Michael Apted

Michael Apted

Born: February 10, 1941
Died: January 8, 2021
in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
Michael David Apted, CMG (10 February 1941 – January 8, 2021) was a British director, producer, writer and actor. One of the most prolific English film directors of his generation, he is known for directing: the Up series (1964–2019), the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough (1999), and the American film, Coal Miner's Daughter (1980); the latter being nominated for seven Academy Awards, including for the Best Picture. He also directed Nell (1994), which received three Golden Globe Award nominations and one Academy Award nomination.

On 29 June 2003, he was elected president of the Directors' Guild of America. He returned to television, directing the first three episodes of the TV series Rome (2005). Apted directed Amazing Grace, which premiered at the closing of the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2008 Birthday Honours.

Movies for Michael Apted...

Belushi
Title: Belushi
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: October 14, 2020
Type: Movie
Using previously unheard audiotapes recorded shortly after John Belushi’s death, director R.J. Cutler’s documentary feature examines the too-short life of the once-in-a-generation talent who captured the hearts and funny bones of devoted audiences.
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Title: 63 Up
Character: Self (interviewer) (uncredited)
Released: June 4, 2019
Type: TV
Over nearly six decades, the series has documented the group as they have become adults and entered middle-age, dealing with everything life has thrown at them in between. Now, as the group reach retirement age, the series is back to discover what they are doing…
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63 Up
Title: 63 Up
Character: Himself - Interviewer/Narrator (voice)(uncredited)
Released: June 4, 2019
Type: Movie
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
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7 Up & Me
Title: 7 Up & Me
Character: Self
Released: June 3, 2019
Type: Movie
In celebration of the release of 63 Up, the 2019 installment of Michael Apted's groundbreaking documentary series that began in 1964, a number of British and American celebrity fans now discuss its impact on popular culture and its lasting legacy. The film also candidly explores pivotal moments of celebrities’ own lives—from school days and first loves to family and fulfilled ambitions—while tapping into changes in social history around topics such as class, education, and parenting.
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Hillbilly
Title: Hillbilly
Character: Self
Released: May 19, 2018
Type: Movie
A documentary that examines the cultural stereotype of the people of Appalachia and how that has affected America's relationship with its rural communities.
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Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl
Title: Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl
Character: Self - Director, Coal Miner's Daughter
Released: March 4, 2016
Type: Movie
Explore the country legend's hard-fought road to stardom. From her Appalachian roots to the Oscar-winning biopic of her life, Coal Miner's Daughter, Loretta Lynn struggled to balance family and her music career and is still going strong after more than 50 years. The documentary premieres the same day Lynn's first new studio album in over 10 years is released.
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Bending the Light
Title: Bending the Light
Character: Himself (voice)
Released: August 3, 2014
Type: Movie
From acclaimed director Michael Apted (The Up Series, Masters of Sex, The World is Not Enough) comes a revealing look at the art of filmmaking and photography. A journey of glass, the documentary explores the relationship between the artisans who create camera lenses and the masters of light who use these lenses to capture their beloved art form. Bending the Light features never-before-seen footage from inside a premier Japanese lens factory, intimate interviews with lens engineers, and a peek into the world of award-winning photographers and cinematographers Stephen Goldblatt, ASC, BSC, Greg Gorman, Simon Bruty, Laura El-Tantawy, and Richard Barnes.
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56 Up
Title: 56 Up
Character: Interviewer/Narrator (voice)
Released: May 14, 2012
Type: Movie
When a cross-section of seven-year-olds were interviewed for 7 Up in 1964 it was immediately evident that their social backgrounds influenced their attitudes towards life. While the upper class children were confident and self-assured, those from middle and working class backgrounds were resigned to a challenging life of hard work. This premise was put to the test every seven years when the same group were interviewed about the progression of their lives. 49 years in the making, the changes that occurred to the original 14 make for fascinating television and are in many ways the stories of all our lives. From success and disappointment, marriage and childbirth, to poverty and illness, nearly every facet of life has been captured on film. Now, at the age of 56, the group are once more brought together and, with the benefit of hindsight, assess whether their lives have been ruled by circumstance or self-determination.
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49 Up
Title: 49 Up
Character: Interviewer/Narrator (voice)
Released: October 6, 2006
Type: Movie
49 Up is the seventh film in a series of landmark documentaries that began 42 years ago when UK-based Granada's World in Action team, inspired by the Jesuit maxim "Give me the child until he is seven and I will give you the man," interviewed a diverse group of seven-year-old children from all over England, asking them about their lives and their dreams for the future. Michael Apted, a researcher for the original film, has returned to interview the "children" every seven years since, at ages 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 and now again at age 49.In this latest chapter, more life-changing decisions are revealed, more shocking announcements made and more of the original group take part than ever before, speaking out on a variety of subjects including love, marriage, career, class and prejudice.
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Best Ever Bond
Title: Best Ever Bond
Character: Self
Released: November 22, 2002
Type: Movie
Roger Moore presents the ten best sequences ever to have appeared in the James Bond series, and cast members recall their favourite moments.
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James Bond Down River
Title: James Bond Down River
Released: February 26, 2000
Type: Movie
Promotional documentary filmed at the London East End Docklands area and River Thames for the filming of the opening boat chase for The World Is Not Enough (1999).
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Now Pay Attention 007: A Tribute to Actor Desmond Llewelyn
Title: Now Pay Attention 007: A Tribute to Actor Desmond Llewelyn
Character: Himself
Released: January 22, 2000
Type: Movie
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42 Up
Title: 42 Up
Character: Interviewer/Narrator (voice)
Released: November 17, 1999
Type: Movie
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
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Typically British: A Personal History of British Cinema
Title: Typically British: A Personal History of British Cinema
Released: April 14, 1995
Type: Movie
Stephen Frears and a quartet of film industry notables - representing different cinematic periods - drink tea and discuss ups and downs of British cinema.
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35 Up
Title: 35 Up
Character: Interviewer/Narrator (voice)(uncredited)
Released: August 29, 1991
Type: Movie
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
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Spies Like Us
Title: Spies Like Us
Character: Ace Tomato Agent
Released: December 6, 1985
Type: Movie
Two bumbling government employees think they are U.S. spies, only to discover that they are actually decoys for nuclear war.
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28 Up
Title: 28 Up
Character: Interviewer/Narrator (voice)
Released: November 20, 1984
Type: Movie
Just two years away from turning 30, participants in Michael Apted's documentary series are facing serious questions of identity and purpose, wondering whether they've found their place in the world.
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21 Up
Title: 21 Up
Character: Interviewer/Narrator (voice)
Released: May 9, 1977
Type: Movie
After another 7 year wait, director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born children from Seven Up! and 7 Plus Seven. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
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7 Plus Seven
Title: 7 Plus Seven
Character: Interviewer/Narrator (voice)
Released: December 15, 1970
Type: Movie
After a 7 year wait, director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born children from Seven Up! The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.