Dallas Buyers Club director Jean-Marc Vallée passes away aged just 58 in cabin outside Quebec City: Family are ‘shocked’ by his death
- The filmmaker suddenly passed away at his cabin outside Quebec on Sunday
- Vallee’s family and closest advisors were reportedly ‘shocked’ by the death
- He was described as ‘a true artist and a generous loving guy’ by fellow producers
- The filmmaker is best known for films such as Dallas Buyers Club and Wild along with HBO limited series’ Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects
Director and producer Jean-Marc Vallee, who won an Emmy for directing the hit HBO series Big Little Lies and whose 2013 drama Dallas Buyers Club earned multiple Oscar nominations, has died aged 58.
The filmmaker died suddenly in his cabin outside Quebec City, Canada, over the weekend according to his representative Bumble Ward.
Vallee’s family and close advisors are reportedly ‘shocked’ by the death, with his producing partner Nathan Ross also confirming passing and paying tribute in a statement.
‘Jean-Marc stood for creativity, authenticity and trying things differently. He was a true artist and a generous, loving guy,’ Ross said.
‘Everyone who worked with him couldn’t help but see the talent and vision he possessed. He was a friend, creative partner and an older brother to me,’ Ross added.
Vallee is survived by his two sons – Alex and Emile, whom he shares with ex-wife Chantal Cadieux, a Canadian writer – and siblings Marie-Josee Vallee, Stephane Tousignant and Gerald Vallee.
No cause of death has yet been reported.
‘Jean-Marc stood for creativity, authenticity and trying things differently. He was a true artist and a generous, loving guy,’ said producing partner Nathan Ross. ‘Everyone who worked with him couldn’t help but see the talent and vision he possessed.’ (pictured: Vallee at the Asian World Film Festival on June 19, 2021 in Beverly Hills, California)
Jean-Marc Vallee and actor Matthew McConaughey attend the Universal, NBC, Focus Features, E! sponsored by Chrysler viewing and after party with Gold Meets Golden held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 12, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. Vallee received critical acclaim for his direction of the 2013 film Dallas Buyers Club, starring McConaughey
Director and producer Jean-Marc Vallee, who won an Emmy for directing the hit HBO series Big Little Lies and whose 2013 drama Dallas Buyers Club earned multiple Oscar nominations, has died aged 58.
‘The maestro will sorely be missed but it comforts knowing his beautiful style and impactful work he shared with the world will live on,’ Ross concluded.
The filmmaker was born in Montreal and studied filmmaking at Quebec University.
He started his career directing music videos and short films in the late 1980s and early 1990s before making his feature film debut with Liste Noire in 1995.
He would go on to direct Los Locos in 1997 for writer-star Mario Van Peebles, Danny Trejo and Rene Auberjonois and 2005’s C.R.A.Z.Y. with Michel Cote and Marc-Andre Grondin, before breaking into the mainstream in 2009 with The Young Victoria, written by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, starring Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend.
He next wrote and directed Cafe de Flore in 2011 starring Vanessa Paradis and Evelyne Brochu, before his Oscar-nominated drama Dallas Buyers Club in 2013.
The success of Dallas Buyers Club, which featured Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto and earned six Academy Awards nominations, including best picture, made Vallee a sought-after name in Hollywood.
He developed a reputation for his naturalistic approach to filmmaking, and in the decade prior to his death directed stars including Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Vallee followed up Dallas Buyers Club with the 2014 adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s book Wild, starring Witherspoon and Laura Dern, before directing Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts in the 2015 film Demolition.
He then moved to the small screen, directing the first season of Big Little Lies in 2017, and all eight episodes of the critically-acclaimed HBO limited series Sharp Objects, starring Adams, winning DGA awards for both.
Vallee broke into the mainstream in 2009 with The Young Victoria, written by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, starring Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend (pictured)
Vallee moved to the small screen four years ago, directing the first season of Big Little Lies in 2017 starring Reese Witherspoon (pictured), and all eight episodes of the critically-acclaimed HBO limited series Sharp Objects, starring Amy Adams, winning DGA awards for both
Tributes for the late filmmaker have poured in, with the likes of the CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival Cameron Bailey taking to social media to share their memories and pay respects to Vallee.
Vallee often shot with natural light and hand-held cameras and gave actors freedom to improvise the script and move around within a scene´s location. The crew roamed up and down the Pacific Coast Trail to shoot Witherspoon in 2014’s ‘Wild.’
‘They can move anywhere they want,’ the Canadian filmmaker said of his actors in a 2014 interview.
‘It’s giving the importance to storytelling, emotion, characters. I try not to interfere too much. I don’t need to cut performances.
‘Often, the cinematographer and I were like, ‘This location sucks. It’s not very nice. But, hey, that’s life.”
‘The maestro will sorely be missed but it comforts knowing his beautiful style and impactful work he shared with the world will live on,’ Nathan Ross concluded.
Vallee’s representative Bumble Ward took to twitter to pay tribute to the late filmmaker
Writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Joshua Axelrod was among those who shared their tributes to Vallee on social media
Demolition: He directed Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts in the 2015 film Demolition with Jake Gyllenhaal before moving to the small screen with the first season of Big Little Lies in 2017
Jean-Marc Vallee Filmography
Director and producer Jean-Marc Vallee developed an acclaimed career as a filmmaker before transitioning to the little screen in 2017.
He won an Emmy for directing the hit HBO series Big Little Lies from 2017-2019, and his 2013 film Dallas Buyers Club earned multiple Oscar nominations.
Below is a list of the late director’s filmography:
Film
- 1995: Black List
- 1997: Los Locos
- 1999: Loser Love
- 2005: C.R.A.Z.Y.
- 2009: The Young Victoria
- 2011: Café de Flore
- 2013: Dallas Buyers Club
- 2014: Wild
- 2015: Demolition
Television
- 2017–2019: Big Little Lies
- 2018: Sharp Objects
TV: He also directed all eight episodes of the critically-acclaimed HBO limited series Sharp Objects, starring Amy Adams
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