RUPERT SANDERS

ABOUT RUPERT SANDERS

Sanders first made waves in Hollywood when he directed "Snow White and the Huntsman" (2012), a modern and dark retelling of the classic fairytale about an evil queen (Charlize Theron) determined to kill a young princess (Kristen Stewart) who was deemed the fairest in the land. As was often the case with big-budget films with big-name talent, Sanders' directorial feature debut was a blockbuster hit. Unfortunately, the shocking news that he had an affair with the much younger Stewart overshadowed the film's success, making it a kind of tainted product. The tryst heard 'round the world went public in July 2012 after incriminating photographs of Sanders, a married man with two children, and Stewart, in a relationship with her "Twilight" co-star Robert Pattinson, surfaced, showing them in a number of comprising positions in secluded spots around Los Angeles. Sanders wasted no time issuing a public apology to his wife and children, yet the damage that the cheating scandal inflicted upon his personal life lingered, and no doubt made it difficult for him to regain the public's respect as an actually promising filmmaker.

Rupert Sanders was born on March 16, 1971 in Westminster, London, England. His mother, Thalia Sanders, ran a doll's house shop in Fulham, and his father, Michael Sanders, was a surgeon. Sanders, who had a degree in graphic design, launched his career directing television commercials for Nike, Adidas, Xbox, and Guinness, as well as a commercial for the video game "Halo 3: ODST" (2009), which won awards at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. With his commercials creating major buzz in his native England, he landed a meeting with American producer Joe Roth, who gave the first-time film director his biggest break yet by offering him the 2012 epic fantasy-adventure "Snow White and the Huntsman," based on the German tale by the Brothers Grimm. A modern and decidedly darker twist to the classic fairytale, "Snow White and the Huntsman" which ultimately starred Charlize Theron as the evil stepmother queen, Kristen Stewart as the princess who is unknowingly threatening her reign of terror, and Chris Hemsworth as the man whom the queen orders to kill Snow White. The movie also featured Sanders' wife, Liberty Ross, a British model who played Snow White's mother.

In spite of receiving mixed critical reviews, the film was a commercial success, reportedly taking in more than $380 million worldwide. A few months after its release, however, the film's popularity was quickly overshadowed by shocking news that Sanders had had an affair with his female lead, Stewart. At the time of the affair, Sanders, who was 41, was married to Ross, with whom he had two children. Stewart, who was then 22, was in a longtime relationship with British actor Robert Pattinson, her "Twilight" co-star in five blockbuster films. The scandal spread like wildfire the summer of 2012 after Us Weekly published incriminating photographs of Sanders and Stewart making out in various public places around Los Angeles. Reportedly taken on July 17, the photos showed Sanders and Stewart parking in a rundown area where they were seen "kissing like crazy," according to the paparazzi photographer via Us Weekly.

A day after the scandal broke, Sanders issued a public apology to his wife and two young children. In a statement to People magazine, the director said, "I am utterly distraught about the pain I have caused my family. My beautiful wife and heavenly children are all I have in this world. I love them with all my heart." Stewart issued a similar public apology to Pattinson, calling her fling with Sanders a "momentary indiscretion." Sanders' wife, after being blindsided with the news, went on a Twitter rant before closing her account with a succinct, "Wow." While news of his illicit affair seemed to have faded months later, Sanders rekindled controversy once again after the September release of the DVD version of "Snow White and the Huntsman." In the director's commentary, Sanders reportedly gushed over Stewart's performance in the film, saying she was "amazing" and "flawless."

By Candy Cuenco

PARTNERS

Wife	Liberty Ross. Sanders directed Ross in his feature debut "Snow White and the Huntsman" (2012)

CAREER MILESTONES

	Grew up in the Fulham section of London, England
	Made his name in entertainment industry by directing elaborate, award-winning commercials
2012	Made feature directorial debut with adventure thriller "Snow White and the Huntsman," starring Charlize Theron and Kristen Stewart