Britain’s Hugh Hudson, director of the 1981 cult film Chariots of Fire, died on Friday at the age of 86, his family said.
“Hugh Hudson, 86, beloved husband and father, died on 10 February 2023 at Charing Cross Hospital (London) after a short illness,” his family said in a statement.
Born in London in August 1936, Hugh Hudson had smashing success in 1981 directing “Chariots of Fire,” which tells the story of two British athletes, including Harold Abrahams, a young Jew plagued by anti-Semitism as he searches for Olympic Gold 1924.
Best known for its famous song by Vangelis, the film won four Oscars, including Best Picture.
“I am beyond devastated that my amazing friend Hugh Hudson, who I have known for over 45 years, has passed away,” British actor Nigel Havers, who starred in the film, said in a statement.
“’Chariots of Fire’ was one of the greatest experiences of my professional life. And like so many others, I owe him a lot for what followed,” he said.
According to the British Film Institute, “Chariots of Fire” became “one of the most controversial British films of the decade” at the time, seen as a “radical critique of establishment snobbery”.
In an interview with the Guardian in 2012, the director, who studied at the prestigious Eton College, said he believed he was chosen by the producer to direct the film because “issues of class and race spoke to me”.
“I was sent to Eton because my family has lived there for generations, but I hated all the prejudice,” he said.
Beyond cult film, Hugh Hudson has had a career in advertising and documentary film.
He had one son and had been married since 2003 to British actress Maryam d’Abo, best known for her role as the Bond girl in 1987’s Killing Is Not Playing.