'The English Patient' director Anthony Minghella dies at 54

“The English Patient” director Anthony Minghella is dead at 54. The Hollywood Reporter reports:

Oscar-winning film director Anthony Minghella has died suddenly at the age of 54. Minghella won an Oscar for “The English Patient” in 1997, and his credits also include “Cold Mountain” and “The Talented Mr. Ripley.”

Hollywood Elsewhere added:

The death of Anthony Minghella, who succumbed to a hemmorhage in London a little less than twelve hours ago, comes as a huge shock. He was only 54, and had decades to go. Sincere condolences to his family, friends (especially his partner Sydney Pollack), colleagues and fans.

MTV Movies Blog added:

On a personal level, I’d never interviewed Minghella though I knew his repuation, that of a gracious and intelligent man. Just recently over drinks with publicist friends his name was cited by them as the nicest client they’d ever worked with. An unexpected loss for film.

Variety added:

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.

Bloomberg cited a Minghella quote from 2000

“It is as if I have been working in a tunnel and I’ve no idea what the reaction is going to be,” he said in a 2000 interview with the Sunday Times of London. “It is a naked thing to admit, but I feel very strongly that I want people to appreciate that I am not just a flash in the pan. I still wonder if everyone is going to point and say, ‘He is not a proper film- maker.’”

The Guardian said:

“The surgery had gone well and they were very optimistic,” [his agent, Leslee Dart, said.] “But he developed a haemorrhage last night and they were not able to stop it.”

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