Director Peter Medak dies at 88

Hungarian-born British film and television director Peter Medak has passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 88. His family confirmed he died peacefully on Tuesday, October 27.

Over a career spanning six decades, Medak directed 27 feature films and numerous television episodes. He was highly regarded for his work across genres, including psychological horror, black comedy, and crime drama. His most enduring work includes the 1980 supernatural thriller “The Changeling,” which won eight Genie Awards, and the 1990 gangster drama “The Krays,” for which he received the Evening Standard Award for Best Director.

Medak’s filmography also features “The Ruling Class,” which competed for the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and “Romeo Is Bleeding.” On television, he directed episodes for iconic series such as “Breaking Bad,” “The Wire,” “House,” “Homicide: Life on the Street,” and “Hannibal.”

Born in Budapest in 1937, Medak’s early life was shaped by the Second World War and the subsequent communist regime in Hungary. He fled to England during the 1956 Hungarian Uprising, where he began his career in the film industry before eventually moving to Hollywood.