Shine (film) "universal acclaim". "Shine" grossed $35,892,330 in the United States and Canada. The film also grossed $10,187,418 at the box office in Australia. Shine (film) Shine is a 1996 Australian biographical drama film based on the life of pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions. It stars Geoffrey Rush, Lynn Redgrave, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, John Gielgud, Googie Withers, Justin Braine, Sonia Todd, Nicholas Bell, Chris Haywood and Alex Rafalowicz. The screenplay was written by Jan Sardi, and directed by Scott Hicks. The film made its US premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. In 1997,
Geoffrey Rush small roles on television dramas, including a role as a dentist in a 1993 episode of the British television series "Lovejoy". He made his breakthrough performance in 1996 with "Shine", for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. That same year, James L. Brooks flew him to Los Angeles to audition for the part of Simon Bishop in "As Good as It Gets", and offered him the role, but Rush declined it (it went to Greg Kinnear). In 1998, he appeared in three major films: "Les Misérables", "Elizabeth", and "Shakespeare in Love". He received his second Academy Award