Legendary director of 'Silence of the Lambs' and 'Philadelphia' Jonathan Demme passes away at the age of 73

Image from Variety

By Darian Scalamoni

            It holds us with a heavy heart here at Cinema Wave to report that Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia) has passed away. The legendary director was 73 and passes away due to complications of esophageal cancer and complications of heart disease.

            Demme had as a diverse resume as any. He began his emergence in the industry for directing movies like Caged Heat and Fighting Mad before the 80s led to a change of pace with comedies like Something Wild and Married to the Mob as well as directing the documentary based on the rock group The Talking Heads titled Stop Making Sense. However, it was his 90s run that elevated the director to new heights.

            1991 was the year everything changed for Demme as he directed the horror film, Silence of the Lambs. The movie is historic for winning 5 Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay; one of only three films to win the “Big Five” Academy Awards. He followed that up with a terrific courtroom drama, Philadelphia that starred Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks, the latter who won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for playing Andrew Beckett, a man with AIDS who was fired because of his condition.

            Though that would prove to be the best stretch of Demme’s career, he also directed films like Charade, The Truth About Charlie, The Manchurian Candidate, Rachel Getting Married and most recently, Ricki and the Flash. Demme’s final film was the concert documentary, Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids. The movie followed Timberlake on his 20/20 Experience World Tour.

            Demme leaves behind a legacy that most directors have looked up to and dreamed about emulating. He will be missed in Hollywood and for his influence behind the camera and his thoughtfulness as a human being. Our thoughts are with his family and friends in their time of grieving.