John Irvin, the British director of “Hamburger Hill,” the “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” miniseries and 1981’s “Ghost Story,” died Aug. 11. He was 86.
\n\nHis producers confirmed he died at the home of his sister-in-law in the U.K.
\n\nThe award-winning director’s career spanned several decades, each punctuated by a different focus. By the end of his career, Irvin had amassed over 30 films and three BAFTA nominations, with notable credits including “Turtle Diary,” “A Month By the Lake,” “City of Industry” and “Widow’s Peak.”
\n\nHis 1987 Vietnam film “Hamburger Hill,” which starred Don Cheadle, Dylan McDermott, Michael Boatman, Steven Weber and Courtney B. Vance, is seen as one of the most realistic depictions of that war.
\n\nIrvin, along with his twin brother David, was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland on May 7, 1940. He graduated from the London Film School in the late 1950s.
\n\nIn the 1960s, he created numerous documentaries, including his 1967 short “Mafia No!,” about Italian social activist Danilo Dolci, which was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Short Film. Many of these documentaries were created for his own company Mithras Films, the BBC and ITV.
\n\n“When I did my documentaries, I would have dealings…
Original source: https://variety.com/