R.I.P.
Anthony Minghella, the Oscar-winning director and writer of
The English Patient, has died suddenly. He was 54.
A spokesman said he suffered a brain hemorrhage at 5 a.m. Tuesday morning at Charing Cross Hospital in London, where he had undergone a routine operation on his neck.
Minghella most recently directed the BBC/HBO telepic
No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, based on Alexander McCall Smiths novel set in Botswana, which is due to premiere March 23 on BBC1.
His last movie was
Breaking and Entering. His other credits include
Cold Mountain,
The Talented Mr Ripley and
Truly Madly Deeply.
He recently stepped down as chairman of the British Film Institute. He was a partner with Sydney Pollack in Mirage Enterprises.