'Ruling Class,' 'The Changeling' Director Was 88
The Hollywood Reporter • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Peter Medak, the Hungarian-born director known for films such as The Ruling Class, The Changeling, and Romeo Is Bleeding, died at age 88 in Los Angeles.
- Medak's notable works include directing Peter O’Toole in The Ruling Class (1972), George C. Scott in the acclaimed ghost story The Changeling (1980), and Gary Oldman in the crime thriller Romeo Is Bleeding (1993).
- He also directed British gangster dramas The Krays (1990) and Let Him Have It (1991), and worked extensively in television on series like Breaking Bad, The Wire, and Law & Order: SVU.
- Despite a largely successful career, Medak faced challenges with the troubled production of Ghost in the Noonday Sun (1974), a film starring Peter Sellers that was never officially released.
- Born in Budapest in 1937, Medak fled Hungary in 1956, later building a diverse career in film and television, and was survived by his children and grandchildren.
