Editing Michael Apted

{{Short description|English television and film director and producer}}
{{redirect|Apted|other people with this surname|Apted (surname)}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Michael Apted
| image              = Michael_Apted_at_the_72nd_Annual_Peabody_Awards_(cropped).jpg
| caption            = Apted in 2013
| honorific_suffix   = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CMG|size=100%}}
| birth_name         = Michael David Apted
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1941|2|10|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Aylesbury]], Buckinghamshire, England
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2021|1|7|1941|2|10|df=y}}
| death_place        = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S.
| occupation         = Television and film director, producer
| years_active       = 1963–2019
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Jo Apted|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Dana Stevens (screenwriter)|Dana Stevens]]|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Paige Simpson|2014}}
}}
| children           = 4, including [[Paul Apted|Paul]]
| education          = [[City of London School]]<br />[[Downing College, Cambridge]]
}}
'''Michael David Apted''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CMG}} (10 February 1941 – 7 January 2021) was an English television and film director and producer.

Apted began working in television and directed the ''[[Up (film series)|Up]]'' documentary series from 1970 to 2019). He later directed ''[[Coal Miner's Daughter (film)|Coal Miner's Daughter]]'' (1980), which was nominated for seven [[Academy Awards]] including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]. His subsequent work included ''[[Gorillas in the Mist]]'' (1988), ''[[Nell (film)|Nell]]'' (1994), the ''[[James Bond]]'' film ''[[The World Is Not Enough]]'' (1999), and ''[[Enigma (2001 film)|Enigma]]'' (2001). His film ''[[Amazing Grace (2006 film)|Amazing Grace]]'' (2006) premiered at the closing of the [[Toronto International Film Festival]] that year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kumar |first=Matthew |date=22 August 2006 |title=Toronto International Film Festival 2006: Everything Announced |url=https://torontoist.com/2006/08/toronto_international_film_festival_2006_everything_announced/ |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=Torontoist}}</ref>

On 29 June 2003, he was elected president of the [[Directors Guild of America]],<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20030629005010/en/Michael-Apted-Elected-DGA-President-New-National |title=Michael Apted Elected DGA President; New National Board, Slate of Officers Also Chosen |publisher=Directors Guild of America |agency=Business Wire |date=29 June 2003 |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref> a position he served until 2009.<ref name=":2" /> He was appointed Companion of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]] (CMG) in the [[2008 Birthday Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=58729 |date=14 June 2008 |page=2 |supp=y}}</ref>

==Early life and education ==
Apted was born on 10 February 1941 in [[Aylesbury]], Buckinghamshire, the son of Frances Amelia (née Thomas) and Ronald William Apted.<ref name="filmref">{{Cite web |url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/91/Michael-Apted.html |title=Michael Apted Biography (1941-) |website=filmreference.com}}</ref><ref name = NYT>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/movies/michael-apted-dead.html |title=Michael Apted, Versatile Director Known for 'Up' Series, Dies at 79 |date=8 January 2021 |access-date=8 January 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |last=Genzlinger |first=Neil}}</ref>

He was educated at [[City of London School]] and [[Downing College, Cambridge]], where he studied law and history.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/movies/michael-apted-dead-coal-miners-daughter-up-series-director-dies-79/ |title=Michael Apted, Coal Miner's Daughter and Up series director, dies at 79 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=8 January 2021 |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref>

==Career==
===Television===
Apted began his career in television as a trainee for six months at [[Granada Television]] in [[Manchester (England)|Manchester]], where he worked as a researcher. One of his first projects at Granada would become his best known: the [[Up (film series)|''Up ''series]], which began in 1964 as a profile of 14 seven-year-old children for the current affairs series ''[[World in Action]].'' As a researcher and assistant to Canadian director [[Paul Almond]], Apted was involved in selecting the children, who came from a variety of backgrounds and classes.<ref name="Nation7Up">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/michael-apted-up-series-british-life/ |title=A Thing or Two About Life |date=2 November 2020 |magazine=The Nation |access-date=7 November 2022 |last1=Pedersen |first1=Susan |author-link=Susan Pedersen (historian)}}</ref> Though originally conceived as a one-off documentary, the series has become an institution. When it was suggested that they revisit the subjects at ages fourteen and twenty one, Apted accepted the offer to direct and directed every subsequent episode in the series.<ref name="Nation7Up"/> It explores Apted's thesis that the [[British class system]] remains largely in place. It studies the participants based on the [[Jesuit]] motto "Give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man",<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weeratunga |first=Jann |title="Give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man." – The Schools Reading Road Show |url=https://srrssa.co.za/give-me-a-child-until-he-is-seven-and-i-will-show-you-the-man/ |access-date=9 January 2021 |language=en-US}}</ref> looking at how they develop during their lives, compared to when they were seven. The series looks at the lives of these people over the years; the latest instalment, ''63 Up'', was produced in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Haddou |first=Jihane |date=8 January 2021 |title=Give Me the Child Until He Is Seven and I Will Give You the Man |url=https://jihanehaddou.medium.com/give-me-the-child-until-he-is-seven-and-i-will-give-you-the-man-9298fa4b35b5 |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=Medium |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=8 January 2021 |title=Michael Apted, Director Of The 'Up' Documentary Series, Dies At 79 |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/01/08/955128728/michael-apted-director-of-the-up-documentary-series-dies-at-79 |access-date=9 January 2021 |publisher=NPR |language=en}}</ref> It won a [[Peabody Award]] in 2012 "for its creator’s patience and its subjects' humanity."<ref>[http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/institutional-award-michael-apteds-up-series72nd Annual Peabody Awards] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109140205/http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/institutional-award-michael-apteds-up-series72nd |date=9 January 2021 }}, May 2013.</ref>

During his seven-year period of working at Granada, Apted also directed a number of episodes of ''[[Coronation Street]],''<ref name=":1" /> then written by [[Jack Rosenthal]], among others. Apted and Rosenthal later collaborated on a number of popular television and film projects, including the pilot episodes for ''[[The Dustbinmen]]''<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Dustbinmen: There's a Hole in Your Dustbin, Delilah |url=http://www.tv.com/shows/the-dustbinmen/theres-a-hole-in-your-dustbin-delilah-318268/ |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=TV.com}}</ref> and ''[[The Lovers (1970 TV series)|The Lovers]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Duguid |first=Mark |title=Lovers, The (1970–71) |url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/1289920/ |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=BFI Screenonline}}</ref> They worked together again in 1982 for the TV movie ''[[P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang. (1982) |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6999e9e7 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701223908/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6999e9e7 |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 July 2019 |access-date=9 January 2021 |publisher=British Film Institute |language=en}}</ref> the first film commissioned by Britain's [[Channel 4]]. In 1976 Apted directed a play in the Granada TV series ''[[Laurence Olivier Presents]]''. The episode was ''[[The Collection (play)|The Collection]]'' by [[Harold Pinter]]. The play starred [[Laurence Olivier]], [[Malcolm McDowell]], [[Alan Bates]] and [[Helen Mirren]].<ref name="Variety obit">{{cite web |title=Michael Apted, Director of 'Coal Miner's Daughter' and 'Up' Series of Documentaries, Dies at 79 |date=8 January 2021 |url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/michael-apted-dead-up-docs-1234881490/ |work=Variety |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref>

Apted used his idea from the ''Up'' series a second time in ''[[Married in America]]'' and ''Married in America 2''. The idea was to interview nine married couples every two years over a ten-year period to tell a more complete story of their marriages.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/06/16/PK175924.DTL&type=printable |title=Keeping a watchful eye on love, commitment / Michael Apted's 'Married in America' to trace nine couples over 10 years |date=16 June 2002 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref> In 2005, he directed the first three episodes of the TV series ''[[Rome (TV series)|Rome]]''.<ref>The three first episodes were:
*{{Cite web |title=Rome: The Stolen Eagle |url=http://www.tv.com/shows/rome/the-stolen-eagle-291012/ |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=TV.com}}
*{{Cite web |title=Rome: How Titus Pullo Brought Down the Republic |url=http://www.tv.com/shows/rome/how-titus-pullo-brought-down-the-republic-291013/ |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=TV.com}}
*{{Cite web |title=Rome: An Owl in a Thornbush |url=http://www.tv.com/shows/rome/an-owl-in-a-thornbush-291014/ |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=TV.com}}</ref>

For his work in television, Apted won several [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|British Academy Awards]], including two Flaherty Documentary Awards for his work on 28 ''Up'' and ''35 Up'' and a BAFTA for Best Dramatic Director for the single play ''Kisses at Fifty'' in 1974.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/keyword-search?keywords=Michael%20Apted |title=BAFTA Awards |publisher=BAFTA |access-date=8 January 2021}}</ref>

[[Image:Michael Apted by David Shankbone.jpg|150px|thumb|Michael Apted in 2007]]

===Film===
Apted made his first feature film in 1972, ''[[The Triple Echo]]'', starring [[Oliver Reed]] and [[Glenda Jackson]], and he directed two films for [[David Puttnam]].<ref name="five">{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-british-film-moguls-nat-cohen-part-five-1971-1988/|access-date=5 February 2025|date=5 February 2025|title=Forgotten British film moguls – Nat Cohen: Part Five (1971-1988)}}</ref> ''The Triple Echo'' was entered into the [[8th Moscow International Film Festival]].<ref name="Moscow1973">{{cite web |url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1973 |title=8th Moscow International Film Festival (1973) |access-date=3 January 2013 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116194922/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1973 |archive-date=16 January 2013}}</ref> He alternated this work with working on the TV series ''[[Play for Today]]''. He directed six plays including ''Stronger than the Sun'', written by [[Stephen Poliakoff]] and starring [[Francesca Annis]] as a young woman who places her life in danger to expose a crime, a theme Apted returned to several times.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stronger than the Sun (1977) |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b773da300 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103092322/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b773da300 |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 January 2018 |access-date=9 January 2021 |publisher=British Film Institute |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

In 1979 he directed the Hollywood-financed ''[[Agatha (film)|Agatha]]'', featuring [[Vanessa Redgrave]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Agatha (1979) – Michael Apted {{!}} Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/v1214 |language=en |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref> He went to the United States in 1980, where he directed ''[[Coal Miner's Daughter (film)|Coal Miner's Daughter]]'',<ref name="BFI" /> which received seven [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nominations, winning best actress for [[Sissy Spacek]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The 53rd Academy Awards {{!}} 1981 |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1981/A--E |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |language=en}}</ref> Both Spacek and [[Loretta Lynn]], the subject of the film, have said that they believe Apted's outsider point of view was crucial to the movie's success in securing the participation of [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] residents and to the avoidance of stereotypes that previously had marred portrayals of [[Appalachia|mountain culture]].<ref name="dvdcomm-apted">Sissy Spacek and Michael Apted. Feature commentary track, ''Coal Miner's Daughter'' 25th Anniversary/Collector's Edition, 2005.</ref><ref name="dvdcomm-lynn">Interview with Loretta Lynn and Michael Apted. Featurette on ''Coal Miner's Daughter'' 25th Anniversary/Collector's Edition DVD, 2005.</ref> In 2019, ''Coal Miner's Daughter'' was selected by the [[Library of Congress]] for preservation in the [[National Film Registry]] for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref name="Chow">{{cite magazine |last=Chow |first=Andrew R. |date=11 December 2019 |title=See the 25 New Additions to the National Film Registry, From Purple Rain to Clerks |url=https://time.com/5747503/national-film-registry-2019-additions/|magazine=Time |location=New York, NY |access-date=11 December 2019}}</ref>

Apted also made several films with a strong social message or that deal with an ethical dilemma. In 1983 he directed ''[[Gorky Park (film)|Gorky Park]]'', a political thriller based on the novel by [[Martin Cruz Smith]], that deals with police corruption in the former [[Soviet Union]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Gorky Park (1983) – Michael Apted {{!}} Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/v20395 |language=en |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref> ''[[Class Action (film)|Class Action]]'' deals with a [[corporate]] [[whistleblower]],<ref>{{Citation |title=Class Action (1991) – Michael Apted {{!}} Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/v9818 |language=en |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref> and ''[[Extreme Measures]]'' is about [[medical ethics]].<ref name="Radio Times">{{cite web |title=Extreme Measures |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/cc8d4/extreme-measures/ |work=Radio Times |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref> ''Class Action'' was entered into the [[17th Moscow International Film Festival]].<ref name="Moscow1991">{{cite web |url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1991 |title=17th Moscow International Film Festival (1991) |access-date=2 March 2013 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403102003/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1991 |archive-date=3 April 2014}}</ref>

In 1994, he directed ''[[Nell (film)|Nell]]'', which received three Golden Globe Award nominations<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nell |url=https://gg-proto.ps-pantheon.com/film/nell |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=Golden Globes Awards}}</ref> and one Academy Award nomination.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The 67th Academy Awards {{!}} 1995 |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1995 |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |date=5 October 2014 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1999, Apted directed the ''[[James Bond]]'' film ''[[The World Is Not Enough]]''.<ref name="RTimes2">{{cite web |title=James Bond and 7-Up director Michael Apted dies age 79 |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2021-01-09/james-bond-director-michael-apted-dies/ |work=Radio Times |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref>

===Documentary===
In addition to the [[Up (film series)|''Up'' series]], Apted made other documentaries, including ''[[Bring On the Night (film)|Bring On the Night]]'', a feature-length concert film about the making of [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]'s [[The Dream of the Blue Turtles|first solo album]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Screen: Sting in 'Bring on the Night' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/08/movies/screen-sting-in-bring-on-the-night.html |first=Janet |last=Maslin |page=C12 |date=8 November 1985 |access-date=9 January 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> He directed the documentary ''The Long Way Home'', which was released in 1989. It chronicled the UK, US and USSR adventures of [[Boris Grebenshchikov]], the first Soviet [[underground musician]] allowed to record in the West.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BzwKfkQS1QwC&pg=PT348 |title=Annie Lennox: The Biography |publisher=Omnibus Press |date=16 December 2009 |last=Ellis |first=Lucy |isbn=9780857121141}}</ref>

Before the making of ''[[Thunderheart]]'', Apted made the documentary ''[[Incident at Oglala]]'' about [[Leonard Peltier]]. ''Incident at Oglala'' then informed ''Thunderheart'' in the casting of actors for the fiction film.<ref>.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/incident-at-oglala-the-leonard-peltier-story-98420/ |title=Incident at Ogala: The Leonard Peltier Story |date=26 June 1992 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref>

In 1997, he explored the creative process in ''[[Inspirations (film)|Inspirations]]'' through candid discussion with seven artists from diverse media, including [[David Bowie]], [[Louise Lecavalier]] and [[Roy Lichtenstein]] among others.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/4008/inspirations/ |title=Inspirations |publisher=DVDTalk.com |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref>

In a departure from his earlier work, from 1992 to 1994, Apted ventured into China's rapidly changing popular culture. In a project backed by [[Trudie Styler]], Apted directed ''[[Moving the Mountain (1994 film)|Moving the Mountain]]'', a feature documentary which probed the origins of the [[1989 protests in Tiananmen Square]] and the consequences of the movement in the lives of several of the movement's student leaders.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/26/movies/film-review-moving-mountain-upheaval-china-real-recollections-false-flashbacks.html |title=Film Review:Moving the Mountain: Upheaval in China |work=The New York Times |date=26 April 1995 |access-date=9 January 2021 |last1=Maslin |first1=Janet}}</ref>

In 2006, Apted co-directed ''The Official Film of the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]]'', narrated by [[Pierce Brosnan]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Film producer lists at Byron |url=https://www.pressreader.com/australia/the-sunday-telegraph-sydney/20180428/283300343163128 |date=29 April 2018 |access-date=9 January 2020 |newspaper=The Sunday Telegraph |location=Sydney}}</ref>

Apted was the collaborator and subject of the documentary: ''Michael Apted – Visions on Film'', by artist and filmmaker [[Melinda Camber Porter]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://melindacamberporter.com/gallery/series/journalism/1055/ |title=Michael Apted, English director |publisher=MelindaCamberPorter.com |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref>

===Theatre===
In 1977, Apted directed the premiere of ''[[Strawberry Fields (play)|Strawberry Fields]]'' at the National Theatre in London.

==Personal life and death==
Apted's first marriage was to Jo, with whom he had two sons, Paul and Jim. [[Paul Apted]] was a sound editor who worked on movies such as ''[[The Wolverine (film)|The Wolverine]]''; he died from colon cancer in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/paul-apted-dead-sound-editor-716812 |title=Paul Apted, Sound Editor and Son of Director Michael Apted, Dies at 47 |last1=Hayden |first1=Erik |last2=Barnes |first2=Mike |date=5 July 2014 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref> He was married to screenwriter [[Dana Stevens (screenwriter)|Dana Stevens]]  for 10 years, before they divorced. They had a son, John.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 June 2014 |title=Filmmaker Dana Stevens Balances Motherhood, Movie-Making & Her New CBS Show Reckless |url=https://tinseltownmom.com/filmmaker-dana-stevens-balances-motherhood-movie-making-and-her-new-cbs-show-reckless/ |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=Tinseltown Mom |language=en}}</ref> In 2007 Apted became a father for the fourth time, to a girl, who lives with her mother Tania Mellis.<ref name=":0" /> Apted married Paige Simpson, his third wife, in January 2014.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last1=Dagan |first1=Carmel |date=8 January 2021 |title=Michael Apted, Director of 'Coal Miner's Daughter' and 'Up' Series of Documentaries, Dies at 79 |url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/michael-apted-dead-up-docs-1234881490/ |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> Apted died at his home in Los Angeles on 7 January 2021, at the age of 79.<ref name = NYT/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Welk |first1=Brian |title=Michael Apted, Director of 'Up' Documentaries and 'Coal Miner's Daughter,' Dies at 79 |url=https://www.thewrap.com/michael-apted-director-of-up-documentaries-and-coal-miners-daughter-dies-at-79/ |website=The Wrap |date=8 January 2021 |access-date=8 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=D'Zurilla |first1=Christie |title=Michael Apted, '7 Up' director and three-time DGA president, dies at 79 |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-01-08/michael-apted-dead |website=Los Angeles Times |date=8 January 2021 |access-date=8 January 2021}}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{{div col}}
* ''[[The Triple Echo]]''<ref name="Moscow1973"/> (1972)
* ''[[Stardust (1974 film)|Stardust]]''<ref name="BFI"/> (1974)
* ''[[Trick or Treat (unfinished film)|Trick or Treat]]'' (1975) (unfinished)
* ''[[The Squeeze (1977 film)|The Squeeze]]'' (1977)
* ''[[Agatha (film)|Agatha]]'' (1979)
* ''[[Coal Miner's Daughter (film)|Coal Miner's Daughter]]'' (1980)
* ''[[Continental Divide (film)|Continental Divide]]'' (1981)
* ''[[Gorky Park (film)|Gorky Park]]'' (1983)
* ''[[Firstborn (1984 film)|Firstborn]]'' (1984)
* ''[[Critical Condition (film)|Critical Condition]]'' (1987)
* ''[[Gorillas in the Mist]]'' (1988)
* ''[[Class Action (film)|Class Action]]'' (1991)
* ''[[Thunderheart]]'' (1992)
* ''[[Blink (1993 film)|Blink]]'' (1993)
* ''[[Nell (film)|Nell]]'' (1994)
* ''[[Extreme Measures]]'' (1996)
* ''[[The World Is Not Enough]]'' (1999)
* ''[[Enigma (2001 film)|Enigma]]'' (2001)
* ''[[Enough (film)|Enough]]'' (2002)
* ''[[Amazing Grace (2006 film)|Amazing Grace]]''<ref>{{Citation |title=Amazing Grace (2007). Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10007415-amazing_grace |language=en |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref> (2006)
* ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader]]'' (2010)
* ''[[Chasing Mavericks]]'' (2012)
* ''[[Unlocked (2017 film)|Unlocked]]'' (2017)
{{div col end}}

'''Documentary film'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Producer
! Writer
|-
| 1985
| ''[[Bring On the Night (film)|Bring On the Night]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|-
| 1992
| ''[[Incident at Oglala]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 1994
| ''[[Moving the Mountain (1994 film)|Moving the Mountain]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|-
| 1997
| ''[[Inspirations (film)|Inspirations]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 1999
| ''[[Me & Isaac Newton]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 2007
| ''[[The Power of the Game]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 2012
| ''56 Up''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 2014
| ''Bending the Light''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes|Executive}}
| {{no}}
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Producer
! Notes
! Ref.
|-
| 1966-1967
| ''[[Coronation Street]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| 21 episodes
| <ref>{{Cite news |date=9 January 2021 |title='Up' documentary maker Michael Apted dies at 79 |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-people-michael-apted-idUSKBN29D34D |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Michael Apted |url=http://www.tv.com/people/michael-apted/ |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=TV.com}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=2| 1967
| ''Escape''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| Episode "A Bad Risk"
|
|-
| ''[[Haunted (British TV series)|Haunted]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/michael-apted-007-director-obituary?amp |title=Michael Apted, director of James Bond, Narnia & more, passes away at 79 |date=8 January 2021 |publisher=Syfy.com |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref>
|-
| 1967-1968
| ''[[City '68]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| 5 episodes
|
|-
| 1968-1972
| ''[[Playhouse (British TV series)|Playhouse]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| 11 episodes
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b78fb989b |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512041124/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b78fb989b |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 May 2019 |title=There's a Hole in Your Dustbin, Delilah |publisher=British Film Institute |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref><ref name="Rosenthal">{{cite web |url=http://www.britishdrama.org.uk/jackrosenthal.html |title=Jack Rosenthal at ITV |publisher=Britishdrama.or.uk |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Your Name's Not God, It's Edgar (1968) |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b78e95e1d |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621202802/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b78e95e1d |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 June 2019 |access-date=9 January 2021 |publisher=British Film Institute |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=2| 1969
| ''[[Big Breadwinner Hog]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| 2 episodes
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://televisionheaven.co.uk/reviews/big-breadwinner-hog |title=Big Breadwinner Hog |publisher=Television Heaven |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Parkin's Patch]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| 8 episodes
| <ref name=":1" />
|-
|rowspan=2| 1970
| ''The Sinners''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| Episode "Mother Matilda's Book"
|
|-
| ''[[The Lovers (1970 TV series)|The Lovers]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| 6 episodes
| <ref name="Rosenthal"/>
|-
|rowspan=2| 1971-1972
| ''[[ITV Saturday Night Theatre]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| Episodes "[[Another Sunday and Sweet F.A.]]" and "Big Soft Nellie"
| <ref>{{cite web |title=Another Sunday and Sweet F.A. (1972) |url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/1364888/index.html |work=BFI Screenonline |access-date=24 April 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Another Sunday and Sweet F.A. (1972) |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a56cbc0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718194759/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a56cbc0 |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 July 2019 |access-date=9 January 2021 |publisher=British Film Institute |language=en}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Follyfoot]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| 2 episodes
|
|-
| 1972
| ''[[Thirty-Minute Theatre]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| Episode "Said the Preacher"
|
|-
| 1972-1976
| ''[[Play for Today]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| 6 episodes
| <ref name=":1" />
|-
| 1973
| ''Black and Blue''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| Segment ''High Kampf''
|
|-
| 1975
| ''[[Shades of Greene]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| Episode "[[The Destructors]]"
| <ref>{{Cite web |title=The Destructors (1975) |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b70af29ab |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417093411/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b70af29ab |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |access-date=9 January 2021 |publisher=British Film Institute |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=2| 1976
| ''[[Great Performances]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| Episode "The Collection" 
| <ref>{{Cite web |title=The Collection (1976) |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b69ade102 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909060047/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b69ade102 |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 September 2017 |access-date=9 January 2021 |publisher=British Film Institute |language=en}}</ref>
|-
| ''Plays for Britain''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| Episode "Paradise Run"
|
|-
| 1982-1985
| ''First Love''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| 
|
|-
| 1991
| ''[[My Life and Times]]'' 
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| 2 episodes
| <ref name=":1" />
|-
| 1992-1993
| ''[[Crossroads (1992 TV series)|Crossroads]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes|Executive}}
|
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7c0ae551 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517043113/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7c0ae551 |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 May 2019 |title=Crossroads C.C. Riders &#91;Pilot&#93; (1992)}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=https://ew.com/article/1992/09/11/fall-1992-tv-preview-saturday/ |title=Fall 1992 Preview:Saturday |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref>
|-
| 1995
| ''[[New York News]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| Episode "Pilot"
| <ref name=":1" />
|-
|rowspan=2| 2005
| ''[[Blind Justice (TV series)|Blind Justice]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| Episode "Leap of Faith"
|
|-
| ''[[Rome (TV series)|Rome]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes|Consulting}}
| 3 episodes (Including "[[The Stolen Eagle]]")
|rowspan=4| <ref name=":1" />
|-
| 2006
| ''[[What About Brian]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| Episode "What About the Fish...?"
|-
|rowspan=2| 2013-2016
| ''[[Ray Donovan]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| 2 episodes
|-
| ''[[Masters of Sex]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| 9 episodes
|-
| 2014
| ''[[Reckless (TV series)|Reckless]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| Episode "Bloodstone"
| <ref>{{Citation |title=Reckless. Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/reckless |language=en |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref>
|-
| 2017
| ''[[Bloodline (TV series)|Bloodline]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| "Part 30" 
| <ref>{{Cite web |last=Tallerico |first=Brian |date=30 May 2017 |title=Bloodline Recap: Hard Truths |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/05/bloodline-recap-season-3-episode-7.html |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=Vulture |language=en-us}}</ref>
|}

'''TV movies'''
* ''Joy'' (1972)
* ''Haunted: Poor Girl'' (1974)
* ''[[P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang]]''<ref name="BFI">{{cite web |title=Michael Apted |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9efa1400 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160618211727/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9efa1400 |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 June 2016 |access-date=8 January 2021 |publisher=British Film Institute}}</ref> (1982)
* ''[[Always Outnumbered]]''<ref>{{Citation |title=Always Outnumbered (1998). Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/always-outnumbered |language=en |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref> (1998)
* ''Nathan Dixon'' (1999)
* ''Hallelujah''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/reviews/2011/06/01/the-futons-first-look-hallelujah-abc-505323/20110601_hallelujah/ |title=The Futon's First Look: "Hallelujah" (ABC) |publisher=The Futon Critic |access-date=9 January 2021}}</ref> (2011)

'''Documentary film'''
* ''[[Radio Silence (Boris Grebenshchikov album)|The Long Way Home]]'' (1989)
* ''[[Married in America]]''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hart |first=Hugh |date=16 June 2002 |title=Keeping a watchful eye on love, commitment / Michael Apted's 'Married in America' to trace nine couples over 10 years |url=https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Keeping-a-watchful-eye-on-love-commitment-2828223.php |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=San Francisco Chronicle |language=en-US}}</ref> (2003)
* ''Married in America 2'' (2006)

{| class="wikitable"
!colspan=4|''[[Up (film series)|Up series]]''
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Producer
|-
| 1970
| ''7 Plus Seven''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|-
| 1977
| ''21 Up''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|-
| 1984
| ''28 Up''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|-
|rowspan=2| 1991
| ''35 Up''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|-
| ''[[Age 7 in America]]''
| {{no}}
| {{yes|Executive}}
|-
|rowspan=2| 1998
| ''14 Up in America''
| {{no}}
| {{yes|Executive}}
|-
| ''42 Up''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|-
| 2005
| ''49 Up''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|-
| 2006
| ''21 Up America''
| {{no}}
| {{yes|Executive}}
|-
|}

==Other roles==
He served as president of the [[Directors Guild of America]] from 2003 to 2009 and served as the secretary-treasurer from 2011 to his death.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Michael Apted (1941-2021) - Visual History Interview |url=https://www.dga.org/Craft/VisualHistory/Interviews/Michael-Apted.aspx |access-date=9 January 2021 |website=Directors Guild of America |language=en}}</ref>

==Awards and nominations==
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
!scope="col" rowspan="2" | Year
!scope="col" rowspan="2" | Title
!scope="colgroup" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Academy Awards
!scope="colgroup" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| BAFTA Awards
!scope="colgroup" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Golden Globe Awards
|-
!scope="col"| Nominations
!scope="col"| Wins
!scope="col"| Nominations
!scope="col"| Wins
!scope="col"| Nominations
!scope="col"| Wins
|-
|1974
!scope="row"|''[[Stardust (1974 film)|Stardust]]''
|
|
|align=center|1
|
|
|
|-
|1979
!scope="row"|''[[Agatha (film)|Agatha]]''
|align=center|1
|
|align=center|1
|
|align=center|2
|
|-
|1980
!scope="row"|''[[Coal Miner's Daughter (film)|Coal Miner's Daughter]]''
|align=center|7
|align=center|1
|align=center|2
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|2
|-
|1983
!scope="row"|''[[Gorky Park (film)|Gorky Park]]''
|
|
|align=center|1
|
|align=center|1
|
|-
|1988
!scope="row"|''[[Gorillas in the Mist]]''
|align=center|5
|
|align=center|1
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|2
|-
| 1994
!scope="row"|''[[Nell (film)|Nell]]''
|align=center|1
|
|
|
|align=center|3
|
|-
!scope="row" colspan="2"|Total
!align=center|14
!align=center|1
!align=center|6
!align=center|0
!align=center|11
!align=center|4
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
{{wikiquote}}
{{commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|776}}
* [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/506999/index.html Michael Apted biography] at [[BFI Screenonline]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071101084535/http://www.pfd.co.uk/clients/aptedm/f-ftd.html Resumé] at Peters, Fraser & Dunlop
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090608061619/http://www.readthespirit.com/explore/2007/11/040-whats-amazi.html Interview with Michael Apted on "Amazing Grace"] by ReadTheSpirit.com
* {{NPG name|165539}}

{{Michael Apted}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Michael Apted
|list =
{{DirectorsGuildofAmericaOutstandingDirectingDramaSeries}}
}}
{{DGA Presidents}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Apted, Michael}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of Downing College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:BAFTA winners (people)]]
[[Category:British documentary film directors]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:Directors Guild of America Award winners]]
[[Category:English expatriates in the United States]]
[[Category:English film directors]]
[[Category:English television directors]]
[[Category:English television producers]]
[[Category:Fellows of Downing College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:People educated at the City of London School]]
[[Category:People from Aylesbury]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Directors Guild of America]]