British James Bond director Michael Aptide dies at age 79
British director Michael Aptide, owner of the documentary series "AB" that has documented the lives of a group of British children for more than 50 years, has passed away at the age of 79, his US agent announced on Friday.
Apted has also directed Hollywood movies, ranging from the 1999 James Bond movie "The World Is Not Enough" (The World As Not Enfant) to the biography of country singer Loretta Lynn "The Daughter of a Coal Miner" (Cool Miners Dotter) as well as dozens of TV shows, including: That's the episodes of the British series "Coronation Street" in 1967.
Apted US agent Roy Ashton said Apted died on Thursday, at his home in Los Angeles. No details were available on his death.
Apted's most notable work is the "AB" documentary series. It began in 1964 as a television documentary film about the hopes and dreams of 14 seven-year-olds from diverse backgrounds, whom Aptide visited every seven years to see the changes in their lives.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said on Friday that Apted "will always be remembered because of the groundbreaking (AB) documentary series".
Aptide was born in Britain, enrolled at the University of Cambridge and began his career as a researcher at Granada TV, Britain, where the idea of the first documentary film "AB" was born.
Later in life, he moved to Los Angeles, where he directed dozens of films including "Gorky Park", "Thunderhart" and "Enigma". He served as president of the Directors Guild of America from 2003 to 2009.
