James Foley is a veteran director's film that includes “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “Fifty Shades of Grey Sequel”, who also worked on the hit TV series “House of Cards” and died this week at his home in Los Angeles. He is 71 years old.
Taylor Lomax, the company representing Mr. Foley, said his death came after a year of fighting brain cancer.
Mr. Foley made his debut in the 1984 film Ruckless, a drama about a high school romance between a rebellious, motorcycle-driven football player and cheerleader. Over the next few decades, he worked with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, establishing a career in directing films, TV shows and music videos.
One of his most famous works is the adaptation of the 1992 film Glengarry Glen Ross, where David Mamet's drama won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1984. The film, about real estate salesmen trying to achieve substantial impact in a tough economy, starred in Alacino, Alacino, Jack Lemmon, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Alec Baldwin, Edharris and Alan Arkin.
Mr. Foley also directed “Fifty Shades Darker” (2017) and “Fifty Shades Freed” (2018), the last two episodes of the “Fifty Shades Grey” series. The films are based on El James Trilogy's second and third book.
Mr. Foley told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017 that he was glad that his career had not been forged.
“I think in the year I was making the film, what was my appeal and my interests, my appeal and my feelings, what was personal appeal and not sticking to any kind of convention,” Mr Foley said.
James Foley was born on December 28, 1953 in New York City and grew up on Staten Island. He studied psychology and graduated from SUNY from SUNY in 1974. He planned to attend medical school, but he decided to continue directing after taking a six-week filmmaking course at NYU. In 1979, he went on to earn his master's degree from the University of Southern California School of Film Arts.
Mr. Furley recalls screenings of short films he produced during his six-week course in New York, while talking to film and media studies students at Johns Hopkins University in 2013.
“That was the first time I've done a lot of reactions,” Mr. Foley said. “From that moment, I decided I wanted to do it again.”
Directed by Foley, “Close-up”, a crime drama starring Sean Penn and Christopher Walken in 1986. A few years later, he directed and co-wrote the 1990 film adaptation, After Dark, My Sweet, a crime novel by Jim Thompson. His directorial honors also include “Fear” (1996), starring Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon; “The Chamber” (1996), along with Chris O'Donnell and Gene Hackman; and “The Perfect Stranger” (2007), Halle Berry and Bruce Willis.
Mr. Furley also directed several music videos for Madonna, including “Live Tolke Tell”, “True Blue” and “Papa Do not Placeach”.
Mr. Foley got involved in TV shows in 1991's “Twin Peaks” episode. Later, he directed 12 episodes in Season 1, 2 and 3 of “House of Cards”, an Underbelly series about the U.S. government, which was adapted from the BBC series of the same name. He also directed the plots of “The Willful Pine Tree” and “Billion”.
Mr. Foley's brother, Kevin Foley, survived. two sisters, Erin and Joe Ann Foley; and nephew Quinn Foley. His brother Gerard Foley abandoned him.
“My career has been very smooth, falling, left and power, and I’ve been responding to my current interest,” Mr. Foley said in a 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I always just follow the nose, for better or worse, sometimes it gets worse.”
A complete announcement will be followed.
