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Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Glengarry,' 'Fear' director James Foley dies
May 8 (UPI) -- James Foley died earlier this week at 71. The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline confirmed with Foley's representatives Thursday and they stated the cause was brain cancer. Foley directed Madonna videos for "Papa Don't Preach," "Live to Tell" and more. He directed his first film in 1984, Reckless, followed by 1986's At Close Range starring Christopher Walken, Sean Penn and Mary Stuart Masterson. The '80s also saw Foley direct the Madonna vehicle Who's That Girl. In 1992 he directed Glengarry Glen Ross, the adaptation of David Mamet's play starring Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin and more as competing real estate salesmen. 1996's Fear was one of Mark Wahlberg's early film roles, as the stalker boyfriend of Reese Witherspoon. His most recent films were Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, the sequels to Fifty Shades of Grey. On television, Foley episodes of Twin Peaks, Hannibal, House of Cards and Billions.
New York Post
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
James Foley, director behind ‘House of Cards,' ‘Fifty Shades' and ‘Fear,' dead at 71
James Foley, whose decades-long directing career spanned both film and television, has passed away at 71. The legendary filmmaker died 'peacefully in his sleep earlier this week' in Los Angeles after a 'years-long struggle' with brain cancer, his rep told The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday. Foley's directing credits include the classic films 'At Close Range' (1986), 'Glengarry Glen Ross' (1992), 'Fear' (1996) and the final two films of the Dakota Johnson-starring 'Fifty Shades of Grey' franchise: 'Fifty Shades Darker' (2017) and 'Fifty Shades Freed' (2018). Advertisement 8 Director James Foley has passed away at 71. Getty Images 8 Foley died 'peacefully in his sleep earlier this week' after a 'years-long struggle' with brain cancer, his rep announced on Thursday. AFP via Getty Images As for television, the filmmaking icon directed several episodes of Netflix's 'House of Cards,' the Showtime hit 'Billions,' and the uncanny David Lynch series 'Twin Peaks.' Advertisement Born on Dec. 28, 1953, Foley grew up in New York before studying film at New York University and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Years before his heartbreaking passing, Foley credited a chance encounter with the late director and editor Hal Ashby during his final year of film school as kickstarting his 30-plus-year career behind the camera. 8 Mark Wahlberg and James Foley together on the set of 'Fear' in 1996. 8 Foley directed both Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon in the 1996 film 'Fear.' ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection Advertisement 'Because Hal Ashby had hired me, I became known to other people in Hollywood and got kind of viable in that weird calculus of Hollywood just because someone else, respected, thought I was viable,' he told Film Freak Central in 2003. But Foley's official debut didn't come until 1984 when he directed Aidan Quinn and Daryl Hannah in the romantic drama 'Reckless.' His next project was directing the music video for Madonna's hit 'Dress You Up' in 1985. Foley would work with the Queen of Pop regularly thereafter to help shoot the videos for 'Live to Tell,' 'True Blue,' 'The Look of Love,' and many more. 8 Dakota Johnson with James Foley on the set of 'Fifty Shades Freed' in 2018. ©Universal/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection Advertisement 8 Foley directed the first season of the Netflix hit 'House of Cards.' 'So me, the crew and her just drove around the harbor to places that I had never seen in my life,' he once said about filming the music video for Madonna's 1986 song 'Papa Don't Preach, calling it 'a magical memory.' Foley went on to work with some of Hollywood's most iconic actors, including Sean Penn and Christopher Walken in 'At Close Range;' Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin and Kevin Spacey in 'Glengarry Glen Ross;' Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon in 'Fear;' Gene Hackman and Chris O'Donnell in 'The Chamber'; and Halle Berry and Bruce Willis in 'Perfect Stranger.' But a bad experience on the set of 'Perfect Stranger' reportedly led the filmmaker to take a break from directing movies until he took over the 'Fifty Shades' franchise. 8 James Foley at the 'Fifty Shades Freed' premiere in February 2018. Getty Images 'For various reasons, it was not the best experience I've had,' he told FilmInk in 2022 regarding the Berry and Willis thriller. 'I kind of withdrew after that moment.' He also shared his secret to having such a long and eclectic career. 'I am incredibly hands-on about everything,' Foley explained. 'You have to know when to apply or relieve pressure. You have to make the actors aware that you're empathetic. The best actors want to be directed.' Advertisement 'Once you're on the same wavelength,' he added, 'you get incredible results.' 8 James Foley on the set of 'Fifty Shades Darker' in 2017. Doane Gregory/Kobal/Shutterstock 'Fifty Shades Freed,' which was released in 2018, was Foley's last directorial project. Foley is survived by his brother, Kevin; his sisters, Eileen and Jo Ann; and a nephew, Quinn, per THR. He was predeceased by a second brother, Gerard.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
James Foley, filmmaker who directed Madonna music videos and 'Fifty Shades' sequels, dies at 71
Filmmaker James Foley, whose directing career spanned music videos, television and film, with stars including Madonna, Al Pacino and Bruce Dern, has died. Florent Lamy, a representative for Foley, confirmed the Brooklyn-born director's death to The Times on Thursday. Lamy did not provide a cause of death, but according to media outlets including the Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker had been battling brain cancer. Foley was 71. "James Foley was not only a talented director but also a dear friend," Lamy told The Times. "He was one of my very first clients, and over time, he became someone very special in my life." Read more: Ruth Buzzi, who played a purse-wielding spinster on 'Laugh-In,' dies at 88 Foley's diverse directing career — which notably included films "Glengarry Glen Ross," "At Close Range" and the "Fifty Shades" sequels — began in the mid-1980s. The 1984 film "Reckless" marked his directorial debut and gave him the opportunity to work alongside actors Daryl Hannah and Aidan Quinn and prolific producer-filmmaker Chris Columbus. In the following years, Foley directed films — including 1986's "At Close Range" (featuring Sean Penn and Christopher Walken) and 1990's "After Dark, My Sweet" (starring Dern) — as well as music videos and other visuals for Madonna, who was en route to global pop stardom at the time. From 1985 to 1990, Foley directed music videos for Madge's "Dress You Up" and "True Blue." He directed both her music video "Who's That Girl?" and her 1987 comedy of the same name. Foley also directed music videos for rock band Deep Purple and Marky Mark, actor Mark Wahlberg's former rap persona. He would later reunite with Wahlberg for the 1996 thriller "Fear" and 1999's "The Corruptor," with Chow Yun-Fat. Read more: Priscilla Pointer, 'Dallas' and 'Carrie' actor and mom to Oscar nominee Amy Irving, dies at 100 In 1992, Foley directed the film adaptation of playwright David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross." One of Foley's most popular works, the adaptation featured a star-studded cast of Pacino, Ed Harris, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey and Jonathan Pryce. Pacino received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for his work on the dark comedy. Foley's final film credits, "Fifty Shades Darker" and "Fifty Shades Freed," also were among his popular works. Foley took over the film franchise, based on E.L. James' erotic novels, after "Fifty Shades of Grey" director Sam Taylor-Johnson departed over reported disputes with the author, who was also a producer. The "Fifty Shades" films starred Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan. Foley also directed episodes for series "Twin Peaks," "Hannibal," "House of Cards" (which reunited him with Spacey) and "Billions," among other shows. Read more: Lar Park Lincoln, 'Knots Landing' actor who became audition coach, dies at 63 In a 2017 interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Foley said he embraced the variety of his decades-long career. "I've had a very fluid career of ups and downs and lefts and rights, and I always just responded to what I was interested in at the moment and I was very unconscious about genre," he said. "I've always just followed my nose, for better or for worse, sometimes for worse. What's best and what's worst [about the industry] are almost the same to me," he added. "Because what's worst is you get pigeonholed and what's best is I haven't been. It means that I'm still making movies, despite hopping all over the place." Foley's survivors include his brother Kevin, sisters Eileen and Jo Ann, and nephew Quinn, according to several reports. He was preceded in death by his other brother Gerard. Sign up for Indie Focus, a weekly newsletter about movies and what's going on in the wild world of cinema. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
James Foley, filmmaker who directed Madonna music videos and ‘Fifty Shades' sequels, dies at 71
Filmmaker James Foley, whose directing career spanned music videos, television and film, with stars including Madonna, Al Pacino and Bruce Dern, has died. Florent Lamy, a representative for Foley, confirmed the Brooklyn-born director's death to The Times on Thursday. Lamy did not provide a cause of death, but according to media outlets including the Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker had been battling brain cancer. Foley was 71. 'James Foley was not only a talented director but also a dear friend,' Lamy told The Times. 'He was one of my very first clients, and over time, he became someone very special in my life.' Foley's diverse directing career — which notably included films 'Glengarry Glen Ross,' 'At Close Range' and the 'Fifty Shades' sequels — began in the mid-1980s. The 1984 film 'Reckless' marked his directorial debut and gave him the opportunity to work alongside actors Daryl Hannah and Aidan Quinn and prolific producer-filmmaker Chris Columbus. In the following years, Foley directed films — including 1986's 'At Close Range' (featuring Sean Penn and Christopher Walken) and 1990's 'After Dark, My Sweet' (starring Dern) — as well as music videos and other visuals for Madonna, who was en route to global pop stardom at the time. From 1985 to 1990, Foley directed music videos for Madge's 'Dress You Up' and 'True Blue.' He directed both her music video 'Who's That Girl?' and her 1987 comedy of the same name. Foley also directed music videos for rock band Deep Purple and Marky Mark, actor Mark Wahlberg's former rap persona. He would later reunite with Wahlberg for the 1996 thriller 'Fear' and 1999's 'The Corruptor,' with Chow Yun-Fat. In 1992, Foley directed the film adaptation of playwright David Mamet's 'Glengarry Glen Ross.' One of Foley's most popular works, the adaptation featured a star-studded cast of Pacino, Ed Harris, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey and Jonathan Pryce. Pacino received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for his work on the dark comedy. Foley's final film credits, 'Fifty Shades Darker' and 'Fifty Shades Freed,' also were among his popular works. Foley took over the film franchise, based on E.L. James' erotic novels, after 'Fifty Shades of Grey' director Sam Taylor-Johnson departed over reported disputes with the author, who was also a producer. The 'Fifty Shades' films starred Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan. Foley also directed episodes for series 'Twin Peaks,' 'Hannibal,' 'House of Cards' (which reunited him with Spacey) and 'Billions,' among other shows. In a 2017 interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Foley said he embraced the variety of his decades-long career. 'I've had a very fluid career of ups and downs and lefts and rights, and I always just responded to what I was interested in at the moment and I was very unconscious about genre,' he said. 'I've always just followed my nose, for better or for worse, sometimes for worse. What's best and what's worst [about the industry] are almost the same to me,' he added. 'Because what's worst is you get pigeonholed and what's best is I haven't been. It means that I'm still making movies, despite hopping all over the place.' Foley's survivors include his brother Kevin, sisters Eileen and Jo Ann, and nephew Quinn, according to several reports. He was preceded in death by his other brother Gerard.
