Hungarian-born Peter Medak escaped to England after the 1956 uprising in his homeland. He spent an apprenticeship rising from assistant cameraman to second assistant director with the 1962 remake of "The Phantom of the Opera". The following year, he began directing for TV for Universal and entered features in 1968 with "Negatives". Medak was responsible for one of the most deliriously vicious satires of English upper-crust folly, "The Ruling Class" (1972), featuring a tour de force central performance by Peter O'Toole. The director demonstrated his comedic touch with the middling "Zorro, the
Began film training at ABPC studios in Budapest at age 19
1956
Escaped from Budapest and went to England during Hungarian uprising
1958
Worked in major British film studios as assistant cameraman, assistant director and second unit director
1962
First feature film credit, "Phantom of the Opera" (as second assistant director)
1962
Signed long-term contract with Universal studios in Hollywood where he worked as asistant producer and second unit director on TV productions, "Arrest and Trial", "Channing" and "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour"
