James Bond director Michael Apted dies at 79 years
Director Michael Apted, who was known for directing the James Bond film The World is Not Enough in 1999, has died at the age of 79 years. The news was confirmed by his agent. However, the reason for his death has not yet been disclosed. He died in Los Angeles on January 7. Soon after news of his death broke, tributes came flooding in.
Tweets by producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson remembered Apted as "a director of enormous talent" who had equal dexterity among all genres. "He was beloved by all those who worked with him. We loved working with him on The World Is Not Enough and send our love and support to his family, friends and colleagues," the tweet stated.
Garbage, the band which performed the theme for the Bond movie, praised Apted as a charming soul, while composer David G Arnold, who worked with Apted on four movies, tweeted about the director, calling him, "A more trusting, funny, friendly and, most importantly, kind, person you'd never meet." However, Apted's legacy was also diverse on the documentary front, thanks to his Up docuseries.
Apted started a trend of the reality show way back in 1964 with 7 Up, a series showing how several children chosen for the docuseries were being raised. The candidates were from all walks of life and the ideology behind Apted's series was Aristotle's quote: "Give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man."
Apted followed up in the next decade with 14 Up, casting the same persons who were into their teen years by then. The series continued till 63 Up in 2019. The director received three BAFTA Awards for his documentaries Play for Today (1974), 28 Up (1985), and 35 Up (1992). He is also remembered for directing Coal Miner's Daughter and Gorillas In The Mist.
