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'M-A-S-H' director Robert Altman dies at 81
Updated Tue. Nov. 21 2006 1:38 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Director Robert Altman, one of the brilliant satirists of American film, died in Los Angeles at the age of 81.
Altman was behind the hugely popular anti-war comedy "M-A-S-H," which spawned a hit TV series, and critical successes such as "Gosford Park," "Nashville" and "The Player."
Altman's production company said he died Monday night in hospital. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
A news release was expected later in the day, producer Joshua Astrachan of Altman's Sandcastle 5 Productions in New York City told The Associated Press.
Altman was nominated five times for an Academy Award for best director, most recently in 2001 for "Gosford Park." After a career spanning five decades, he was finally honoured in 2006 with a lifetime achievement Oscar.
"No other filmmaker has gotten a better shake than I have," Altman said while accepting the award on March 5, 2006.
"I'm very fortunate in my career. I've never had to direct a film I didn't choose or develop. My love for filmmaking has given me an entree to the world and to the human condition."
As part of his distinctive approach to filmmaking, Altman often used big ensemble casts and encouraged his actors to improvise. Shot with a naturalistic yet highly stylized approach, an Altman film would often feature scenes in long tracking shots that would jump from character to character.
While he worked ceaselessly after his smash hit in 1970 with "M-A-S-H," for which he earned an Oscar nomination, Altman went though periods of long stretches making obscure films before he would come back with a hit.
His 1980 musical "Popeye," starring Robin Williams, was resolutely panned by critics, prompting Altman to take some time off from film. But he continued directing in a different format, helming a Broadway production of "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean," which he adapted to film in 1982.
His films "The Player" and "Short Cuts" seemed to re-establish his commercial and critical reputation.
Altman's other best-director Oscar nominations came for:
"Gosford Park," a combination murder-mystery and class-war satire in 2001;
"Nashville," the country-music saga from 1975;
"The Player," a biting movie-business satire from 1992; and
"Short Cuts," an ensemble character study from 1993.
Altman also earned a best-picture nomination as producer of "Nashville."
"Gosford Park" earned him six other Oscar nominations, including best picture and best supporting actress for both Helen Mirren and Maggie Smith. It won the original-screenplay Oscar, and Altman took the best-director prize at the Golden Globes for the film.
A film 'about death'
In May came the release of "A Prairie Home Companion," Altman's last film, starring public radio legend Garrison Keillor as the announcer of a long-running musical revue about to be shut down.
Among those in the cast were Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Kline, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly and Tommy Lee Jones.
"This film is about death," Altman said at a May 3 news conference in St. Paul, Minn.
Altman was greatly respectful, and greatly respected by, actors. Although he generally worked on shoestring budgets, he continually landed top name performers who signed on for a fraction of their normal pay.
Keillor said Tuesday that Altman's love of film was clearly evident on the set.
"Mr. Altman loved making movies. He loved the chaos of shooting and the sociability of the crew and actors -- he adored actors -- and he loved the editing room and he especially loved sitting in a screening room and watching the thing over and over with other people," Keillor said in a statement to The Associated Press.
"He didn't care for the money end of things, he didn't mind doing publicity, but when he was working he was in heaven."
Elliot Gould, star of "M-A-S-H," said Altman's legacy would "nurture and inspire filmmakers and artists for generations to come."
"He was the last great American director in the tradition of John Ford," Gould said.
"He was my friend and I'll always be grateful to him for the experience and opportunities he gave me."
His background
Altman was born Feb. 20, 1925, in Kansas City, Mo., where his father was an insurance salesman.
He hung out in his teen years at the jazz clubs of Kansas City, Mo. His film "Kansas City" was a reverie on the 1930s jazz and gangster scene of his hometown.
He became a bomber pilot in the Second World War and studied engineering at the University of Missouri in Columbia before taking a job making industrial films in Kansas City.
In 1957, Altman moved on to feature films with "The Delinquents," before working largely in television through the mid 1960s.
When he received his honorary Oscar in 2006, Altman revealed he had a heart transplant a decade earlier.
"I didn't make a big secret out of it, but I thought nobody would hire me again," he said after the ceremony. "You know, there's such a stigma about heart transplants, and there's a lot of us out there."
Altman is survived by his wife, Kathryn, and two sons, Robert and Matthew. He had a daughter, Christine, and two other sons, Michael and Stephen, from two previous marriages.
With files from The Associated Press
Updated Tue. Nov. 21 2006 1:38 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Director Robert Altman, one of the brilliant satirists of American film, died in Los Angeles at the age of 81.
Altman was behind the hugely popular anti-war comedy "M-A-S-H," which spawned a hit TV series, and critical successes such as "Gosford Park," "Nashville" and "The Player."
Altman's production company said he died Monday night in hospital. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
A news release was expected later in the day, producer Joshua Astrachan of Altman's Sandcastle 5 Productions in New York City told The Associated Press.
Altman was nominated five times for an Academy Award for best director, most recently in 2001 for "Gosford Park." After a career spanning five decades, he was finally honoured in 2006 with a lifetime achievement Oscar.
"No other filmmaker has gotten a better shake than I have," Altman said while accepting the award on March 5, 2006.
"I'm very fortunate in my career. I've never had to direct a film I didn't choose or develop. My love for filmmaking has given me an entree to the world and to the human condition."
As part of his distinctive approach to filmmaking, Altman often used big ensemble casts and encouraged his actors to improvise. Shot with a naturalistic yet highly stylized approach, an Altman film would often feature scenes in long tracking shots that would jump from character to character.
While he worked ceaselessly after his smash hit in 1970 with "M-A-S-H," for which he earned an Oscar nomination, Altman went though periods of long stretches making obscure films before he would come back with a hit.
His 1980 musical "Popeye," starring Robin Williams, was resolutely panned by critics, prompting Altman to take some time off from film. But he continued directing in a different format, helming a Broadway production of "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean," which he adapted to film in 1982.
His films "The Player" and "Short Cuts" seemed to re-establish his commercial and critical reputation.
Altman's other best-director Oscar nominations came for:
"Gosford Park," a combination murder-mystery and class-war satire in 2001;
"Nashville," the country-music saga from 1975;
"The Player," a biting movie-business satire from 1992; and
"Short Cuts," an ensemble character study from 1993.
Altman also earned a best-picture nomination as producer of "Nashville."
"Gosford Park" earned him six other Oscar nominations, including best picture and best supporting actress for both Helen Mirren and Maggie Smith. It won the original-screenplay Oscar, and Altman took the best-director prize at the Golden Globes for the film.
A film 'about death'
In May came the release of "A Prairie Home Companion," Altman's last film, starring public radio legend Garrison Keillor as the announcer of a long-running musical revue about to be shut down.
Among those in the cast were Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Kline, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly and Tommy Lee Jones.
"This film is about death," Altman said at a May 3 news conference in St. Paul, Minn.
Altman was greatly respectful, and greatly respected by, actors. Although he generally worked on shoestring budgets, he continually landed top name performers who signed on for a fraction of their normal pay.
Keillor said Tuesday that Altman's love of film was clearly evident on the set.
"Mr. Altman loved making movies. He loved the chaos of shooting and the sociability of the crew and actors -- he adored actors -- and he loved the editing room and he especially loved sitting in a screening room and watching the thing over and over with other people," Keillor said in a statement to The Associated Press.
"He didn't care for the money end of things, he didn't mind doing publicity, but when he was working he was in heaven."
Elliot Gould, star of "M-A-S-H," said Altman's legacy would "nurture and inspire filmmakers and artists for generations to come."
"He was the last great American director in the tradition of John Ford," Gould said.
"He was my friend and I'll always be grateful to him for the experience and opportunities he gave me."
His background
Altman was born Feb. 20, 1925, in Kansas City, Mo., where his father was an insurance salesman.
He hung out in his teen years at the jazz clubs of Kansas City, Mo. His film "Kansas City" was a reverie on the 1930s jazz and gangster scene of his hometown.
He became a bomber pilot in the Second World War and studied engineering at the University of Missouri in Columbia before taking a job making industrial films in Kansas City.
In 1957, Altman moved on to feature films with "The Delinquents," before working largely in television through the mid 1960s.
When he received his honorary Oscar in 2006, Altman revealed he had a heart transplant a decade earlier.
"I didn't make a big secret out of it, but I thought nobody would hire me again," he said after the ceremony. "You know, there's such a stigma about heart transplants, and there's a lot of us out there."
Altman is survived by his wife, Kathryn, and two sons, Robert and Matthew. He had a daughter, Christine, and two other sons, Michael and Stephen, from two previous marriages.
With files from The Associated Press
