Director of “Still Alice” Dies at 63
Richard Glatzer 63, writer and director of “Still Alice” died Tuesday in Los Angeles of complications from ALS.
Sony Pictures Classics released “Still Alice,” for which Julianne Moore won the best actress Oscar for her portrayal of a woman with Alzheimer’s disease. The role was informed by Glatzer’s four-year struggle with the degenerative disease.
Glatzer and husband Wash Westmoreland also directed 2006’s “Quinceanera,” which won the audience award and the grand jury prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
Set in the filmmaker’s neighborhood of Echo Park, Calif., the low-budget film about a Mexican-American family preparing for their daughter’s quinceanera celebration also won the John Cassavetes Spirit Award and was released by Sony Pictures Classics.
Westmorland recently wrote about Glatzer in the press notes for “Still Alice.”
“He was on set every day, directing the movie, despite incredible physical difficulties. This silently infused the whole production with a sense of deeper purpose. In essence, this was what the movie was about. Right there. Everyone felt that something special was going on and bore the long hard hours with grace.”
