Directors Guild of America president Thomas Schlamme praises the award-winning filmmaker, whose credits include 'Coal Miner's Daughter' and 'Up' docuseries, as 'a fearless visionary' in his tribute.
- January 9, 2021
AceShowbiz - Award-winning British filmmaker Michael Apted has died.
The visionary behind the camera for films like "Coal Miner's Daughter", "The World Is Not Enough", "Gorillas in the Mist", and "Gorky Park", was 79.
"His legacy will be forever woven into the fabric of cinema and our guild," DGA president Thomas Schlamme said in a statement following the breaking news. "A fearless visionary as a director and unparalleled guild leader, Michael saw the trajectory of things when others didn't, and we were all the beneficiaries of his wisdom and lifelong dedication."
"Michael Apted was the definition of 'mensch' — like the wonderful director he was, you could always count on him to deliver a clear and well thought out point of view, usually leavened with a dollop of dry wit," added DGA past president Taylor Hackford.
Born in Aylesbury to a middle class family in 1941, Apted got sholarships that allowed him to study at Cambridge, where he met John Cleese. Apted, who made his feature debut in 1972 on "The Triple Echo" with Oliver Reed and Glenda Jackson, then started in media and an apprenticeship at Granada Television, working on productions such as "Coronation Street."
His credits also include long-running British soap opera "Coronation Street", historical drama series "Rome", "Chasing Mavericks", "Masters of Sex", and the acclaimed documentary series "7 Up", which chronicled the lives of 14 British children every seven years from ages seven to 63.
Apted was a multiple BAFTA Awards and Directors Guild of America Awards winner, but he was never even nominated for an Oscar.
