Alan Parker

Alan Parker (born February 14, 1944, Islington, London, England—died July 31, 2020, London) was a British director, writer, and producer who worked in a wide range of genres; his notable films included Midnight Express (1978) and Fame (1980).

After he worked as an advertising copywriter and as a director of television commercials, Parker formed a production company with Alan Marshall and produced several short television films. In 1976 he wrote and directed his first feature film, Bugsy Malone. Parker won acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for his next movie, Midnight Express (1978), a thriller about an American tourist arrested for drug possession in Turkey. He continued to earn praise for such varied films as the blockbuster Fame (1980), which centred on students studying at a high school for the performing arts in New York City; Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982), a musical inspired by the titular rock band’s album; and Mississippi Burning (1988), a drama about the killing of three civil rights workers in 1964. For the latter, Parker received a second Oscar nomination. His later films included The Commitments (1991), Evita (1996), and The Life of David Gale (2003).

Parker was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1995, and he was awarded a knighthood in 2002.