Filmmaker James Foley, whose directing career spanned music videos, television and film, with stars including Madonna, Al Pacino and Bruce Dern, has died.
Florent Lamy, a representative for Foley, confirmed the Brooklyn-born director’s death to The Times on Thursday. Lamy did not provide a cause of death, but according to media outlets including
the Hollywood Reporter
The filmmaker had been fighting against brain cancer. Foley was 71 years old.
“James Foley was not only a talented director but also a dear friend,” Lamy told The Times. “He was one of my very first clients, and over time, he became someone very special in my life.”
Foley’s diverse directing career — which notably included films “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “At Close Range” and the “Fifty Shades” sequels — began in the mid-1980s. The 1984 film “Reckless” marked his directorial debut and gave him the opportunity to work alongside actors Daryl Hannah and Aidan Quinn and prolific producer-filmmaker Chris Columbus.
Over the subsequent years, Foley helmed several movies such as 1986’s “At Close Range,” which starred Sean Penn and Christopher Walken, along with 1990’s “After Dark, My Sweet,” featuring Dern. Additionally, he created various music videos and visual content for Madonna during this period when she was rising to international pop superstardom. Between 1985 and 1990, Foley produced music videos for Madonna’s tracks “Dress You Up” and “True Blue.” Furthermore, he also directed her music video titled “Who’s That Girl?” as well as the 1987 film under the same title.
Foley also directed music videos for rock band Deep Purple and Marky Mark, actor Mark Wahlberg’s former rap persona. He would later reunite with Wahlberg for the 1996 thriller “Fear” and 1999’s “The Corruptor,” with Chow Yun-Fat.
In 1992, Foley directed the
film adaptation
One of Foley’s most renowned adaptations is David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross,” which boasted an impressive ensemble featuring Al Pacino, Ed Harris, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey, and Jonathan Pryce. Pacino was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his performance in this darkly comedic film.
Foley’s final film credits, “Fifty Shades Darker” and “Fifty Shades Freed,” also were among his popular works. Foley took over the film franchise, based on E.L. James’ erotic novels, after “Fifty Shades of Grey” director Sam Taylor-Johnson departed over reported
disputes
with the author, who was also a producer. The “Fifty Shades” films starred Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan.
Foley additionally helmed episodes for various series including “Twin Peaks,” “Hannibal,” “House of Cards” (a project that brought him back together with Spacey), and “Billions.”
In a
2017 interview
With The Hollywood Reporter, Foley mentioned that he welcomed the diversity throughout his extensive career spanning many years. He stated, “My career has been quite versatile with numerous highs and lows as well as unexpected turns. At each step, I simply followed my interests without giving much thought to specific genres.”
“I’ve simply gone with the flow, for better or for worse, occasionally landing on the wrong side of things,” he said. “To be honest, both the best and worst aspects of this industry feel quite similar to me now. The downside is being typecast, whereas the upside is that I have managed to avoid it. This suggests that I continue to make films even as I explore various genres.”
According to various reports, Foley’s surviving family members consist of his brother Kevin, sisters Eileen and Jo Ann, as well as his nephew Quinn. It has been noted that he was predeceased by his other sibling, Gerard.
This tale initially surfaced in
Los Angeles Times
.