He was 71.Paramedics found Hanson yesterday at his Hollywood Hills home at about 5 p.m. local time (0530 IST). Police said he died of natural causes. Hanson shared the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar with Brian Helgeland and Kim Basinger won Best Supporting Actress for her role as the movie’s femme fatale.
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The film, which received nearly universally glowing reviews, went on to win Hanson an Oscar for best adapted screenplay (with co-writer Brian Helgeland) – while Kim Basinger also picked up the prize for best supporting actress.
He was also well known for movies like In her Shoes, The river wild, Wonder Boys, 8 Mile, and HBO’s Too Big to Fail. The guy was incredibly underrated.
So sad to lose Curtis Hanson.
Paying tribute, Eminem said in a statement: “Curtis Hanson believed in me and our insane idea to make a rap battle movie set in Detroit”. 2000’s Wonder Boys is one of the best movies ever made about writing, with Michael Douglas and Tobey Maguire turning in two of the best performances of their careers.
The filmmaker surprised audiences again with the violent 8 Mile (2002), a film about Detroit’s lower classes starring rapper Eminem, who made his feature film debut in the movie.
According to The New York Times, Hanson was fascinated with the relationship between actors and directors when putting together a memorable film.
But it was the clout he earned from directing the commercially successful thriller “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” and “The River Wild” with Meryl Streep in the early ’90s, Hanson later said, that allowed him to make “L.A. Confidential“. “I’m lucky I got to know him”, he told Billboard.
“Curtis Hanson believed in me and our insane idea to make a rap battle movie set in Detroit”, the 43-year-old rapper said in a statement to Billboard.
During his last film, Chasing Mavericks, Curtis allegedly had to leave due to complications following a recent heart surgery.
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He is survived by a son, born in 2004, with companion Rebecca Yeldham.
