Foley may not have been a household name, but his fingerprints are all over some of the most memorable projects in film and television from the past four decades.
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Hollywood has lost a chameleon of a filmmaker. James Foley, the man behind gritty dramas, glossy thrillers, and even some of Madonna’s most iconic music videos, has passed away at the age of 71.
According to ‘The Hollywood Reporter’, his representative confirmed that the veteran director died peacefully in his sleep earlier this week after a long battle with brain cancer.
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Foley may not have been a household name, but his fingerprints are all over some of the most memorable projects in film and television from the past four decades.
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Whether he was guiding A-list actors through intense monologues or capturing pop royalty in her prime, Foley moved fluidly across genres and styles, carving out a singular place in the entertainment industry.
He kicked off his directorial career in 1984 with ‘Reckless’, a teen romance starring Aidan Quinn and Daryl Hannah. The film didn’t exactly set the world on fire—screenwriter Chris Columbus famously disowned it—but it was a stepping stone.
James Foley found firmer footing with 1986’s ‘At Close Range’, a dark crime drama that paired Sean Penn with Christopher Walken in a tale of family loyalty gone wrong.
That project marked the beginning of Foley’s creative relationship with Madonna—then married to Penn. Not only did he direct several of her hit music videos, including ‘Live to Tell’, ‘Papa Don’t Preach’, and ‘True Blue’, but he also directed her 1987 comedy ‘Who’s That Girl’.
In a nod to their personal closeness, Foley even stood as best man at Madonna and Penn’s wedding.
The 1990s brought perhaps his most acclaimed work with the film adaptation of David Mamet’s ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’. Featuring powerhouse performances from Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, and Alec Baldwin, the film became a cult classic and cemented Foley’s status as a director who knew how to bring out the best in his actors.
He continued working on high-profile projects like ‘The Chamber’, based on a John Grisham novel, and ‘Fear’, a psychological thriller starring a young Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon.
In the 2000s, Foley helmed thrillers like ‘Confidence’, starring Dustin Hoffman, and ‘Perfect Stranger’ with Halle Berry. As TV began its golden age, he made the transition smoothly, directing episodes of prestige dramas like ‘House of Cards’ and ‘Billions’.
But it was in the 2010s that he returned to the multiplex spotlight, taking on the challenge of directing ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ and ‘Fifty Shades Freed’, the steamy sequels to the blockbuster romance ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’.
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