David Lean David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor, responsible for large-scale epics such as "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957), "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962), "Doctor Zhivago" (1965) and "A Passage to India" (1984). He also directed adaptations of Charles Dickens novels "Great Expectations" (1946) and "Oliver Twist" (1948), and the romantic drama "Brief Encounter" (1945). Originally a film editor in the early 1930s, Lean made his directorial debut with 1942's "In Which We Serve", which was the first of four collaborations with Noël Coward. Beginning with "Summertime" in
David Lean (athlete) games and winning the Australian national championship in 1954. His gold medal at the 1954 Vancouver Games was only his eighth race over the distance and the first ever international victory by a Tasmanian athlete. Lean attended Launceston Grammar School where he mainly raced over 100 yards and later attended Michigan State University where he also competed in 440 and 880 yard races. David Lean (athlete) David Lean ("David Francis Lean;" born 22 August 1935 in Tasmania) was an Australian athlete who competed mainly in the 440-yard hurdles and 4 × 440-yard relay. He competed for Australia at the 1956