The director behind The Full Monty (1997), Peter Cattaneo was responsible for one of the biggest sleeper hits of the 1990s. A comedy about a group of out-of-work Sheffield steel workers who take to stripping to earn money, the film mixed broad humor with a candid look at the bleak effects of post-Thatcherite unemployment, and did so with enough skill to win over critics and audiences alike. It earned $195 million worldwide, a more than respectable gross for a film that was shot over 40 days for around $3.5 million.
Born in England in 1964, Cattaneo first became involved with directing while a student at the Royal College of Art, where he made an award-winning music video, a commercial for Miller Lite, and Dear Rosie, a live action short that earned a 1990 Oscar nomination. Following his 1989 graduation, Cattaneo began directing for television, helming a series with titles such as "Diary of a Teenage Health Freak" and "The Full Wax." In 1995, he directed Loved Up, a BBC Screen Two film that was broadcast on television. Starring Lena Headey and Ian Hart, it was a drama about an 18-year-old waitress (Headey) who becomes involved with a young raver (Hart) who introduces her to ecstasy and drug dealing.
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