Alan Parker, prodigous UK film maker, dead at 76 | Game Rant
Alan Parker, a British film-making legend known for his versatility and excellence, passed away today. He was 76. His influential career was filled with accolades that spanned film making in advertising, movies, and television.
He spent most of his career in the directors chair, which more often than not led to awards from his peers. Parker’s films combined to win 39 awards: 19 from the British Academy of Film and Television arts (BAFTA), 10 Golden Globes and 10 Oscars. Born in 1944 in Islington London, he learned the craft doing commercials, becoming one of a handful of British directors that became influential in advertising using cinema aesthetics.
The bulk of his accomplishments came in long-form dramas both in movies and television. His film debut came in 1974 with the TV movie The Evacuees, which earned him his first BAFTA for best director. Then came his first feature film Bugsy Malone, the 1976 comedy featuring gangsters played by children, including a very young Jodie Foster. That earned him another eight BAFTA
His accomplishments continued to pile up late into the 70s and 80s. The prison drama Midnight Express in 1977 earned him six Oscar nominations then the movie Fame 1979 won him a pair of Oscars. Notable actors and screenwriters also partnered with Parker to great success in the 80’s: Diane Keaton and Albert Finney starred in Shoot the Moon, Nicholas Cage and Matthew Modine in Birdy and Angel Heart starring Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro. He’d end the decade working with Gene Hackman and Willem DaFoe in the civil rights drama Mississippi Burning, which earned multiple nominations from both the Oscars and BAFTA.
Parker ended his career strong in the 90's with The Commitments, The Road To Wellville in 1993, and the adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Weber music Evita in 1996, which yielded three Golden Globes including Best Picture. His last movie of the 90s was Angela's Ashes, an adaptation of the book with his final movie coming in 2003 -- The Life Of David Gale.
Parker was a lifer in the UK film industry earning influential spots in prestigious organizations and even founding some himself. He founded both the the Directors Guild of Great Britain, served as the founding chairman of the UK Film Council in 2000. He’d also been chairman of the BFI from 1998-99.
Parker was a prodigious talent who excelled with nearly every film he was involved in. His talent will be greatly missed.
Source: The Academy/Twitter
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