Peter Medak's Death Closes Six-Decade Hollywood Career
The director of 'The Changeling' and 'The Krays' died in Los Angeles after a career that included eight Genie Awards and work on major television series.
By Bianca Herrera ·
Peter Medak, the Hungarian-born filmmaker who directed the 1980 thriller The Changeling, died Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 88. His passing ends a six-decade run in film and television that produced 27 feature movies and numerous high-profile TV episodes.
Medak’s professional life began under constraint in Hungary. Born in Budapest in 1937, he hid with his family during World War II. After his father was imprisoned under the Communist regime, Medak was barred from school. He fled to England during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and entered the British film industry as an assistant director. He later moved to Hollywood, where he established his reputation.
His breakthrough came with the 1972 satire The Ruling Class, which starred Peter O'Toole and earned an Oscar nomination for the actor. The film also competed for the Palme d’Or at Cannes. In 1980, Medak directed The Changeling, a supernatural thriller starring George C. Scott. That film won eight Genie Awards, including best motion picture. He continued his success in 1990 with The Krays, a British gangster drama that earned him the Evening Standard Award for best director.
Beyond his feature work, Medak directed episodes of popular television series such as The Wire, Breaking Bad, and House. He also produced the 2018 documentary The Ghost of Peter Sellars, which examined his earlier, troubled production of Ghost in the Noonday Sun. His filmography included other titles like A Day in the Death of Joe Egg and Romeo Is Bleeding.
Medak is survived by his four children, Christopher, Joshua, Karen, and Cornela, as well as five grandchildren. He leaves behind a body of work that spans psychological horror, black comedy, and crime drama, marking the end of one of the industry’s most diverse careers.
