Michael Apted, Coal Miner s Daughter and Up series director, dies at 79 Maureen Lee Lenker
Michael Apted, the British filmmaker known for directing the long-running
Up documentary series and Oscar-nominated features including
Coal Miner s Daughter and
Gorillas in the Mist, has died at 79.
His agency confirmed his death to EW, but no additional information was available.
Apted first rose to prominence for his work on the groundbreaking
Up films, which followed the lives of 14 Brits from different class backgrounds over the course of 56 years, in seven-year increments. Apted was a researcher on the first installment, 1964 s
Seven Up, and helmed the rest, concluding with
A cast member in Michael Apted’s Up documentary series has paid tribute to the director as a “beacon of light” after his death aged 79.
Tony Walker, an actor and London taxi driver, was selected for the project from an East End primary school in 1963 and went on to become one its best-known characters.
He stayed a close friend of Apted, attending screenings of his later films, including James Bond feature The World Is Not Enough in 1999, and his granddaughter remains friends with Apted’s son.
Tony Walker (Aldo Arcilla/PA)
Walker, 65, originally from Bethnal Green in east London, told the PA news agency: “A beacon of light has gone out in the film industry this week with the passing of Michael.
Tony Walker, an actor and London taxi driver, was selected for the project from an East End primary school in 1963 and went on to become one of its best-known characters.