Michael Apted

Michael Epted was born on February 10, 1941 in Aylesbury (Buckinghamshire, UK). He studied law and history at Cambridge University. Then he began to work at the studio "Granada Television" and a few years later proved himself a talented TV director and TV journalist - the films of the series "World in Action" and TV series were very successful. For his work on television, Michael Epted won several national awards, and his documentary “7 Up”, consisting of interviews with fourteen seven-year-olds. more

Michael Epted was born on February 10, 1941 in Aylesbury (Buckinghamshire, UK). He studied law and history at Cambridge University. Then he began to work at the studio "Granada Television" and a few years later proved himself a talented TV director and TV journalist - the films of the series "World in Action" and TV series were very successful. For his work on television, Michael Epted won several national awards, and his documentary “7 Up”, consisting of interviews with fourteen seven-year-olds. Then every seven years the director again interviewed them, in which the same characters told about themselves and their lives. And he continues to work actively in the genre of documentary film.

In 1972, Michael Epted made his film debut, directing the war drama Triple Echo (Soldier in a Skirt), starring Glenda Jackson and Oliver Reed. Widely known director brought the biographical film "Agata" (1979) with Dustin Hoffman and Vanessa Radgrave. Michael Epted's next film, "The Miner's Daughter", the first filmed in the United States, was nominated for the Academy Award in seven nominations - "Oscar" for the role of Loretta Lynn received actress Sissy Spacek. Subsequently, the director had to travel the world with film crews: in Finland, he staged the detective “Gorky Park” with William Hurt, Lee Marvin and Joanna Pacula; in the mountains of Rwanda and Kenya, he shot the picture “Gorillas in the fog” with Sigourney Weaver; in the USSR he made the documentary “The Long Road Home” about Boris Grebenshchikov; in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota he worked on the tape “Thunderheart”, with the participation of Val Kilmer and Sam Shepard. In 1994, the film Nell was released - about a girl who grew up in complete isolation from modern civilization. The main role in this picture became one of the best roles of Jodie Foster, and besides her, Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson played in “Nella”. Not went unnoticed and the thriller “Extreme measures” – with Hugh Grant, Gene Hackman and Sarah Jessica Parker. In 1999, Michael Epted acted as the director of the next film about the exploits of ageless James Bond "And the whole world is not enough". And, it is worth noting, not without success: a bright episode of the chase on the Thames boats is immediately remembered, and the image of the villain - Electra King performed by Sophie Marceau - has acquired an unusual psychological persuasiveness for the "bondiana". Later, Epted staged a spy film from the Second World War "The Enigma Code", sustained in the best traditions of this genre and a psychological thriller "I've had enough" with the participation of Jennifer Lopez. Quite an interesting work was his historical and biographical film "Amazing Grace", dedicated to the life of the famous fighter against the slave trade, British politician William Wilberforce. Epted also continues to work successfully in documentary films.