Michael Winner Has Died Aged 77

Michael Winner British film producer, director of Death Wish franchise and more recently food critic for Sunday Times has sadly passed away aged 77.The flamboyant filmmaker  has been seriously ill for the past few years finding himself in and out of hospital many times the past few months with last summer after meeting  Liver specialist who gave him 18 months to live.

Born Michael Robert Winner in 1935 in Hampstead London, Michael Winner first started as a roving reporter  working first for his local paper Kensington post before he nabbed himself a assistant position at the BBC. As the 1960’s approached it’s then he made his move into making feature films.

Shoot To Kill was his first feature about a showbiz reporter which some regarded as a autobiography  but a few years later it was his films with Oliver Reed The Jokers, What’s is name and Hannibal Brooks gave his career a mighty boost. Many of those films where regarded as risqué sex comedies sometimes serious dramas also with Michael Crawford and Denholm Elliot.

1970’s was was Hollywood called him first with 1971 The Lawman starring Burt Lancaster and Robert Duvall but it’s his Death Wish films that would bring him the most success. Starring Charles Bronson as a vigilante seeking revenge for the death of his wife set in the backdrop of a bleak demanding New York City,. These films brought much limelight but most of all controversy as it portrayed vigilantism in a positive manner. Despite the violent nature of the films to this day the films are still very popular and now have cult status.

After the 1970’s into 1980’s things slowed down for Michael Winner but still he kept in the pubic eye becoming a food critic for The Times newspaper column called Winners Dinners. He did make a brief return to filmmaking with the 1998 Parting Shots which despite the strong cast which included the likes of Ben Kingsley, Bob Hoskins the film was criticised and ended up been his final directed film. In recent years he would pop up in television adverts for motor Insurance coining the Phrase ‘Calm Down Dear its only a advert‘

His wife, Geraldine, has paid tribute to her late husband, saying: “Michael was a wonderful man, brilliant, funny and generous… A light has gone out in my life.”

source:BBC