He had worked with the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman
Canadian director and producer Jean-Marc Vallée, best known for his work on Dallas Buyers Club and Big Little Lies, has died at the age of 58.
Vallée died suddenly in his cabin outside Quebec City, Canada, over the weekend, his representative Bumble Ward said.
His family and close advisors are in shock, Deadline reports.
Having directed The Young Victoria with Emily Blunt in 2009, the Canadian filmmaker shot to fame in 2013 for Dallas Buyers Club, featuring Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto.
The film, which sees McConaughey star as a cowboy diagnosed with AIDs who discovers a banned drug that can help patients survive longer, was nominated for six Oscars that year, including best picture, and saw McConaughey win the Academy Award for best actor.
Later in his career, Vallée moved into television, and once again received critical acclaim for the first season of HBO series Big Little Lies, for which he won the Emmy for Outstanding Directing.
The series, which featured Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, won a total of eight Emmys and four Golden Globes.
https://twitter.com/BumbleWard/status/1475343859773227018
Vallée often shot with natural light and hand-held cameras, giving the actors the freedom to improvise the script and move around a scene’s location.
In a 2014 interview, he said: “They (actors) can move anywhere they want.
“It’s giving the importance to storytelling, emotion, characters. I try not to interfere too much. I don’t need to cut performances. Often, the cinematographer and I were like: ‘This location sucks. It’s not very nice. But, hey, that’s life.'”
In a statement HBO said: “Jean-Marc Vallée was a brilliant, fiercely dedicated filmmaker, a truly phenomenal talent who infused every scene with a deeply visceral, emotional truth.
“He was also a hugely caring man who invested his whole self alongside every actor he directed. We are shocked at the news of his sudden death, and we extend our heartfelt sympathies to his sons, Alex and Émile, his extended family, and his longtime producing partner, Nathan Ross.”
Entertainment news:
- Mackenzie Crook says The Office couldn’t be made today
- Pointless star Richard Osman discusses life-long battle with food addiction
- Incredible true crime series about Salisbury poisonings has just dropped on Netflix
