Film world pays tribute as famed director Alan Parker dies aged 76
THE FILM industry is mourning the loss of an “extraordinary talent” after director Sir Alan Parker, whose work included Bugsy Malone and Midnight Express, died aged 76.
A statement sent by a spokeswoman, issued on behalf of the family, said Sir Alan had died yesterday morning.
His career included films such as Fame, Evita and The Commitments – and his works won a total of 19 Baftas, 10 Golden Globes and 10 Oscars.
Sir Alan was born in Islington, London, on February 14, 1944, and began his career in advertising as a copywriter. He graduated to writing and directing commercials, and in 1974 moved into long form drama when he directed the BBC film, The Evacuees.
Sir Alan wrote and directed his first feature film, Bugsy Malone, in 1975 – a musical pastiche of Hollywood gangster films of the 1930s with a cast of children. His second film, 1977’s Midnight Express, won two Oscars, six Golden Globes and four Baftas.
In November 1995, he was made a CBE for services to the British film industry and he received his knighthood in 2002.
Sir Alan received the Bafta Academy Fellowship Award, the body’s highest honour, in 2013.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, which hands out the Oscars, said: “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 is survived by his wife Lisa Moran-Parker, his children Lucy, Alexander, Jake, Nathan and Henry, and seven grandchildren.