
Fifty Shades director James Foley dies after 'years-long' brain cancer battle
While no cause of death has yet been confirmed, his publicist stated he had been battling brain cancer for several years. As well as his cinematic work, James also worked with Madonna on her Live to Tell, Papa Don't Preach and True Blue music videos under the name Peter Percher and was best man at her wedding to now-former husband Sean Penn in 1985.
After graduating from New York University and then USC in Los Angeles, he was able to jumpstart his career thanks to a chance meeting. He told Film Freak Central: "I was very lucky, and in the perverse calculus of Hollywood I was in the last year of film school and shared a house with a guy. There was a woman who was pursuing my friend so we had this film school party, which consisted of people projecting their student films onto a white wall and getting stoned.
"And this girl came. Hal Ashby was pursuing her — she was pursuing my friend and Hal was pursuing her — and Hal called her up and asked to come to this party full of film students. Just as he walked through the door, my film was showing on the wall. I'll never know whether he was being polite or anything, but he told me he liked it and stuff and he was going to form a company that was going to produce other people's movies and what did I want to do? I could write something and direct it."
This is a breaking showbiz news story. Join The Mirror 's WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News , Flipboard , Apple News, TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads - or visit The Mirror homepage.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Leader Live
34 minutes ago
- Leader Live
NFL star Travis Kelce wants to ‘do good' with fame from dating Taylor Swift
The 35-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end also said he did not like negative comments that had been made about him since his relationship with Swift, who announced her 12th studio album The Life Of A Showgirl on Tuesday, began. Speaking about increased media scrutiny in an interview with British GQ, Kelce said: 'You can't block that (attention) out. If someone says something that they don't like about you, you have to be able to understand how you are portraying yourself for them to say that. 'I don't want anyone to say anything negative about me. Some people don't give a f***. I'm someone who does care. 'I do want people to look at me like I'm doing good in the world, I'm influencing and using my platform for the better, being a role model, being somebody that has done it the right way.' But Kelce said he was not offended by being dubbed a 'meathead jock', and added he finds it funny and that 'acting like you're the smartest one in the room just isn't the way to go'. He said that as well as being the 35-year-old Shake It Off singer's boyfriend, he was also a 'fan' of her music, and enjoyed seeing her come to his matches. The American footballer went on to speak about Swift's similarities to his mother Donna, adding: 'Their kindness, their genuineness, their ability to say hello to everyone in the room. 'Their ability to show love and support no matter what. And on top of that, their work ethic. I saw my mother reach goals that she had set for herself, go from being a teller to working all the way up in the KeyBank building. 'I've seen Taylor do the exact same thing of setting goals for herself and exceeding the expectations and really captivating the world in that regard.' During his NFL career, Kelce has won three Super Bowls, and hosts the New Heights podcast alongside his brother Jason, who is a retired NFL player. See the full feature in the September issue of British GQ, available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday August 19.


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Beyoncé wins first Emmy, for 'Beyoncé Bowl' halftime show
Beyoncé has an Emmy to go with her 35 Grammys. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, her legal name, was listed as one of a half dozen people on a team that won outstanding costumes for a variety, nonfiction or reality show for "Beyoncé Bowl,' her Western-themed halftime show on Netflix's Christmas NFL game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans. The show in her hometown of Houston brought the live debut of songs from her 'Cowboy Carter' album. The special Emmy is Beyoncé's first. She has been nominated for 10 others without a victory. And it takes her halfway to an EGOT with her 35 Grammys. She still needs a Tony and an Oscar to complete the quartet. The award was among a handful of so-called juried Emmys announced Tuesday that are determined outside the regular voting process and given out by committees, with no official nominees. They are usually highly technical — several involve individual elements of the animation process — and rarely go to famous names. They are announced in advance and handed out at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony next month. Beyoncé is also nominated for best variety special as a producer of 'Beyoncé Bowl" and for best direction of a variety special. Her husband, Jay-Z, is competing against her as an executive producer of Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show.


The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Why Malin Akerman connects her Hunting Wives character to Melania Trump
Malin Akerman revealed her character Margo in Netflix 's new drama The Hunting Wives was inspired by Melania Trump. Akerman's character, a wealthy housewife, sees her expectations shift when her husband pursues a career in politics, mirroring Melania Trump's public trajectory. The series, an adaptation of May Cobb's 2021 thriller, follows Sophie (Brittany Snow) as she moves to East Texas and becomes involved with a group of socialite housewives. Akerman described Margo as a 'survivor' whose actions are driven by necessity to advance her personal agenda. The Hunting Wives has recently seen a surge in viewership, ranking highly on Netflix's top 10 most-watched series.