Michael Apted, Director of ‘Up’ Series, ‘Coal Miner’s

Michael Apted, the director of the “Up” collection of documentary movies and “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” has died. He was 79.

Apted’s handed away Thursday night time as confirmed in an announcement by the Director’s Guild of America. No explanation for demise was instantly given.

Apted additionally directed the James Bond movie “The World Is Not Enough” and episodes of “Masters of Sex,” “Ray Donovan” and “Rome.”

“Our hearts are heavy today as we mourn the passing of esteemed director, longtime DGA leader and my friend Michael Apted. His legacy will be forever woven into the fabric of cinema and our Guild. 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,” DGA president Thomas Schlamme mentioned in an announcement.

Apted’s landmark collection of “Up” documentary movies date again to 1963 when he directed an episode of “World Plus Action” that sought to profile a gaggle of British youngsters, all 7 years outdated and all from totally different backgrounds, and he then revisited those self same youngsters seven years later in “7 Plus Seven” in 1970 to see how they’d modified. Apted continued these movies each seven years at the same time as others declined to take part or at the least one participant handed away. And his remaining movie from 2019 was “63 Up,” which caught up with the people once more as they’re now all 63. Roger Ebert had referred to the collection as among the many biggest movies ever made, and the movies in some ways pre-dated actuality tv for the way individuals may change into obsessive about atypical individuals.

Apted’s different documentary movies for which he earned acclaim all through his profession included “Incident at Oglala,” “Bring on the Night,” “Moving the Mountain,” “Me and Isaac Newton” and “Power of the Game.”

He additionally had a background in narrative characteristic movies and in tv. He directed an installment in each the James Bond and Chronicles of Narnia franchises, and he acquired a DGA Award for “Coal Miner’s Daughter” in 1980.

Apted additionally had an extended historical past with the DGA courting again to 1978 and served as DGA president between 2003-2009, the longest stint for any DGA president since George Sidney within the 1960s. He efficiently negotiated well being advantages and established jurisdiction and compensation guidelines and formulation for brand new kinds of media and as audiences moved on-line to streaming. He additionally served on the DGA Negotiating Committee and continued to function secretary-treasurer for the National Board by way of 2019.

In 2018, Apted was the recipient of the DGA Honorary Life Member Award in recognition of management within the trade, contribution to the Guild and the career of directing, and excellent profession achievement. In 2013, he acquired the DGA’s Robert B. Aldrich Award for extraordinary service to the Guild and its membership.

Apted was additionally made a Companion of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to the movie and TV industries.

Other DGA leaders additionally paid their respects to Apted on Friday.

“Whether having the foresight as a younger man to conceptualize the revolutionary documentary collection ‘7 UP’ or helming large-scale options, whether or not negotiating administrators’ rights all through our trade’s digital revolution, or advocating for impartial filmmakers and inclusion, Michael’s seek for the reality and what’s proper was evident in all that he endeavored,’ Schlamme continued. “With his regular hand, acerbic wit, and eager eye to the long run, he has steered our Guild by way of instances of nice change, setting the trail for our trade and benefiting 1000’s and 1000’s of us. He at all times generously prolonged a hand to these behind him and understood the significance of activating management within the subsequent era. What I assumed was an harmless lunch with him twenty years in the past became my lifelong dedication to this…