 2007