LA Confidential director Curtis Hanson found dead at California home

Paramedics found Hanson on Tuesday at his Hollywood Hills home at about 5 pm local time on Tuesday (5.30 am Wednesday, IST). Hanson, who was pronounced dead at the scene, died of natural causes, a police spokeswoman said. He had retired in recent years due to Alzheimer’s. Hanson, along with Brian Helgeland, won an Oscar in 1997 for best writing for their adapted screenplay of the novel of the same name by James Ellroy. As a producer of the stylish 1997 period film, Hanson also shared the nomination for best picture and was nominated for best director. 

LA Confidential won an Oscar for actress Kim Basinger and was nominated for its cinematography, art direction, sound, editing and score. The film reproduced ‘50s Los Angeles, from the streets to the costumes, and Hanson used an ensemble cast that also included Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, Danny DeVito and David Strathairn. The film was a popular success, grossing 126 million dollars worldwide. Hanson followed LA Confidential with the popular comedy Wonder Boys, adapted by Steve Kloves from the novel by Michael Chabon about an English professor, played by Michael Douglas, who is under pressure to finish his book amid a literary festival in Pittsburgh. 

The director continued his winning streak with 8 Mile, which starred Eminem and fictionalised to some extent the rapper’s harrowing true-life story of seeking to break into the rap world in his hometown of Detroit. Hanson’s other films included The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, The Riv er Wild and In Her Shoes. Hanson served as the first chairman of the UCLA Film and Television Archive beginning in 1999 and as a member of the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences from 2001. He is survived by a son, born in 2004, with companion Rebecca Yeldham, a producer, according to Variety.