Filmmaker Peter Medak, director of The Changeling, dies at 88

Filmmaker Peter Medak, whose work ranged from the supernatural horror film The Changeling to television dramas including Breaking Bad and The Wire, has died at 88. His family confirmed that he died peacefully in Los Angeles on October 27. No cause of death was announced. Medak directed films and television over a career spanning six decades. His film credits included The Ruling Class, The Krays, Let Him Have It and Romeo Is Bleeding, while his television work included episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street, House and Hannibal. Reports describe him as having directed 27 feature films and 59 television episodes. Born in Budapest in 1937, Medak fled Hungary for England during the 1956 uprising against Soviet rule. He began working in the British film industry as a trainee and later worked as an assistant director before making his feature debut with Negatives in 1968, starring Glenda Jackson. His 1972 film The Ruling Class, a dark comedy starring Peter O’Toole as an aristocrat who believes he is Jesus Christ, competed at the Cannes Film Festival. O’Toole received an Academy Award nomination for his performance. Medak followed with A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, also released in...