Michael Apted, the award-winning British filmmaker behind innovation 7 Up documentaries and feature films like Coal Miner’s Daughter, The world is not enough, gorillas in the mist and Gorky Park, died. He was 79 years old. The Gersh Agency confirmed the news, but did not provide details about Apted’s death.
Apted served as president of the DGA for three terms from 2003-09, the longest consecutive presidential service since 1960.
“Our hearts are heavy today as we mourn the death of the esteemed director, longtime DGA leader and my friend Michael Apted,” said DGA President Thomas Schlamme. “His legacy will forever be woven into the fabric of cinema and in our Grêmio. A fearless visionary as director and unparalleled leader of the Guild, Michael saw the trajectory of things when others did not, and we were all the beneficiaries of his wisdom and lifelong dedication. “
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Apted has had dozens of film and TV credits during his half-century career – from the long British soap opera Coronation Street and ITV Playhouse for Chasing Mavericks and Masters of Sex. Along the way, he also directed resources such as Agatha, Continental division, heart of thunder, collective action, critical condition, surprising grace, extreme measures and Puzzle.
Winner of three BAFTA awards and several DGA awards – including a pair of guild career nominations – Apted has gained international fame for the 7 Up documentaries that recorded 14 British children every seven years, aged between 7 and 63 years. He took over the series with the second installment – 1970 7 Plus Seven – and directed all of its subsequent iterations, which were later titled 21 Up, 28 Upetc.
28 Up and 35 Up won the BAFTA Awards and the following two editions received nominations from the group.
Among Apted’s best-known films is Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980), who starred Sissy Spacek in her Oscar winning role as country music legend Loretta Lynn. The film also received five other Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, but Apted was overlooked. He did get a DGA nomination for the film, however.
Apted also directed 1999’s The world is not Enough, the 19th James Bond film and the third of four by Pierce Brosnan as Agent 007.
His numerous other film director credits include Unlocked, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Nell and Enough. His documentaries also included Incident in Oglala, Bring at night, Moving the mountain, Isaac Newton and I and Game Power.
Apted joined the DGA in 1978 and became active in the guild service in 1997, when he was first elected to the Western Directors Council. In 2001, he was elected to the National Council and became the fifth vice president the following year. He also founded, along with Steven Soderbergh, the guild’s Independent Directors Committee in 1998, and served as president until he was elected president of the guild. In the years following his presidency, he promoted DGA’s efforts in Washington as co-chair of the Political Action Committee’s Leadership Council and educating the world about the guild’s history as chairman of the 75th Anniversary Advisory Committee.
“I spent countless hours, literally, five feet from Michael and I loved every minute of it,” said Soderbergh, a former DGA national vice president and co-chairman of the Creative Rights Committee who served alongside Apted in both roles. during the Apted presidency. “In addition to his own remarkable work, what he gave to the DGA cannot be measured; he put his whole being in the Guild and inspired us to follow his example. We were lucky to have him and get to know him. “
DGA’s negotiations during Apted’s tenure as president included the 2004 round, which successfully protected health benefits, and the 2007 round, which established jurisdictions and compensation formulas in the new media. After his presidency, Apted served as co-chairman of the DGA Negotiating Committee, along with current DGA chairman, Schlamme, in the 2014 and 2017 cycles – most recently, achieving unprecedented gains in on-demand subscription video waste, that set the standard for the industry. He also continued to serve on the National Council as Secretary-Treasurer until 2019.
“Whether having clairvoyance as a young person to conceptualize the series of revolutionary documentaries 7 UP or directing large-scale resources, whether negotiating the rights of directors throughout the digital revolution of our industry, or defending independent filmmakers and inclusion, Michael’s search for truth and what is right was evident in everything he undertook ”, said Schlamme. “With his steady hand, acid wit and keen eye for the future, he led our Guild in times of great change, setting the way for our industry and benefiting thousands and thousands of us. He always generously reached out to those behind him and understood the importance of activating leadership in the next generation. What I thought was an innocent lunch with him twenty years ago has become my lifelong commitment to this Guild, all thanks to his passion and belief in me. I, like so many others, will be forever grateful for your guidance. Words cannot express how much we will miss you. Our hearts are with his wife Paige and children Jim, John and Lily. “
Here are some more tributes from Apted’s DGA colleagues:
Jay Roth, former national executive director of DGA who worked with Apted in the guild for over 20 years:
“Michael led with strength, tremendous sensitivity and heart,” he said. “He fell in love with the guild after his fight for creative rights around the 30-minute exclusion from his carefully researched film, Thunderheart, about Native Americans. He would continue to help create our Committee of Independent Directors, bringing new blood to the guild, and quickly became involved in governance and leadership. And although independent films, creative rights and documentaries were his passion, it didn’t take long for him to become president of DGA.
“Michael has helped define our guild for the past two decades,” Roth added, “and through it all he was my friend, my confidant and my comrade. As your ‘squire’, we travel the world, share books and stories, enjoy good wines and good food and resist more in the most difficult times. He enriched all of our lives. “
Former DGA President Paris Barclay, with whom Apted also served as secretary-treasurer:
“Michael had a profound and profound impact on the Guild and me. His cunning in the negotiations, how he energized the Clan’s efforts for inclusion and how he led the Clan with intelligence and elegance inspired me and so many others to participate in the leadership. He was my teacher, my mentor, my advisor and my friend. We owe him a lot – losing him leaves a hole in the Clan’s heart. “
Former DGA president Taylor Hackford, who succeeded Apted as president of DGA, and to whom Apted also served as secretary-treasurer:
“Michael Apted was the definition of ‘mensch’ – as the wonderful director he was, you could always count on him to deliver a clear and well thought out point of view, usually fermented with a dose of dry humor. He was my trusted colleague at DGA for over 30 years, and I was privileged to follow him as president of our great organization – his shoes were huge to occupy. I will miss him very much. “