Director Sir Alan Parker who made Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express and Evita has died at the age of 76
Director Sir Alan Parker who made Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express and Evita has died at the age of 76
- Family spokeswoman for Sir Alan Parker confirmed he died on Friday morning
- He won critical acclaim for films such as Evita and Pink Floyd’s The Wall
- Tributes have flooded in from across the film industry for the BAFTA fellow
By Tom Pyman and William Cole For Mailonline
Published: 11:50 EDT, 31 July 2020 | Updated: 13:12 EDT, 31 July 2020
Sir Alan Parker, who directed films including Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express and Evita, has died at the age of 76.
A statement from a spokeswoman, sent on behalf of his family, said Sir Alan passed away on Friday morning.
A giant figure in British film, his career includes Midnight Express, Evita and The Commitments – and his works won a total of 19 Baftas, 10 Golden Globes and 10 Oscars.
Tributes flooded in from across the movie industry, with fellow director David Puttnam saying: ‘Alan was my oldest and closest friend, I was always in awe of his talent. My life and those of many others who loved and respected him will never be the same again.’
Film director Sir Alan Parker, pictured, has died at the age of 76, a spokeswoman has said
A giant figure in British film, his career includes Midnight Express, Evita (pictured with stars Madonna and Antonio Banderas) and The Commitments
Director Nick Murphy described Sir Alan as a ‘huge talent’ in a tweet, writing: ‘Alan Parker made so many wonderful movies. Just wonderful. A huge talent. As I’m sure you know. RIP Alan Parker.’
Born in Islington, north London in 1962, Sir Alan began his career with the advertising agency Collett Dickenson Pearce as a copywriter, where he worked alongside David Puttnam, Charles Saatchi, and Alan Marshall, among others.
He then began writing screenplays and S.W.A.L.K. (‘sealed with a loving kiss’), was produced by David Puttnam, directed by Waris Hussein, and released as Melody in 1970.
Sir Alan then wrote and directed two short films and a television play set in wartime London before his first major success came with The Evacuees in 1975 – a television play written by Jack Rosenthal about the experiences of two Jewish boys evacuated from London during the Blitz.
His works have won a total of 19 Baftas, 10 Golden Globes and 10 Oscars. Pictured: Sir Alan giving Mickey Rourke direction in Angel Heart
He 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.
Sir Alan’s second film, 1977’s Midnight Express, won two Oscars, six Golden Globes and four Baftas.
In 1981, he directed Pink Floyd – The Wall, the feature film adaptation of the band’s successful rock album, which became a cult classic among music fans.
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.
He directed productions including Bugsy Malone, pictured above
Sir Sean Connery, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Vanessa Redgrave, Sir Christopher Lee, Martin Scorsese and Mike Leigh have been awarded the fellowship.
In 2018, Sir Alan donated his significant private collection of scripts and working papers to the BFI National Archive.
His work won him the first of 19 BAFTA awards – this one for Best Director.
He is survived by his wife Lisa Moran-Parker, his children Lucy, Alexander, Jake, Nathan and Henry, and seven grandchildren.
