ANTHONY MINGHELLA - DIRECTOR MINGHELLA DIES

DIRECTOR MINGHELLA DIES

Oscar winning film director ANTHONY MINGHELLA has died. He was 54. A spokesman for the filmmaker confirmed his death on Tuesday (18Mar08). According to Variety, Minghella suffered a brain haemorrhage at Charing Cross Hospital in London, where he had undergone a routine operation on his neck. Minghella began his career writing scripts for British television programmes before his play Made In Bangkok found mainstream success in London's West End in 1986. Almost a decade later, Minghella won a Best Director Academy Award for The English Patient. He was also nominated for two Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars - for 1999's The Talented Mr. Ripley and 2003's Cold Mountain. Minghella was working on one of 15 short movies, collectively entitled New York, I Love You, at the time of his death. The moviemaker was appointed a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the British monarch's birthday honours list in 2001. He was also chairman of the British Film Institute. Minghella leaves wife Carolyn Choa, son Max and daughter Hannah.