Michael David Apted, (10 February 1941 – 7 January 2021) was a British television and film director and producer. Apted began working in television and directed the '' Up'' documentary series (1964–2019). He later directed '' Coal Miner's Daughter'' (1980), which was nominated for seven

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

including Best Picture. His subsequent work included '' Gorillas in the Mist'' (1988), ''

Nell Nell is a traditional nickname for Eleanor. Nell is the name of: People Given name * Nell (artist) (born 1975), Australian artist * Nell Blaine (1922–1996), American painter * Nell Bryden (born 1977), American singer * Nell Carter (1948–2003 ...

'' (1994), ''

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

'' film ''

The World Is Not Enough ''The World Is Not Enough'' is a 1999 spy film, the nineteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions and the third to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It was directed by Michael Apted, from an ...

'' (1999), and '' Enigma'' (2001). His film '' Amazing Grace'' (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 largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

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 Dire ...

, 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 IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

(CMG) in the 2008 Birthday Honours.

Early life

Apted was born in 1941 in

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, South East England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery, David Tugwell`s house on Watermead and the Waterside Theatre. It is in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wy ...

, Buckinghamshire, as the son of Frances Amelia (née Thomas) and Ronald William Apted. He was educated at City of London School and

Downing College, Cambridge Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 650 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to Cambridge University between 1596 and 1869, and is often described as the old ...

, where he studied law and history.

Career

Television

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

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the 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 but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was its ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

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

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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 Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

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'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Orig ...

,'' then written by Jack Rosenthal, 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 ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

''. 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 network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

. In 1976 Apted directed a play in the Granada TV series '' Laurence Olivier Presents''. 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 Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that span ...

. The play starred

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

, Malcolm McDowell,

Alan Bates Sir Alan Arthur Bates (17 February 1934 – 27 December 2003) was an English actor who came to prominence in the 1960s, when he appeared in films ranging from the popular children's story '' Whistle Down the Wind'' to the " kitchen sink" dram ...

and

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom ...

. 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 , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

''. 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. *''

'' (1967), 24 episodes *''

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'' (1967) *''The Shooting War'' (1967) *'' There's a Hole in Your Dustbin, Delilah'' (1968) – written by Jack Rosenthal *''Your Name’s Not God, It’s Edgar'' (1968) written by Jack Rosenthal *'' The Dustbinmen'' (1969) *''

Big Breadwinner Hog ''Big Breadwinner Hog'' is a British television thriller serial devised by Robin Chapman, produced by Granada TV and transmitted in eight parts, starting at 9.00pm on 11 April 1969 on the ITV network. Overview The series focussed on the ruth ...

'' (1969) *''

Parkin's Patch ''Parkin's Patch'' is a Yorkshire Television production that aired on ITV from 1969 to 1970. John Flanagan played PC Moss Parkin, a police constable in the North York Moors. The series was filmed in the North York Moors as well as certain scen ...

'' (1969–70), 8 episodes *''

'' (1970) *''

Another Sunday and Sweet F.A. "Another Sunday and Sweet F.A." is a television play written by Jack Rosenthal and directed by Michael Apted which was first broadcast on 9 January 1972 in Granada Television's ''ITV Sunday Night Theatre'' strand. It stars David Swift, Freddie ...

'' (1972) – written by Jack Rosenthal *'' Follyfoot'' (1971, 1972), "Moonstone" and "Poor Bald Head" episodes *'' Shades of Greene'' (1975), "

The Destructors "The Destructors" is a 1954 short story written by Graham Greene, first published in ''Picture Post'' and subsequently collected in ''Twenty-One Stories'' later that year.The Collection'' (1976) – written by

and starring

*''

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 ...

'' (1972–77), 6 episodes *'' P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang'' (1982) *'' My Life and Times'' (1991), 2 episodes *''

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

'' (1992), co-director *'' New York News'' (1995), 1 episode *'' Always Outnumbered'' (1998) – written by

Walter Mosley Walter Ellis Mosley (born January 12, 1952) is an American novelist, most widely recognized for his crime fiction. He has written a series of best-selling historical mysteries featuring the hard-boiled detective Easy Rawlins, a black private inv ...

and starring Laurence Fishburne *'' Married in America'' (2002–06) *''

'' (2005), 3 episodes *'' What About Brian'' (2006), 1 episode *'' Hallelujah'' (2011) *'' Masters of Sex'' (2013–16), 2 episodes *'' Ray Donovan'' (2013–16), 2 episodes *'' Reckless'' (2014), episode 5: "Bloodstone" *'' Bloodline'' (2017), "Part 30" episode

Film

Apted made his first feature film in 1972, '' The Triple Echo'', starring

Oliver Reed Robert Oliver Reed (13 February 1938 – 2 May 1999) was an English actor known for his well-to-do, macho image and "hellraiser" lifestyle. After making his first significant screen appearances in Hammer Horror films in the early 1960s, his ...

and Glenda Jackson, and he directed two films for

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

. ''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 L ...

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

''. He directed six plays including ''Stronger than the Sun'', written by Stephen Poliakoff and starring

Francesca Annis Francesca Annis (born 14 May 1945) is an English actress. She is known for television roles in '' Reckless'' (1998), '' Wives and Daughters'' (1999), ''Deceit'' (2000), and '' Cranford'' (2007). A six-time BAFTA TV Award nominee, she won the 19 ...

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 and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, tw ...

. The majority of Apted's feature films since then were based around a female protagonist. He went to the United States in 1980, where he directed '' Coal Miner's Daughter'', which received seven

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominations, winning best actress for Sissy Spacek. Both Spacek and Loretta Lynn, 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 the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

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, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...

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 November 3, 1942) is an American mystery novelist. He is best known for his nine-novel series (to date) on Russian investigator Arkady Renko, who was first introduced in 1981 with '' Gorky Park''. Early life and educat ...

, that deals with police corruption in the former

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

. ''

Class Action A class action, also known as a class-action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member or members of that group. The class actio ...

'' deals with a corporate

whistleblower A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...

, 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 ''

'', which received three Golden Globe Award nominations and one Academy Award nomination. In 1999, Apted directed the ''

'' film ''

''. *'' The Triple Echo'' (1972) *''

Stardust Stardust may refer to: * A type of cosmic dust, composed of particles in space Entertainment Songs * “Stardust” (1927 song), by Hoagy Carmichael * “Stardust” (David Essex song), 1974 * “Stardust” (Lena Meyer-Landrut song), 2012 * ...

'' (1974) *''

Trick or Treat Trick-or-treating is a traditional Halloween custom for children and adults in some countries. During the evening of Halloween, on October 31, people in costumes travel from house to house, asking for treats with the phrase "trick or treat". The ...

'' (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 c ...

'' (1981) *'' Gorky Park'' (1983) *'' Firstborn'' (1984) *''

Bring On the Night ''Bring On the Night'' is the first live album by Sting recorded over the course of several live shows in 1985 and released in 1986. The title is taken from a song by the Police from their 1979 album ''Reggatta de Blanc''. The songs performed i ...

'' (1985) *'' Critical Condition''(1987) *'' Gorillas in the Mist'' (1988) *''

'' (1991) *'' Thunderheart'' (1992) *'' Incident at Oglala'' (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 portio ...

'' (1993) *'' Moving the Mountain'' (1994) *''

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

'' (1999) *''

Me & Isaac Newton ''Me & Isaac Newton'' is a 1999 documentary directed by Michael Apted and produced by Clear Blue Sky Productions. Synopsis With a lightly humorous approach, the film explores human advances in the field of sciences. Both Apted and Paul G. Allen, ...

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

In addition to the ''Up'' series, Apted made other documentaries, including ''

'', a feature-length concert film about the making of

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-earth ...

'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, the first Soviet underground musician allowed to record in the West. Before the making of '' Thunderheart'', 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 professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

, Louise Lecavalier and

Roy Lichtenstein Roy Fox Lichtenstein (; October 27, 1923 – September 29, 1997) was an American pop artist. During the 1960s, along with Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, and James Rosenquist among others, he became a leading figure in the new art movement. ...

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 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 two years ...

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

'', narrated by

Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 ('' GoldenEye'', '' Tomorro ...

. 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

Apted married Paige Simpson, his third wife, in January 2014. Apted was divorced from his second wife of ten years, the screenwriter Dana Stevens, with whom he had a son, John. From his first marriage to Jo, 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. In 2007 Apted became a father for the fourth time to a girl, Lily Mellis Apted, who lives with her mother Tania Mellis. He served as president of the

from 2003 to 2009 and served as the secretary-treasurer from 2011 to his death. Apted died at his home in Los Angeles on 7 January 2021, at the age of 79.

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 telev ...

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