Michael Apted (CC: Anders Krusberg, Peabody Awards)
Michael Apted, the documentary and filmmaker behind the long UK documentary series Up, died aged 79.
Apted became world famous for the Granada Television show, which began in 1964 and followed the lives of 14 people every seven years.
The latest addition, 63 Up, broadcast on UK commercial broadcaster ITV in 2019 and has since been built by global networks, including KBS in Korea.
Apted was also behind a series of films, directing the James Bond feature The world is not enough, and was widely known for a 1980s film Gorillas In the Mist and Oscar Coal miner’s daughter.
Thomas Schlamme, president of the Directors Association of America (DGA), said that Apted’s legacy will forever be woven into the fabric of cinema and our society. ”
He said: “A visionary without fear as the leader and leader of a unique society, Michael saw the way things were when others did not, and we all benefited from his wisdom and lifelong commitment. ”
ITV’s MD Lygo was among many others who honored him, describing Apted’s role as “truly amazing”. He said that the Up The series highlighted “the potential of television at its best in terms of its desire and ability to maintain a mirror of society and to engage with and entertain people and at the same time enhance our view of the human condition. ”
“The impact of Michael’s contribution to film and program-making is still being felt and will be greatly missed,” said Lygo.