The British Hugh Hudson, director of the cult film the chariots of fire in 1981, he died Friday at the age of 86, his family said.
“Hugh Hudson, 86, loving husband and father, died at Charing Cross Hospital (London) on February 10, 2023 after a brief illness,” read a statement on behalf of his family.
Born in August 1936 in London, Hugh Hudson enjoyed dazzling success in 1981 directing the chariots of firewhich tells the story of two British athletes, including Harold Abrahams, a young Jew plagued by anti-Semitism on his quest for Olympic gold in 1924.
One of the “most controversial” movies of the 1980s.
Remembered in particular for its famous Vangelis song, the film was crowned with four Oscars, including Best Picture.
“I am beyond devastated by the death of my great friend Hugh Hudson, whom I have known for over 45 years,” British actor Nigel Havers, who starred in the film, said in a statement.
“the chariots of fire It was one of the best experiences of my professional life. And, like so many others, I owe him a lot for what followed,” he said.
According to the British Film Institute, the chariots of fire it became at the time “one of the most controversial British films of the decade”, seen as a “radical critique of establishment snobbery”.
“Class questions spoke to me”
In an interview in guardian In 2012, the director, who studied at the prestigious Eton College, said he believed he had been chosen by the producer to direct the film because “questions of class and race spoke to me”.
“I was sent to Eton because my family had been there for generations, but I hated all the prejudice,” he said.
Beyond cult cinema, Hugh Hudson had a career in advertising and documentaries. He had a son and had been married since 2003 to British actress Maryam d’Abo, known for her role as her James Bond girl in killing is not playing in 1987.
Source: BFM TV
