Filmmaker Sir Sam Mendes (he was knighted by The Queen in January 2020) is nominated for three Oscars at the 92nd Academy Awards (Best Director, Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay) for his epic war film 1917 about two young British soldiers during World War I. He won the Best Director Oscar in 2000 for his debut film American Beauty.
Mendes, 54, the ex-husband of fellow Oscar winner Kate Winslet (The Reader), is married to Alison Balsom. The 41-year-old professional trumpet soloist was the principal trumpet of the London Chamber Orchestra.
Balsom’s third album Caprice was on the list of New York Times albums of the year, among other accolades. She too has been appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2016.
Balsom is the mother of 10-year-old son Charlie with former partner, English conductor Edward Gardner OBE, and 2-year-old daughter Phoebe with Mendes. In 2018, Mendes told The New Yorker of his marriage with Balsom, “Without a shadow of a doubt, it’s the best relationship of my life.”
