Director John Frankenheimer Dies at 72
'The Manchurian Candidate' Among His Classics
POSTED: 5:06 p.m. EDT July 6, 2002
UPDATED: 1:44 p.m. EDT July 7, 2002
Hollywood has lost one of its most notable maverick directors.
John Frankenheimer, the director of such Hollywood classics as "The Manchurian Candidate," died Saturday after he suffered a stroke following spinal surgery in Los Angeles, according to his business manager, Patti Person. Frankenheimer was 72.
Frankenheimer began as a director of live television shows in the 1950s. In the final years of his life, Frankenheimer won four consecutive Emmy Awards for directing several cable television movies, including 1998's "George Wallace," which won a Peabody Award and a Golden Globe for best television movie.
But it was 1962's "The Manchurian Candidate" that made his name. The conspiracy thriller starred Frank Sinatra and Angela Lansbury.
Frankenheimer's other theatrical credits include "The Birdman of Alcatraz," "Seven Days in May" and "Seconds."
Frankenheimer was a close friend of Robert F. Kennedy's. He drove Kennedy to the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles the night he was assassinated in 1968.
Among Frankenheimer's last theatrical films were the Robert De Niro thriller "Ronin" in 1998, and the heist thriller "Reindeer Games" in 2000. The film starred Ben Affleck and Gary Sinise, who played the title role in "George Wallace."
In 2001, Frankenheimer had been signed on to direct a prequel to "The Exorcist" starring Liam Neeson. But health concerns forced the filmmaker to bow out this spring.
Off the set, Frankenheimer had an intense love of tennis, and in his youth he even considered turning professional before settling on films. He still kept fit however, and utilized his sensibilities as a tennis player to build his stamina as a filmmaker.
"You have to be very focused and put everything else aside if you want to be a world-class tennis player; ability isn't enough," Frankenheimer told Lifewhile.com in a 2000 @ The Movies interview.
"It's the same way if you want to be a serious movie director; talent is not enough. You have to work very hard at both of them because they both present very narrow areas of what you can do with your life. It's very much like tunnel vision in both cases."
Frankenheimer is expected to be inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in November.
Previous Stories
John Frankenheimer, the director of such Hollywood classics as "The Manchurian Candidate," died Saturday after he suffered a stroke following spinal surgery in Los Angeles, according to his business manager, Patti Person. Frankenheimer was 72.
Frankenheimer began as a director of live television shows in the 1950s. In the final years of his life, Frankenheimer won four consecutive Emmy Awards for directing several cable television movies, including 1998's "George Wallace," which won a Peabody Award and a Golden Globe for best television movie.
But it was 1962's "The Manchurian Candidate" that made his name. The conspiracy thriller starred Frank Sinatra and Angela Lansbury.
Frankenheimer's other theatrical credits include "The Birdman of Alcatraz," "Seven Days in May" and "Seconds."
Frankenheimer was a close friend of Robert F. Kennedy's. He drove Kennedy to the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles the night he was assassinated in 1968.
Among Frankenheimer's last theatrical films were the Robert De Niro thriller "Ronin" in 1998, and the heist thriller "Reindeer Games" in 2000. The film starred Ben Affleck and Gary Sinise, who played the title role in "George Wallace."
In 2001, Frankenheimer had been signed on to direct a prequel to "The Exorcist" starring Liam Neeson. But health concerns forced the filmmaker to bow out this spring.
Off the set, Frankenheimer had an intense love of tennis, and in his youth he even considered turning professional before settling on films. He still kept fit however, and utilized his sensibilities as a tennis player to build his stamina as a filmmaker.
"You have to be very focused and put everything else aside if you want to be a world-class tennis player; ability isn't enough," Frankenheimer told Lifewhile.com in a 2000 @ The Movies interview.
"It's the same way if you want to be a serious movie director; talent is not enough. You have to work very hard at both of them because they both present very narrow areas of what you can do with your life. It's very much like tunnel vision in both cases."
Frankenheimer is expected to be inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in November.
Previous Stories
- Aug. 9, 2001 'Excorcist' Prequel In The Works
- Dec. 14, 2000 Director Plays Own 'Reindeer Games'
- Feb. 25, 2000: Frankenheimer Not Pulling Back The Reins
Copyright 2002 by Lifewhile.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
