Bart Layton

• Name — Bart Layton • Birth Name — Bartholomew Nicholas Layton • Born — 1975 • Birthplace — London, England • Occupation — Film director, screenwriter, producer

Layton was born in the Hammersmith district of London. Both of his parents were artists, one a sculptor and the other a painter and theatre director. Early in his life, he considered going into film or being a painter.

He made his directorial debut in 2012 with the true-crime story The Imposter. It is about Frédéric Bourdin, a French man who claimed to be a missing Texas teenager. Layton won a BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for the film at the 2013 EE British Academy Film Awards. He both wrote and directed American Animals. It depicts a 2004 book heist, with fictionalized versions and interviews with real people. Among the interviewees are the original criminals behind the heist. He had initially discovered the story in a magazine. The film was picked up by MoviePass. In May 2018, he signed with the Creative Artists Agency. As of 2018, Layton is the creative director of RAW, a British production company.

Layton lives with his family in London.

• Banged Up Abroad (2006–2022) • The Imposter (2012) • American Animals (2018) • Crime 101 (2026)