auteurs

Director Nicolas Roeg Dead at 90

Nicolas Roeg. Photo: Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images

British director Nicolas Roeg, the auteur behind the lens for such seminal films including The Man Who Fell to Earth, Don’t Look Now, and Walkabout, has died at the age of 90. His son, Nicolas Roeg Jr., confirmed his passing to the BBC. In a decades-spanning career that was particular prolific in the ‘70s and ‘80s, Roeg began his career in Hollywood as a cinematographer, working behind-the-scenes for epics including Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago. His knack for idiosyncratic cinematography eventually helped secure him a directorial debut, the Mick Jagger-lead Performance, which he co-directed with his friend Donald Cammell. About a dozen films in his signature disjointed style ensued before his retirement in 2007, many of which have been cited by fellow directors Christopher Nolan, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Steven Soderbergh as influential to how they approach filmmaking.

Director Nicolas Roeg Dead at 90