Richard Lester Liebman was born to a Jewish family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A child prodigy, he began studies at the University of Pennsylvania at the age of 15.Lester started in television in 1950, working as a stage hand, floor manager, assistant director and then director in less than a year, because no one else was around who knew how to do the work.Lester directed Action in the Afternoon an American western television series that aired live on CBS from February 2, 1953 to January 29, 1954.In 1953, Lester moved to London and began work as a director in television, working for the low-budget producers the Danziger Brothers on episodes of Mark Saber, a half-hour detective series.A variety show he produced caught the eye of Peter Sellers, who enlisted Lester's help in translating The Goon Show to television as The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d (1956). It was a hit, as were two follow-up shows: A Show Called Fred (1956) and Son of Fred (1956).Lester recalled that A Show Called Fred was "broadcast live and that's why I went into film directing where you can do a second take!"Lester received acclaim with The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (1959), a short film he made with Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers.He did another short titled The Sound of Jazz (1959).Lester's first feature as director was It's Trad, Dad! (1962),a low-budget musical.The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film was a favourite of the Beatles, particularly John Lennon. When the band members were contracted to make a feature film, they chose Lester from a list of possible directors. A Hard Day's Night (1964) showed an exaggerated and simplified version of the Beatles' characters and proved to be an effective marketing tool. Many of its stylistic innovations survive as the forerunner of music videos, in particular the multi-angle filming of a live performance. Lester was sent an award from MTV as "Father of the Music Video".
