Hitting high notes from Bugsy to Evita, farewell to director Sir Alan
FROM child gangsters singing showtunes, to Madonna as a political firebrand, to Joan Collins drenching herself with Cinzano on an aeroplane, British director Sir Alan Parker’s career was as varied as it was lauded.
Sir Alan, who died yesterday aged 76 following a lengthy illness, was hailed as an ‘extraordinary talent’.
His films included the huge hits Bugsy Malone, The Commitments, Fame, Evita and Angela’s Ashes.
He was nominated twice for the Best Director Oscar – first for prison drama Midnight Express in 1978, then a decade later for thriller Mississippi Burning.
Andrew Lloyd Webber tweeted: ‘Very sad to hear the news of Alan Parker’s death. My friend and collaborator on the Evita movie and one of the few directors to truly understand musicals on screen.’
Chariots Of Fire producer David Puttnam described him as ‘my oldest and closest friend’, adding: ‘I was always in awe of his talent. My life and those of
‘A strong sense of time and space’
many others who loved and respected him will never be the same again.’
Sir Alan’s films won 19 Baftas, ten Golden Globes and ten Oscars in total.
The academy said: ‘From Fame to Midnight Express, two-time Oscar nominee Alan Parker was a chameleon.
‘His work entertained us, connected us, and gave us such a strong sense of time and place.
‘An extraordinary talent, he will be greatly missed.’
Sir Alan was born to working class parents in Islington, North London, in 1944, and began his career in advertising as a copywriter.
He graduated to writing and directing commercials, including a memorable comedic advert for Cinzano starring Joan Collins and Leonard Rossiter.
He wrote and directed his first feature film, Bugsy Malone, in 1976
– a musical pastiche of film noirs with a cast of children. He called it ‘a ludicrous idea that really ought not to work’.
In 1981, he directed Pink Floyd – The Wall, the adaptation of the band’s album. His film Evita saw Madonna, who played Argentinian first lady Eva Peron, pick up an
Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1997.
His last film as director was in 2003, The Life of David Gale, starring Kate Winslet.
Sir Alan is survived by his second wife Lisa Moran-Parker, a film producer, children Lucy, Alexander, Jake, Nathan and Henry, and seven grandchildren. In 1995, he was made a CBE for services to the British film industry and he received his knighthood in 2002.
Sir Alan had received the Bafta Academy Fellowship Award, their highest honour, in 2013.
A spokesman said: ‘We are deeply saddened. He brought us joy.’