No details about his death were immediately available.
“Our hearts are heavy today, as we mourn the death of the esteemed director, longtime DGA leader and my friend Michael Apted. His legacy will forever be interwoven into the fabric of cinema and our Guild,” said Thomas Schlamme, president of the DGA.
“A fearless visionary as director and incomparable leader of the Clan, Michael saw the trajectory of things when others did not, and we have all benefited from his wisdom and lifelong dedication,” said Schlamme.
Born in 1941 in Aylesbury, England, Apted had a prolific work in television, film and documentaries.
He directed the 1980 film “Coal Miner’s Daughter”, which won the Golden Globe for Best Picture in the musical and comedy category. Sissy Spacek won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in the film.
Other notable works he directed include “Agatha”, “Parque Gorky”, “Gorillas in the Mist”, “Nell” and “Enough”.
Apted directed the 1999 film “The World is Not Enough”, part of the James Bond series, as well as the third installment of the “The Chronicles of Narnia” franchise.
Apted’s most famous documentary was the long series “Up”. The lives of more than a dozen Britons have been followed for decades, starting with 14 seven-year-olds in the film “Seven Up!”
Subsequent films were produced every seven years, reviewing how each of the children’s lives changed when they entered adulthood and, later, old age in the final production, “63 Up”.
In 2003, Apted was elected president of the DGA, serving until 2009. His six-year term was the longest for a DGA president since 1960.
Steven Soderbergh, director and co-founder of the Guild Independent Directors Committee with Apted, said: “I spent countless hours, literally a foot from Michael and loved every minute. In addition to his own remarkable work, what he gave 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 to know him. “
In 2009, he was named Fellow of the Order of São Miguel and São Jorge by Queen Elizabeth II for his work in the entertainment industry.
He leaves his wife Paige and their three children.
CNN’s Travis Caldwell contributed to this report.