'Notting Hill,' 'The Duke' director Roger Michell dies at 65
LONDON (AP) - Roger Michell, the British stage, television and film director whose movies include the indelibly popular romcom 'œNotting Hill,'ť has died, his family said Thursday. He was 65.
Michell's family said in a statement that he died on Wednesday. They didn't disclose the place or cause of death.
'œIt is with great sadness that the family of Roger Michell, director, writer and father of Harry, Rosie, Maggie and Sparrow, announce his death at the age of 65 on September 22nd,'ť said the statement released through Michell's publicist.
Born in South Africa, where his father was posted as a British diplomat, Michell began his directing career with British theaters including the Royal Court, the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
He made acclaimed television series in the 1990s, including adaptations of Hanif Kureishi's novel 'œThe Buddha of Suburbia'ť and Jane Austen's 'œPersuasion.'ť
On the big screen, his biggest commercial hit was 'œNotting Hill,'ť the Richard Curtis-penned comedy about an awkward romance between a movie star played by Julia Roberts and a London bookshop owner, played by Hugh Grant.
After its release in 1999 it was for a time the highest-grossing British film in history, and Michell followed it with Hollywood thriller 'œChanging Lanes,'ť starring Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson.
He was courted to direct a James Bond film - the one that became 'œQuantum of Solace'ť - but turned it down because, he later said, the movie 'œhad everything, but no script.'ť
He largely made films in Britain, often drawing superb performances from actors. They include 2003 release 'œThe Mother,'ť with Anne Reid and Daniel Craig; the next year's 'œEnduring Love,'ť based on an Ian McEwan novel and again starring Craig; and 'œVenus,'ť which gained Peter O'Toole an Academy Award nomination in 2007.
Later films included 'œHyde Park on Hudson,'ť a 2012 historical drama starring Bill Murray as President Franklin D. Roosevelt; Daphne du Maurier adaptation 'œMy Cousin Rachel,'ť starring Rachel Weisz, released in 2017; and 'œThe Duke,'ť a real-life art heist story starring Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren that premiered at the 2020 Venice Film Festival.
At the time of his death he was working on a documentary about Queen Elizabeth II.
Michell was married twice: to actor Kate Buffery, and after their divorce to actor Anna Maxwell Martin, from whom he was separated. He is survived by both women and by his four children, two from each relationship.