Director James Foley, known for works like Grengar Glenloss and the Fifty Shades series, has passed away at the age of 71.
His representative confirmed to Hollywood Reporter that he “died peacefully in his sleep earlier this week after a long battle with brain cancer.”
Foley had a diverse career, directing everything from music videos for Madonna to commercial thrills, television dramas, and erotic films.
He debuted as a director in 1984 with the romantic drama Reckless, featuring Aidan Quinn and Daryl Hannah. The film, unfortunately, faced negative reviews and upset screenwriter Chris Columbus.
His subsequent work garnered more acclaim, particularly with his film starring Sean Penn and Christopher Walken, and he also collaborated with Madonna, who was married to Penn at the time; Foley even served as the best man at their wedding.
He directed the music video for Live To Tell, and also worked on her 1987 film Who’s That Girl, alongside Griffin Dunne.
In the 1990s, he helmed episodes of Twin Peaks and later films like David Mamet’s Grengar Grenross and John Grisham’s The Chamber, along with thrillers featuring Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon.
In the 2000s, he directed films such as Perfect Stranger with Halle Berry, and in the 2010s, he contributed to series like House of Cards and directed two sequels in the Fifty Shades franchise.
“Honestly, if you cast the right freaking people and they’re good actors, it’s remarkable how little you have to do,” Foley said with humility in a 2003 interview.
