British Oscar-winning film producer Jeremy Thomas has died at the age of 77.
Thomas passed away peacefully at his home in Oxfordshire, surrounded by his family and loved ones.
He began his career in film editing, working on productions including Ken Loach’s Family Life and Perry Henzell’s The Harder They Come. At the age of 27, he produced the first of what would become dozens of films over the course of his career. His credits include acclaimed titles such as Sexy Beast and Naked Lunch.
Thomas rose to international prominence with Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor, which swept the 1988 Academy Awards with nine wins, including Best Picture.
His 17-year collaboration with the Italian director resulted in five feature films. Thomas also developed long-standing creative partnerships with filmmakers including Nicolas Roeg, David Cronenberg, Jerzy Skolimowski, Matteo Garrone and Takeshi Miike.
Based in London throughout his career, Thomas worked with filmmakers from around the world. In 2006, the European Film Academy honored him with its European Achievement in World Cinema award.
Thomas was also the founder of Recorded Picture Company and HanWay Films.
One of his final collaborations was with Takeshi Miike on Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo, which is set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday.
