I'd made these experimental films but I thought the major chore of a filmmaker was to relate to actors.

He lived in Scotland on an isolated farm with his partner/girlfriend (a script editor/writer) and their two children. The 1987 film Housekeeping an adaptation of Marilynne Robinson's 1981 novel was Forsyth's first American work. Forsyth's next film was the 1984 Comfort and Joy about a Glasgow radio DJ caught in a rivalry between ice cream companies which again featured Clare Grogan.

Bill Forsyth (born 29 July 1946) is a Scottish film director and writer best known for his films Gregory's Girl (1981) Local Hero (1983) and Comfort and Joy (1984) as well as his commitment to national film-making.