Director Sam Mendes celebrates his 50th birthday today (August 1).

The Reading-born filmmaker, who was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II for “services to drama” in 2000, directed plays while he was at Cambridge University.

Sam Mendes directing Spectre
Sam Mendes behind the cameras (Sony Pictures UK)

With over 25 years of directing to his name, here are his career highlights.

1. Artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse

After two years’ work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Sam, then 27, was appointed the Donmar Warehouse’s artistic director in 1990, where he transformed the Covent Garden studio space into one of theatreland’s most acclaimed venues.

Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins was his opening play in 1992, and led to other successful productions including the Olivier-nominated Cabaret revival starring Jane Horrocks and Alan Cumming, Lionel Bart’s Oliver! and Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie.

His last play was an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, starring Emily Watson, in 2012.

2. American Beauty

Sam Mendes at the 2000 Oscars, celebrating American Beauty's five awards
Sam Mendes at the 2000 Oscars, celebrating American Beauty’s five awards (Michael Crabtree/PA)

Sam made his directorial debut in 1999 with American Beauty, which starred Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening and Mena Suvari. It was a huge hit, banking 356.3 million US dollars (£228 million) worldwide and scooped Oscar, Golden Globe and Bafta accolades.

For his part, Sam was named best director by the Academy, becoming the sixth filmmaker to earn an Oscar for his feature film debut. Not a bad start.

3. Road To Perdition

Daniel Craig, Sam Mendes and Tom Hanks
Daniel Craig, Sam Mendes and Tom Hanks worked on Road To Perdition (Myung Jung Kim/PA)

Road To Perdition was Sam’s second film, starring Tom Hanks, the late Paul Newman and an up-and-coming actor Daniel Craig.

The crime thriller, based on Max Allan Collins’ graphic novel, was another box office hit and received six Oscar nods, winning one for best cinematography.

4. Jarhead

War thriller Jarhead, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx and Peter Sarsgaard, was Sam’s third film.

The big-screen adaptation of US Marine Anthony Swofford’s 2003 memoir was a change of genre of Sam, but the risk paid off, winning praise for Jake and Peter’s performances.

5. Revolutionary Road

Sam Mendes with Kate Winslet
Sam Mendes with Kate Winslet (Yui Mok/PA)

Sam took the brave move to direct his then-wife Kate Winslet for the first time in this moving drama about the breakdown of a marriage, alongside her Titanic co-star Leonardo DiCaprio.

The director admitted it was difficult to separate work from pleasure, saying: “I would open my eyes in the morning and there Kate would be, going, ‘Great! You’re awake! Now let’s talk about the second scene.’”

6. Skyfall

Sam Mendes with his Skyfall stars  Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Daniel Craig, Dame Judi Dench and Berenice Malohe
Sam Mendes with his Skyfall stars Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Daniel Craig, Dame Judi Dench and Berenice Malohe (Ian West/PA)

This is arguably the film that turned Sam into a household name.

The 23rd James Bond film, reuniting Sam with Daniel, was a global success when it was released in October 2012, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the 007 films. It’s the first Bond film to bank over one billion US dollars (£640 million) worldwide, and became the first film to gross more than £100 million in the UK back in 2012.

The spy adventure, which also stars Javier Bardem, Dame Judi Dench, Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw, won two Oscars including best original song for Adele’s theme tune, two Baftas, a Golden Globe and two Grammys.

7. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

the new West End stage version of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
The new West End stage version of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (Brinkhoff/Moegenburg)

Sam returned to his theatre roots in 2013 – and brought his dark touch to the stage production of Roald Dahl’s Charlie And The Chocolate Factory at Theatre Royal in London’s Drury Lane.

The show, which starred Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka, was another hit for the director, as the production broke records for weekly ticket sales in 2013.

8. Spectre

Sam Mendes with Spectre baddies - Dave Bautista, Christoph Waltz and Andrew Scott
Sam Mendes with Spectre baddies – Dave Bautista, Christoph Waltz and Andrew Scott (Ian West/PA)

Sam is the only other director to direct two Bond films in a row after John Glen in the 80s.

The 24th 007 adventure sees him back with Daniel, Naomie, Ben, Ralph Fiennes and Rory Kinnear, alongside newcomers to the franchise – Andrew Scott, Christoph Waltz, Dave Bautista and Bond girls Lea Seydoux and Monica Bellucci.

With high expectations for the new Bond flick, which will be released in UK cinemas on October 26, the trailer looks like it’ll live up to its premise and more.