The Media Times
James Foley,the film director behind two of the Fifty Shades of Grey films,the acclaimed American film and television director, has died at the age of 71 after a prolonged battle with brain cancer. He passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles on May 6, 2025.
Born on December 28, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York, Foley initially pursued a career in psychology before shifting to filmmaking. He earned an MFA from the University of Southern California, where a chance encounter with director Hal Ashby helped launch his directing career.
Foley’s diverse body of work spanned over three decades, encompassing film, television, and music videos. He made his directorial debut with Reckless (1984), but gained critical acclaim with At Close Range (1986), starring Sean Penn and Christopher Walken. His most celebrated film, Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), featured an ensemble cast including Al Pacino and Alec Baldwin, earning multiple award nominations.
In the 1990s and 2000s, Foley directed a range of films, including the psychological thriller Fear (1996), starring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Wahlberg, and Perfect Stranger (2007), featuring Halle Berry and Bruce Willis. He also directed episodes of acclaimed television series such as House of Cards, Billions, and Twin Peaks.
Foley collaborated with Madonna in the 1980s, directing several of her music videos, including “Papa Don’t Preach,” “Live to Tell,” and “True Blue,” as well as the film Who’s That Girl (1987).
In the 2010s, he directed the final two installments of the Fifty Shades film series: Fifty Shades Darker (2017) and Fifty Shades Freed (2018).
Foley is survived by his siblings and a nephew. He was predeceased
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