Perhaps naively I thought people understand what humor was, that it was invented by the human race to cope with the dark areas of life, problems and terrors.

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.