Peter Bogdanovich, American director of “The Last Screening”, died at the age of 82

On August 29, 2014, American director Peter Bogdanovich poses during the screening of the film “99 Homes”, presented in competition at the 71st Venice Film Festival. GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP

He was the figure of the New Hollywood movement. American filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich, director of The last session, died at the age of 82, his agent announced Thursday (January 6th). He was born in 1939 in Kingston, New York. The causes of his death have not been specified.

Entering the world of cinema as a critic, Peter Bogdanovich made his directorial debut with Target, before devoting himself to writing his ode to America in the 1950s, The last session (1971). The film, set in a small town in Texas going through hard times, has been nominated eight times for the Oscars, winning two statuettes. Some observers have compared it to Citizen Kane, Orson Welles’ masterpiece.

End of career as an actor

“I am devastated. He was a great and wonderful artist. I will never forget the premiere of The last session », reacted the famous director Francis Ford Coppola. “I remember the end of the screening, the audience stood up (…) to applaud for at least fifteen minutes… May he rest in joy for eternity, savoring the uplifting moment of our applause forever ”, added the filmmaker in a press release.

“He was a dear friend and a champion of cinema”, tweeted Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, greeting someone who “Produced masterpieces” and was in addition “Very pleasant”.

Peter Bogdanovich passed away. He was a dear friend and a champion of Cinema. He birthed masterpieces as a direct… https://t.co/9qBKQ3BZsp

– RealGDT (@Guillermo del Toro)

After other successes in the early 1970s, such as Shall we pack our bags, doctor? with Barbra Streisand, and Cotton candy, Peter Bogdanovich’s career began to decline, with a series of flops.

The director was also linked with top model Dorothy Stratten, killed by her husband shortly before the release ofAnd everyone was laughing, where she appeared onscreen alongside Audrey Hepburn. After marrying Dorothy Stratten’s half-sister and then ruining himself, Peter Bogdanovich left Los Angeles for New York, where he became a film critic once more.

Towards the end of his career, he had played in film and television, notably playing the psychotherapist of Tony Soprano’s psychiatrist in the series The Sopranos, or a DJ in Kill Bill, by Quentin Tarantino.

The World with AFP