Obituary: Anthony Minghella
Obituary by Jack Foley
OSCAR-winning director Anthony Minghella has died at the age of 54, his agent has revealed.
The popular British filmmaker had an operation for a growth in his neck last week, which seemed to have been a success, but suffered a fatal haemorrhage at 5am on Tuesday (March 18, 2008).
The news has sent shockwaves throughout the movie industry, with many former colleagues paying tribute. Jude Law, who worked with Minghella on three films (including The Talented Mr Ripley and Cold Mountain), said he was “deeply shocked and saddened”.
And film producer and friend Lord Puttnam said the industry would be “very shocked” to lose their “very well-loved” colleague.
Minghella took home the Oscar for best director for his acclaimed adaptation of The English Patient in 1997. But his reach extended beyond cinema and across the arts – he had just completed writing and directing an adaptation of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency for the BBC and, in 2005, helmed his first opera, an English National Opera (ENO) production of Madama Butterfly at London’s prestigious Coliseum.
Born on January 6, 1954, in Ryde, on the Isle of Wight, Minghella was the son of two Italian parents who were famous for their ice-cream factory.
After attending the University of Hull in North Yorkshire, he worked briefly as a university professor but quickly developed a passion for the arts and began writing music and plays in between lecturing.
Success – which he enjoyed throughout his career – came quickly. He won the London Theatre Critics’ Award in 1984 for Most Promising Playwright and in 1986 for Best Play with Made In Bangkok.
His writing success paved the way for his transition from theatre to TV, where he penned several episodes of long-running BBC education drama Grange Hill, as well as stand-along episodes of shows like Boon and Inspector Morse.
His cinema breakthrough came in 1990 when he wrote and directed the heart-breaking romantic drama Truly, Madly, Deeply in 1990, a ghost story dealing with the effects of bereavement that, ironically, was only originally intended for the small screen on the BBC.
It provided two great roles for its stars, Alan Rickman and Juliet Stevenson, and earned Minghella the BAFTA Film Award for best original screenplay, paving the way for a successful big screen career.
He followed it up with Mr Wonderful in 1993 and then took the cinematic world by storm with The English Patient, his brilliant adaptation of Michael Ondaatje’s complex novel.
The film won a total of nine Oscars, including best director and best picture, as well as two Golden Globes and six Baftas.
The Talented Mr Ripley followed in 1999, which gained further Oscar recognition with five nominations and united Minghella with Jude Law for the first time (as well as a stellar ensemble cast including Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett and Philip Seymour Hoffman).
Law would work with Minghella a further twice in film, on American Civil War epic Cold Mountain, which earned co-star Renee Zellweger an Oscar for her role, and 2006’s London-based crime drama, Breaking & Entering.
Minghella was honoured with a CBE in 2001 in recognition of his services to the arts and also served as head of the British Film Institute (BFI), a role he stepped down from earlier this month (to be replaced by former BBC director general Greg Dyke).
He had recently been working on the films The Ninth Life of Louis Drax and New York, I Love You, whch were both still in production at the time of his premature death.
Tributes
Paying further tribute to his friend and colleague, Jude Law described Minghella as “a brilliantly talented writer and director” and “a sweet, warm, bright and funny man”.
While Lord Puttnam stated: “He started as a writer, he was not a stylist as a director. He saw himself as a storyteller and his films were very well told, beautifully made and beautifully acted.”
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was directed by Minghella in a Labour Party broadcast before the 2005 General Election, also paid tribute, saying: “Anthony Minghella was a wonderful human being, creative and brilliant, but still humble, gentle and a joy to be with.
“Whatever I did with him, personally or professionally, left me with complete admiration for him, as a character and as an artist of the highest calibre.”
And current Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who was interviewed on stage by Minghella about a book he wrote about his heroes, said: “He was one of Britain’s greatest creative talents, one of our finest screenwriters and directors, a great champion of the British film industry, and an expert on literature and opera. I counted him as a great friend, as did Sarah and our family.
“My thoughts are with his wife, Carolyn, his children Max and Hannah, and his other family and friends.”
Amanda Nevill, director of the British Film Institute, said: “We are deeply, deeply shocked and terribly sad. All our thoughts go out to his family. His art was about communicating to you and allowing you to see the world differently. He was just such a wonderful man.”
Minghella is survived by his parents, his siblings in the entertainment industry Dominic Minghella and Edana Minghella, two other sisters, his wife, choreographer Carolyn Choa, and two children, Max Minghella and Hannah Minghella.
The world of cinema has lost one of its leading lights. He may have had his critics, but films like The Talented Mr Ripley, Truly Madly Deeply, The English Patient and Cold Mountain will live long in the memory. RIP Anthony. You didn’t deserve to go so young…
Tom Mar 18 #Oh dear, my heart goes out to his family. I loved Minghella’s films Cold Mountain and Mr Ripley and cannot believe we won’t be getting to see anymore work from him. We’ll miss you, Mr Minghella.
Janet Mar 18 #I can’t imagine anyone topping Mr. Minghella’s treatment of “The English Patient”. I’m truly saddened by his passing.
Jim Philpot Apr 10 #