Film veteran James Foley who directed films like Glengarry Glen Ross and the Fifty Shades of Grey sequels, along with the hit television series House of Cards died at his home in Los Angeles on May 6. He had been battling with brain cancer, confirmed his representative on Thursday. He was 71.
Among his most celebrated works is the 1992 film adaptation of Glengarry Glen Ross, from the play by David Mamet that won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1984.
The film about real estate salesmen trying to make ends meet in a tough economy, featured Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris and Alan Arkin.
Mr. Foley also directed Fifty Shades Darker (2017) and Fifty Shades Freed (2018), the final two installments of the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise. Those films were adapted from the second and third books of the E.L. James trilogy.
Mr. Foley ventured into television directing an episode of Twin Peaks in 1991. He later directed 12 episodes across Seasons 1, 2 and 3 of House of Cards, the hit Netflix series about the underbelly of American government that was adapted from a BBC series of the same name.
He also directed episodes of Wayward Pines and Billions.
Reflecting upon his journey, Mr. Foley told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017, "I've had a very fluid career of ups and downs and lefts and rights, and I always just responded to what I was interested in at the moment. I've always just followed my nose, for better or for worse, sometimes for worse."
Mr. Foley is survived by a brother, Kevin Foley; two sisters, Eileen and Jo Ann Foley; and a nephew, Quinn Foley.