John Hughes has died
August 6, 2009Terribly sad news today – legendary filmmaker John Hughes has died at the age of 59.
The man who was best known for his ’80s movie output such as Sixteen Candles, Pretty In Pink, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Planes, Trains And Automobiles, suffered a heart attack while on a trip to New York.
Hughes got his start as an advertising copywriter, before starting to sell jokes to the likes of Joan Rivers and Rodney Dangerfield.
The young scribe won a place on staff at National Lampoon Magazine, which propelled him into screenwriting and, later, directing and producing.
As an astute chronicler of the teen experience, he made his name with the likes of Breakfast Club (below) and Ferris Bueller, but proved himself capable of even more with Planes, Trains And Automobiles and She’s Having A Baby.
He had keen eye for young, talented actors, nurturing some of the most enduring talents on film and helping to build what became known as The Brat Pack – the likes of Rob Lowe, Demi Moore and Emilio Estevez.
While later films didn’t meet with quite the same level of success, his writing/producing efforts yielded huge hits like the Home Alone and Beethoven franchises.
His last directed film was 1991′s Curly Sue, though he also continued to write, sometimes using the pseudonym Edmond Dantes, which remains credited with the story for 2008′s Drillbit Taylor.
In 1994 he stepped back from filmmaking to spend more time with his family, and preferred to run a farm in Illinois while remaining linked to entertainment through his sponsorship of independent artists.
He’s survived by wife Nancy, two sons and four grandchildren.
Cinema lost a great today, folks.
What’s your favourite Hughes movie? Tell us…
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