Michael David Apted (10 February 1941 – 7 January 2021) was an English television and film director and producer. Apted began working in television and directed the '' Up'' documentary series from 1970 to 2019). He later directed '' Coal Miner's Daughter'' (1980), which was nominated for seven

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

including Best Picture. His subsequent work included ''

Gorillas in the Mist ''Gorillas in the Mist'' is a 1988 American biographical drama film directed by Michael Apted from a screenplay by Anna Hamilton Phelan and a story by Phelan and Tab Murphy. The film is based on a book of the same name by Dian Fossey and fr ...

'' (1988), '' Nell'' (1994), the ''

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

'' film ''

The World Is Not Enough ''The World Is Not Enough'' is a 1999 spy film, the nineteenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions and the third to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional Secret Intelligence Service, MI6 agent Jam ...

'' (1999), and '' Enigma'' (2001). His film ''

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn written in 1772 and published in 1779 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is possibly the most sung and most recorded hymn in the world, and especially popular in the Unit ...

'' (2006) premiered at the closing of the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

that year. On 29 June 2003, he was elected president of the

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of Film director, film and Television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dir ...

, a position he served until 2009. He was appointed Companion of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

(CMG) in the

2008 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 2008 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Of ...

Early life and education

Apted was born on 10 February 1941 at Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital in

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Waterside Theatre. It is located in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wycombe and Milt ...

, the son of Frances Amelia (née Thomas) and Ronald William Apted. He was educated at

City of London School The City of London School, also known as CLS and City, is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school for Single-sex education, boys in the City of London, England, on the banks of the River Thames next to the Millennium Bridge, ...

and

Downing College, Cambridge Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 950 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to the university between 1596 and 1869, and is often described as the oldest of ...

, where he studied law and history.

Career

Television

Apted began his career in television as a trainee for six months at

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, where he worked as a researcher. One of his first projects at Granada would become his best known: the ''Up ''series, which began in 1964 as a profile of 14 seven-year-old children for the current affairs series ''

World in Action ''World in Action'' was a British investigative current affairs programme made by Granada Television for ITV from 7 January 1963 until 7 December 1998. Its campaigning journalism frequently had a major impact on events of the day. Its product ...

.'' As a researcher and assistant to Canadian director Paul Almond, Apted was involved in selecting the children, who came from a variety of backgrounds and classes. Though originally conceived as a one-off documentary, the series has become an institution. When it was suggested that they revisit the subjects at ages fourteen and twenty one, Apted accepted the offer to direct and directed every subsequent episode in the series. It explores Apted's thesis that the

British class system The social structure of the United Kingdom has historically been highly influenced by the concept of social class, which continues to affect British society today. British society, like its European neighbours and most societies in world history, ...

remains largely in place. It studies the participants based on the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

motto "Give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man", looking at how they develop during their lives, compared to when they were seven. The series looks at the lives of these people over the years; the latest instalment, ''63 Up'', was produced in 2019. It won a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

in 2012 "for its creator’s patience and its subjects' humanity." During his seven-year period of working at Granada, Apted also directed a number of episodes of ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

,'' then written by

Jack Rosenthal Jack Morris Rosenthal (8 September 1931 – 29 May 2004) was an English playwright. He wrote 129 early episodes of the ITV (TV network), ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' and over 150 screenplays, including original television plays, featur ...

, among others. Apted and Rosenthal later collaborated on a number of popular television and film projects, including the pilot episodes for '' The Dustbinmen'' and '' The Lovers''. They worked together again in 1982 for the TV movie '' P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang'', the first film commissioned by Britain's

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

. In 1976 Apted directed a play in the Granada TV series ''

Laurence Olivier Presents ''Laurence Olivier Presents'' is a British television anthology series made by ITV Granada, Granada Television which ran from 1976 to 1978. The plays, with the exception of ''Hindle Wakes (play), Hindle Wakes'', all starred Laurence Olivier. S ...

''. The episode was '' The Collection'' by

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...

. The play starred

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

Malcolm McDowell Malcolm McDowell (born Malcolm John Taylor; 13 June 1943) is an English actor. He first became known for portraying Mick Travis in Lindsay Anderson's ''if....'' (1968), a role he later reprised in ''O Lucky Man!'' (1973) and ''Britannia Hospital ...

Alan Bates Sir Alan Arthur Bates (17 February 1934 – 27 December 2003) was an English actor who came to prominence in the Cinema of the United Kingdom#The 1960s, 1960s, when he appeared in films ranging from ''Whistle Down the Wind (film), Whistle Down ...

and

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (; born Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironov; 26 July 1945) is an English actor. With a career spanning over six decades of Helen Mirren on screen and stage, screen and stage, List of awards and nominations received by Helen Mirre ...

. Apted used his idea from the ''Up'' series a second time in '' Married in America'' and ''Married in America 2''. The idea was to interview nine married couples every two years over a ten-year period to tell a more complete story of their marriages. In 2005, he directed the first three episodes of the TV series ''

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

''. For his work in television, Apted won several British Academy Awards, including two Flaherty Documentary Awards for his work on 28 ''Up'' and ''35 Up'' and a BAFTA for Best Dramatic Director for the single play ''Kisses at Fifty'' in 1974.

Film

Apted made his first feature film in 1972, ''

The Triple Echo ''The Triple Echo'' (U.S title: ''Soldier in Skirts'') is a 1972 British drama film directed by Michael Apted starring Glenda Jackson, Brian Deacon and Oliver Reed, and based on The Triple Echo (novel), the 1970 novella by H.E. Bates. It was sho ...

'', starring

Oliver Reed Robert Oliver Reed (13 February 1938 – 2 May 1999) was an English actor, known for his upper-middle class, macho image and his heavy-drinking, "hellraiser" lifestyle. His screen career spanned over 40 years, between 1955 and 1999. At the ...

and

Glenda Jackson Glenda May Jackson (9 May 1936 – 15 June 2023) was an English actress and politician. Over the course of her distinguished career she received List of awards and nominations received by Glenda Jackson, numerous accolades including two Academy ...

, and he directed two films for

David Puttnam David Terence Puttnam, Baron Puttnam, CBE, HonFRSA, HonFRPS, MRIA (; born 25 February 1941), is a British-Irish film producer, educator, environmentalist and former member of the House of Lords. His productions include '' Chariots of Fire' ...

. ''The Triple Echo'' was entered into the

8th Moscow International Film Festival The 8th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 10 to 23 July 1973. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Soviet film '' That Sweet Word: Liberty!'' directed by Vytautas Žalakevičius and the Bulgarian film '' Affection'' directed by ...

. He alternated this work with working on the TV series ''

Play for Today ''Play for Today'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage ...

''. He directed six plays including ''Stronger than the Sun'', written by

Stephen Poliakoff Stephen Poliakoff (born 1 December 1952) is a British playwright, Film director, director and screenwriter. In 2006 Gerard Gilbert of ''The Independent'' described him as the UK's "pre-eminent TV dramatist" and that he had "inherited Dennis Po ...

and starring Francesca Annis as a young woman who places her life in danger to expose a crime, a theme Apted returned to several times. In 1979 he directed the Hollywood-financed '' Agatha'', featuring

Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress. In her career spanning over six decades, she has garnered List of awards and nominations received by Vanessa Redgrave, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony A ...

. He went to the United States in 1980, where he directed '' Coal Miner's Daughter'', which received seven

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nominations, winning best actress for

Sissy Spacek Mary Elizabeth "Sissy" Spacek (; born December 25, 1949) is an American actress and singer. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Sissy Spacek, numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, including ...

. Both Spacek and

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "Hey Loretta", "The Pill (song), The P ...

, the subject of the film, have said that they believe Apted's outsider point of view was crucial to the movie's success in securing the participation of Appalachian residents and to the avoidance of stereotypes that previously had marred portrayals of mountain culture.Sissy Spacek and Michael Apted. Feature commentary track, ''Coal Miner's Daughter'' 25th Anniversary/Collector's Edition, 2005.Interview with Loretta Lynn and Michael Apted. Featurette on ''Coal Miner's Daughter'' 25th Anniversary/Collector's Edition DVD, 2005. In 2019, ''Coal Miner's Daughter'' was selected by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

for preservation in the

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...

for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Apted also made several films with a strong social message or that deal with an ethical dilemma. In 1983 he directed '' Gorky Park'', a political thriller based on the novel by

Martin Cruz Smith Martin Cruz Smith, born Martin William Smith (November 3, 1942), is an American writer of mystery and suspense fiction, mostly in an international or historical setting. He is best known for his series featuring Russian investigator Arkady Renko ...

, that deals with police corruption in the former

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. ''

Class Action A class action is a form of lawsuit. Class Action may also refer to: * ''Class Action'' (film), 1991, starring Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio * Class Action (band), a garage house band * "Class Action" (''Teenage Robot''), a 2002 e ...

'' deals with a

corporate A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as "born out of s ...

whistleblower Whistleblowing (also whistle-blowing or whistle blowing) is the activity of a person, often an employee, revealing information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe, unethical or ...

, and '' Extreme Measures'' is about

medical ethics Medical ethics is an applied branch of ethics which analyzes the practice of clinical medicine and related scientific research. Medical ethics is based on a set of values that professionals can refer to in the case of any confusion or conflict. T ...

. ''Class Action'' was entered into the 17th Moscow International Film Festival. In 1994, he directed '' Nell'', which received three Golden Globe Award nominations and one Academy Award nomination. In 1999, Apted directed the ''

'' film ''

''.

Documentary

In addition to the ''Up'' series, Apted made other documentaries, including '' Bring On the Night'', a feature-length concert film about the making of Sting's first solo album. He directed the documentary ''The Long Way Home'', which was released in 1989. It chronicled the UK, US and USSR adventures of

Boris Grebenshchikov Boris Borisovich Grebenshchikov (; born ) is a prominent member of the generation which is widely considered to be the "founding fathers" of Russian rock music. He is the founder and lead singer of the band Aquarium which has been active since ...

, the first Soviet underground musician allowed to record in the West. Before the making of ''

Thunderheart ''Thunderheart'' is a 1992 American Neo-Western mystery film directed by Michael Apted from a screenplay by John Fusco. The film is a loosely based fictional portrayal of events relating to the Wounded Knee incident in 1973, when followers of ...

'', Apted made the documentary '' Incident at Oglala'' about Leonard Peltier. ''Incident at Oglala'' then informed ''Thunderheart'' in the casting of actors for the fiction film. In 1997, he explored the creative process in '' Inspirations'' through candid discussion with seven artists from diverse media, including

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

, Louise Lecavalier and

Roy Lichtenstein Roy Fox Lichtenstein ( ; October27, 1923September29, 1997) was an American pop artist. He rose to prominence in the 1960s through pieces which were inspired by popular advertising and the comic book style. Much of his work explores the relations ...

among others. In a departure from his earlier work, from 1992 to 1994, Apted ventured into China's rapidly changing popular culture. In a project backed by

Trudie Styler Trudie Styler (born 6 January 1954) is an English actress, director, and film producer. Early life and family Styler was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, the daughter of Pauline and Harry Styler, a farmer and factory worker. When Styler was ...

, Apted directed '' Moving the Mountain'', a feature documentary which probed the origins of the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square and the consequences of the movement in the lives of several of the movement's student leaders. In 2006, Apted co-directed ''The Official Film of the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...

'', narrated by

Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He was the fifth actor to play the fictional secret agent Portrayal of James Bond in film, James Bond in the List of James Bond films, James Bond film series, starri ...

. Apted was the collaborator and subject of the documentary: ''Michael Apted – Visions on Film'', by artist and filmmaker Melinda Camber Porter.

Theatre

In 1977, Apted directed the premiere of '' Strawberry Fields'' at the National Theatre in London.

Personal life and death

Apted's first marriage was to Jo Proctor in 1966, with whom he had two sons, Paul and Jim. Paul Apted was a sound editor who worked on movies such as '' The Wolverine''; he died from colon cancer in 2014. After that marriage ended in divorce, he married Dana Stevens in 1998, before they divorced in 2009. They had a son, John. In 2007 Apted became a father for the fourth time, to a girl, who lives with her mother Tania Mellis. Apted married Paige Simpson, his third wife, in January 2014. Apted's health started to decline shortly after the completion of ''63 Up'', and he died at his home in Los Angeles on 7 January 2021, at the age of 79.

Filmography

Film

* ''

'' (1972) * '' Stardust'' (1974) * '' Trick or Treat'' (1975) (unfinished) * '' The Squeeze'' (1977) * '' Agatha'' (1979) * '' Coal Miner's Daughter'' (1980) * ''

Continental Divide A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...

'' (1981) * '' Gorky Park'' (1983) * ''

Firstborn A firstborn (also known as an eldest child or sometimes firstling) is the first child born to in the birth order of a couple through childbirth. Historically, the role of the firstborn child has been socially significant, particularly for a first ...

'' (1984) * '' Critical Condition'' (1987) * ''

'' (1988) * ''

'' (1991) * ''

'' (1992) * ''

Blink Blinking is a bodily function; it is a semi-autonomic rapid closing of the eyelid. A single blink is determined by the forceful closing of the eyelid or inactivation of the levator palpebrae superioris and the activation of the palpebral por ...

'' (1993) * '' Nell'' (1994) * '' Extreme Measures'' (1996) * ''

'' (1999) * '' Enigma'' (2001) * '' Enough'' (2002) * ''

'' (2006) * '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'' (2010) * ''

Chasing Mavericks ''Chasing Mavericks'' is a 2012 American biographical drama film about the life of American surfer Jay Moriarity (portrayed by Jonny Weston). It was directed by Curtis Hanson and Michael Apted, and stars Gerard Butler, Elisabeth Shue, Abigail ...

'' (2012) * '' Unlocked'' (2017) Documentary film

Television

TV movies * ''Joy'' (1972) * ''Haunted: Poor Girl'' (1974) * '' P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang'' (1982) * '' Always Outnumbered'' (1998) * ''Nathan Dixon'' (1999) * ''Hallelujah'' (2011) Documentary film * '' The Long Way Home'' (1989) * '' Married in America'' (2003) * ''Married in America 2'' (2006)

Other roles

He served as president of the

from 2003 to 2009 and served as the secretary-treasurer from 2011 to his death.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Michael Apted biography
at

BFI Screenonline Screenonline is a website about the history of British film, television and social history as documented by film and television. The project has been developed by the British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and tele ...

Resumé
at Peters, Fraser & Dunlop

by ReadTheSpirit.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Apted, Michael 1941 births 2021 deaths Alumni of Downing College, Cambridge BAFTA winners (people) British documentary film directors Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Directors Guild of America Award winners English expatriates in the United States English film directors English television directors English television producers Fellows of Downing College, Cambridge Grammy Award winners People educated at the City of London School People from Aylesbury Presidents of the Directors Guild of America