Latest news with #filmDirector
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
James Foley: Fifty Shades and Madonna music video director dies aged 71
James Foley, the film director behind two of the Fifty Shades of Grey films, has died aged 71. Foley also directed three Madonna music videos in the 1980s - Papa Don't Preach, Live to Tell and True Blue.A spokesman for the director said he died "peacefully in his sleep earlier this week" at his home in Los Angeles following a "years-long struggle" with brain also directed 12 episodes of House of Cards, the Kevin Spacey-starring thriller which was one of Netflix's earliest original hits. Although his representative noted Foley's diagnosis of brain cancer, his official cause of death has not yet been US director's debut film, Reckless, was released in 1984 and starred Daryl Hannah and Aidan other film credits include Glengarry Glen Ross, Fear, Confidence, Perfect Stranger and The did not direct Fifty Shades of Grey, but did join the franchise to direct both its sequels, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, after the departure of Sam Taylor-Johnson following the first film series, based on the best-selling books by EL James, was a huge box office success and made film stars out of its lead actors Dakota Johnson and Jamie directing the three music videos for Madonna in 1986, Foley used the pseudonym Peter he returned to using his own name when he worked with Madonna again the following year on the film Who's That Girl, which saw the singer play a woman falsely accused of murdering her also directed episodes of hit TV series such as Twin Peaks, Billions and Hannibal.
Malay Mail
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
James Foley, director of ‘Fifty Shades' sequels and award-winning ‘Glengarry Glen Ross' starring Al Pacino, dies at 71
LOS ANGELES, May 9 — James Foley, the acclaimed director behind Glengarry Glen Ross, and who worked with stars like Al Pacino, Madonna, and Chow Yun-fat, has died at 71-years old. His death occurred at his home here earlier this week, after a year-long battle with brain cancer, The Los Angeles Times reported today, citing Foley's representative Florent Lamy. 'James Foley was not only a talented director but also a dear friend. 'He was one of my very first clients, and over time, he became someone very special in my life,' Lamy was quoted as saying. Foley was best known for his dark, atmospheric films and collaborations with Hollywood stars such as Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Madonna, and Halle Berry. His directing debut came in 1984 with Reckless, a musical romance starring Daryl Hannah and Aidan Quinn. He followed that with At Close Range in 1986, a neo-noir film that starred Sean Penn and Christopher Walken and featured the Madonna hit Live to Tell. Madonna, who was then married to Penn, went on to work with Foley on multiple music videos and her 1987 feature film Who's That Girl. But Foley's most iconic film was the 1992 adaptation of Glengarry Glen Ross, which earned Pacino an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe. The all-star cast also included Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, and Alan Arkin. In the 1990s, Foley directed After Dark, My Sweet, a film entertainment news outlet Variety praised as 'as potent as a snakebite' for its emotional realism and neo-noir style. His later film work included Confidence, The Chamber, The Corrupter starring Chow, Two Bits, and Perfect Stranger with Bruce Willis and Berry. Foley also directed Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, sequels to the global hit Fifty Shades of Grey. In television, he directed an episode of the original Twin Peaks and later worked on hit series including House of Cards, Billions, Wayward Pines, and Hannibal. Born in Brooklyn, Foley studied film at the University of Southern California, where a chance meeting with Harold and Maude director Hal Ashby helped launch his career.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Director James Foley dies
Prolific film and music video director James Foley has died at the age of 71. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, a representative announced the filmmaker had passed away "peacefully in his sleep" at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday following a "years-long struggle" with brain cancer. After studying film production, Foley made his directorial debut with 1984's Reckless, which co-starred Aidan Quinn and Daryl Hannah. He went on to helm 1990's After Dark, My Sweet and 1992's Glengarry Glen Ross, based on the play of the same name by David Mamet. The critically acclaimed film featured the likes of Al Pacino, Ed Harris, Jonathan Pryce, Alan Arkin, and Alec Baldwin. Taking to Instagram on Thursday, Baldwin offered a heartfelt tribute to Foley. "Foley was one of those directors who actually had something useful to say to actors. Yours truly included. Indeed he had Mamet's Pulitzer Prize-winning play and a strong cast," he wrote. "But Foley, along with cinematographer Juan Ruiz Anchía, editor Howard Smith, and the rest of the crew succeeded at bringing the play to the screen. Spectacularly. Re-examine his filmography now. Rest in Peace, Foley." In addition, Foley directed 2003's Confidence, 2007's Perfect Stranger, and 12 episodes of the Netflix series House of Cards. He was also known for collaborating with Spanish cinematographer Juan Ruiz Anchía and making Madonna's Live to Tell, Papa Don't Preach, and True Blue music videos. More recently, Foley directed 2017's Fifty Shades Darker and 2018's Fifty Shades Freed, featuring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan. In her own message, Fifty Shades of Grey author E. L. James described the filmmaker as a "beautiful human". "It was an honour and a privilege to work with you. You were talented, funny, smart and slightly bonkers like all the best people are. Thank you for making Fifty sexy and for being a great friend. I will miss those afternoons in your gorgeous garden," she added.
New York Times
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
James Foley, Who Directed ‘Glengarry Glen Ross,' Dies at 71
James Foley, a veteran director whose films included 'Glengarry Glen Ross' and the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' sequels, and who also worked on the hit television series 'House of Cards,' died this week at his home in Los Angeles. He was 71. His death came after a yearlong battle with brain cancer, according to Taylor Lomax of ID, the firm that represents Mr. Foley. Mr. Foley made his directorial debut with the 1984 film 'Reckless,' a drama about a high school romance between a rebellious, motorcycle-driving football player and a cheerleader. In the decades that followed, he built a career directing movies, television shows and music videos, working with some of Hollywood's biggest stars. Among his most celebrated works is the 1992 film adaptation of 'Glengarry Glen Ross,' the play by David Mamet that won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1984. The movie, about real estate salesmen trying to make ends meet in a tough economy, starred Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris and Alan Arkin. Mr. Foley also directed 'Fifty Shades Darker' (2017) and 'Fifty Shades Freed' (2018), the final two installments of the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' franchise. Those films were adapted from the second and third books of the E.L. James trilogy. Mr. Foley told the The Hollywood Reporter in 2017 that he was pleased that his career had not been pigeonholed. 'I think in terms of what fascinates me and what intrigues me and what I feel is engaging for the year that you spend making the movie, what's personally engaging, not adhering to any kind of conventions,' Mr. Foley said. James Foley was born on Dec. 28, 1953, in New York City and grew up on Staten Island. He studied psychology and graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1974. He planned to attend medical school, but he decided instead to pursue directing after taking a six-week film production course at New York University. He went on to earn an M.F.A. at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts in 1979. Mr. Foley recalled screening the short film he made during the six-week course in New York while speaking to film and media studies students at Johns Hopkins University in 2013. 'That was the first time that something I had done got a reaction out of a lot of people,' Mr. Foley said. 'From that moment on, I decided I wanted to do that again.' Mr. Foley directed 'At Close Range,' the 1986 crime drama starring Sean Penn and Christopher Walken. Several years later, he directed and co-wrote the 1990 film adaptation of 'After Dark, My Sweet,' the crime novel by Jim Thompson. His directorial credits also include 'Fear'(1996), starring Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon; 'The Chamber' (1996), with Chris O'Donnell and Gene Hackman; and 'Perfect Stranger' (2007), with Halle Berry and Bruce Willis. Mr. Foley also directed several music videos for Madonna, including 'Live to Tell,' 'True Blue' and 'Papa Don't Preach.' Mr. Foley made his foray into television directing an episode of 'Twin Peaks' in 1991. He later directed 12 episodes across Seasons 1, 2 and 3 of 'House of Cards,' the hit Netflix series about the underbelly of American government that was adapted from a BBC series of the same name. He also directed episodes of 'Wayward Pines' and 'Billions.' Mr. Foley is survived by a brother, Kevin Foley; two sisters, Eileen and Jo Ann Foley; and a nephew, Quinn Foley. He was predeceased by his brother, Gerard Foley. '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,' Mr. Foley said in the 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. 'I've always just followed my nose, for better or for worse, sometimes for worse.' A complete obituary will follow.
The Guardian
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
James Foley, director of Fifty Shades sequels and Glengarry Glen Ross, dies aged 71
Director James Foley, whose credits included Glengarry Glen Ross and the Fifty Shades sequels, has died aged 71. According to the Hollywood Reporter, his death was confirmed by his representative who said he died 'peacefully in his sleep earlier this week following a years-long struggle with brain cancer'. His career was marked by versatility, from music videos with Madonna to commercial multiplex thrillers to talky TV dramas to erotic romances. He made his directorial debut with romantic drama Reckless in 1984, which starred Aidan Quinn and Daryl Hannah. It was an acrimonious start to his big-screen career with the film receiving negative reviews and angering screenwriter Chris Columbus, who disowned it. He received better notices for his follow-up, crime drama At Close Range, which starred Sean Penn and Christopher Walken. In the same year, he also started working with Madonna, who was married to Penn at the time. Foley was best man at their wedding. He directed the videos for Live to Tell, Papa Don't Preach and True Blue as well as the 1987 screwball comedy Who's That Girl, which starred the singer alongside Griffin Dunne. In the 1990s, he directed an episode of Twin Peaks before films such as David Mamet adaptation Glengarry Glen Ross, John Grisham drama The Chamber and Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon thriller Fear. The 2000s saw him direct Confidence with Dustin Hoffman and Perfect Stranger with Halle Berry before the 2010s had him directing episodes of House of Cards and Billions, as well as taking on the two Fifty Shades of Grey sequels. 'Seriously, if you cast the right friggin' people and they're good actors, it's amazing how little you have to do but stay out of the way,' Foley said modestly of his career in a 2003 interview.
