Alan Parker, director of Bugsy Malone and Midnight Express, dies at 76

London:

British director Alan Parker, whose long list of successes over the decades includes Midnight Express and The engagements, died Friday at the age of 76, his family said. The winner of multiple awards, whose other films include Bugsy malone, Evita and Burning Mississippi, died “after a long illness,” his family said in a statement. Alan Parker flourished in the 1970s, creating a rapid succession of famous and blockbuster films, starting with the 1976 gangster musical Bugsy malone, which featured a cast of children.

His dark drama of 1978 Midnight Express, about an American student who ended up in a Turkish prison, was followed in 1980 by the American teenage musical drama Fame. “Alan was my oldest and closest friend, I have always been impressed by his talent,” said British director David Puttnam. “My life and the lives of many others who loved and respected him will never be the same again.”

He also directed the cult Pink Floyd musical. The wall in 1982, the American drama on racial injustices Burning Mississippi in 1988, and the merry dramatic comedy of 1991 The engagements, based on the eponymous novel by Irish writer Roddy Doyle.

Alan Parker’s last major hit came with the 1996 musical drama Evita, in which Madonna played the main role of the late Argentine first lady Eva Peron. He has collaborated with Oliver Stone on several of his works.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) said it was “deeply saddened” by the news, and the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences called him “extraordinary talent”.

“His work entertained us, connected us and gave us such a strong sense of time and place,” he said in a tweet, calling him “a chameleon” for his ability to bend gender and to change over time.

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