Curtis Hanson, the director of Eminem’s semi-autobiographic film 8 Mile, has passed away at the age of 71.
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He had retired in recent years due to Alzheimer’s, according to Variety.com. The film starring Rebecca De Mornay as a revenge-seeking nanny became a major hit.
The director has films like “The River Wild”, “Wonder Boys”, “8 Mile” and “In Her Shoes” to his credit. After suffering complications from heart surgery in fall 2011, he had to back out of directing duties on the Gerard Butler surfing movie Chasing Mavericks mid-production; British director Michael Apted (The World Is Not Enough) stepped in for the final few weeks of principal photography. “And, so in my getting to know him, I had to assess and then make an educated guess of whether he would be able to do to that and whether he would trust me and the environment I would create enough to do that”.
Hanson worked closely with writer-director Brian Helgeland over many months to adapt James Ellroy’s complex novel for the screen for their Oscar, and he also received noms for producing and directing LA Confidential (1997), considered by many to be the best Hollywood noir-style film since 1974’s Chinatown.
Grammy-winning rapper Eminem has stepped forward to remember late filmmaker Curtis Hanson. Curtis was a beloved Hollywood figure, directing Eminem’s autobiographical film 8 Mile, and won an Academy Award for writing the screenplay for the totally brilliant L.A. The height of Eminem fever, though, would have to be when the film 8 Mile was released, directed by the now-late Curtis Hanson, with that film going on to set the blueprint for odd, fictionalized rap biopics to come. “Confidential“, which he co-wrote and directed.
Hanson made his directorial debut in 1972 with the horror movie Sweet Kill starring Tab Hunter, while his last completed film was the Eric Bana-Robert Duvall poker drama Lucky You.
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Crowe wrote on Twitter: “Thank you for believing in me & standing your ground”. The film is especially noteworthy for taking a chance on two largely unknown actors in the two lead roles – L.A. Confidential is the incredible “before and after” pivot for Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce. He was responsible for Eminem’s epic film “8 Mile” as well as so many classic films, so keep reading for more on his fantastic career.
