In 1991, Alan Bennett's fictionalized biographical play of King George III, titled The Madness of George III, premiered at the National Theatre in London. The play was an enormous success, prompting the feature-length film adaptation The Madness of King George (1994). Nicholas Hytner, the director who brought Alan Bennett's play to the stage in the original production, was asked to direct the film adaptation. Hytner accepted, but under the condition that Nigel Hawthorne, a classically-trained stage actor and winner of the 1992 Olivier award for best actor for his performance in The Madness of George III, would be allowed to reprise his role for the screen. Playwright Alan Bennett was also heavily involved in the production, writing the adapted screenplay for the film.

The Madness of King George is a fictionalized account of the latter days of King George III's (Nigel Hawthorne) reign over England. Always considered a rather peculiar and eccentric character, it's soon apparent that those eccentricities are actually fueled by his declining mental state as a result of mental illness, during a time when there was no process for accurate diagnosis, let alone appropriate treatment. King George's erratic behavior sets off a potentially devastating parliamentary crisis and struggle for power by those taking advantage of the political chaos.

Nigel Hawthorne was a prolific stage actor, making his stage debut in the 1950 play The Shop at Sly Corner. Over a career that spanned over fifty years, Hawthorne starred in prominent stage productions of You Can't Take It With You; Curtains; William Shakespeare's As You Like It; Shadowlands; and the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of King Lear in 1999. Hawthorne was also a staple of British television for over four decades, including his role as Sir Humphrey Appleby in the popular sitcom Yes Minister (1980-1984) and its spin-off Yes, Prime Minister (1986-1987). Hawthorne has also provided his voice talents in several animated projects, including the Walt Disney films The Black Cauldron (1985) and Tarzan (1999). For his performance in The Madness of King George, he received rave reviews from both audiences and critics, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor--the only one he received in his career. While this was a momentous occasion in Hawthorne's career, the publicity surrounding his nomination also attracted unwanted attention to his personal life, and the actor was outed as gay, against his wishes to keep his sexuality and relationship private. While upset over the intrusion into his personal life, Hawthorne attended the awards ceremony with his lifelong partner, Trevor Bentham, and openly discussed his sexuality and their relationship until his death in 2001.

The Madness of King George earned a total of four Academy Award nominations, including ones for Hawthorne, Best Supporting Actress for Helen Mirren, Best Adapted Screenplay for Alan Bennett and winning one for Ken Adam and Carolyn Scott's art direction.

The Madness of King George was director Nicholas Hytner's feature-length directorial debut. With the critical and commercial success of the film, Hytner followed-up with another prestigious project, collaborating with American playwright Arthur Miller on the ambitious 1996 adaptation of The Crucible starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder. While Hytner is still primarily a stage director, with many of his productions being for the National Theatre and filmed for international theatrical simulcasts, he has returned behind the camera for a handful of projects, including reuniting with Nigel Hawthorne for The Object of My Affection (1998) and The Lady in the Van (2015), starring Maggie Smith and Jim Broadbent.

Director: Nicholas Hytner
Producer: Stephen Evans and David Parfitt
Screenplay: Alan Bennett
Cinematography: Andrew Dunn
Editing: Tariq Anwar
Art Direction: Ken Adam and Carolyn Scott
Music: George Fenton and George Frideric Handel
Cast: Nigel Hawthorne (King George III), Helen Mirren (Queen Charlotte), Ian Holm (Francis Willis), Amanda Donohoe (Lady Pembroke, Lady of the Bedchamber), Rupert Graves (Colonel Greville), Rupert Everett (George, Prince of Wales), Jim Carter (Charles James Fox), and Julian Wadham (William Pitt the Younger).
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Resources:

Straight Face by Nigel Hawthorne
https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7dbf144f

By Jill Blake