David Helfgott David Helfgott David Helfgott (born 19 May 1947) is an Australian concert pianist. Helfgott's life inspired the Academy Award-winning film "Shine", in which he was portrayed by actors Geoffrey Rush and Noah Taylor. Helfgott was born in Melbourne to Polish Jewish parents Rachel (née Granek) and Elias Peter Helfgott. He won the state final of the ABC Instrumental and Vocal Competition six times. The awards he won at the Royal College of Music included the Dannreuther Prize for Best Concerto Performance, for his performance of Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto No. 3", and the Marmaduke Barton Prize. During his time in London,
Quills director Philip Kaufman's approach as "brutally horrific, vulgarly unamusing," creating a film that succeeds only as "soft-gore porn." Kenneth Turan of the "Los Angeles Times" dismissed the film as an "overripe contrivance masquerading as high art", while de Sade biographer Neil Schaeffer in "The Guardian" criticized the film for historical inaccuracies and for simplifying de Sade's complex life (see below). Although not winning any major awards, "Quills" was prominently nominated several times. "Quills" received three Oscar nominations at the 73rd Annual Academy Awards for Actor in a Leading Role (Geoffrey Rush, previous winner for 1996's "Shine"), Art Direction (Art: Martin