The director of ’Mockingbird’dies
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Aralık 24, 2008 00:00
HARTFORD - Robert Mulligan, who directed the classic film "To Kill a Mockingbird," with its sensitive look at a child's world shaken by the racism of a southern town, has died aged 83.
Mulligan died early Saturday at his home in Lyme, Connecticut, after a battle with heart disease, his wife, Sandy, said Monday.
Mulligan was nominated for an Oscar for "To Kill a Mockingbird," the adaptation of Harper Lee's best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.
The 1962 film starred Gregory Peck, who won the best-actor Oscar for his portrayal of Atticus Finch, the small town lawyer who defends a black man falsely accused of rape.
The story unfolds largely from the point of view of Atticus' young daughter, Scout, memorably played by Mary Badham. Phillip Alford played his son, Jem.
The New York Times wrote that the film's opening segment, "achieves a bewitching indication of the excitement and thrill of being a child."
Mulligan was also known as the director of Reese Witherspoon's first film, "The Man in the Moon," released in 1991. It was his last film, and the family drama brought Witherspoon notice as the younger of two teenage daughters grappling with her first love.
Among his other credits were "Fear Strikes Out," the 1957 drama starring Anthony Perkins as troubled ballplayer Jim Piersall; "Summer of '42," the 1971 wartime coming-of-age story starring Gary Grimes and Jennifer O'Neill; and the 1972 horror hit "The Other."
He also carved out a solid career as a TV director. But Mockingbird would remain his most famous work.
Funeral arrangements were pending, his wife said.
Mulligan was nominated for an Oscar for "To Kill a Mockingbird," the adaptation of Harper Lee's best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.
The 1962 film starred Gregory Peck, who won the best-actor Oscar for his portrayal of Atticus Finch, the small town lawyer who defends a black man falsely accused of rape.
The story unfolds largely from the point of view of Atticus' young daughter, Scout, memorably played by Mary Badham. Phillip Alford played his son, Jem.
The New York Times wrote that the film's opening segment, "achieves a bewitching indication of the excitement and thrill of being a child."
Mulligan was also known as the director of Reese Witherspoon's first film, "The Man in the Moon," released in 1991. It was his last film, and the family drama brought Witherspoon notice as the younger of two teenage daughters grappling with her first love.
Among his other credits were "Fear Strikes Out," the 1957 drama starring Anthony Perkins as troubled ballplayer Jim Piersall; "Summer of '42," the 1971 wartime coming-of-age story starring Gary Grimes and Jennifer O'Neill; and the 1972 horror hit "The Other."
He also carved out a solid career as a TV director. But Mockingbird would remain his most famous work.
Funeral arrangements were pending, his wife said.