Mike Hodges, Flash Gordon Director, has died at 90
Carlo Allegri/Getty
British director Mike Hodges, best known for movies like Flash Gordon And CroupierHe was 90. He was 90.
Producer and NBC News confirmed his death. I’ll sleep when I’m dead collaborator Mike Kaplan. Kaplan says Hodges, who died Saturday in Dorset, England from heart failure, passed away on Saturday.
PEOPLE did not receive an immediate response from Hodges to our request for comment.
Hodges’ distinguished career goes back to 1950.
RELATED: ‘General Hospital’ Actress Sonya Eddy Dead at 55: ‘The World Lost Another Creative Angel’
He was compelled to serve two years on a Royal Navy minesweeper as mandatory national service before making his first film. Get Carter.
In a letter Published by The Guardian He explained that he had witnessed “horrible poverty and deprivation” for two years. I entered the navy as a chartered accountant, a complacent Tory and a young, radical man.
“Twenty years later when Ted Lewis asked me for his great book to adapt, I recognized that world, and I attached my own experiences to this,” he said.
His second film was PulpIt was only one year later that it happened. Get Carter1971’s release. Hodges’ talent as a director rose to prominence with 1980’s. Flash Gordon.
RELATED: Shirley Watts, Widow of Rolling Stones Drummer Charlie Watts, Dead at 84
Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock
The film about space gained instant popularity. referenced throughout pop culture Even 40 years later, it still exists. Although based on the 1930s comic strip of the same name, Hodges told the BBC in 2020 that he “honestly thought that it would never see the light A projector.”
Hodges’ talent spanned many crime dramas. But his talents also shined on television. He directed 1984’s The Big Scam. Square the Circle 1994 Dandelion DeadWhich? earned 1995 BAFTA
His last project was a fiction novel called “The Last Project.” Watch the Wheels Come Off 2010
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free weekly newsletter Get the latest news from the week directly to your inbox each Friday
Brian Lynch, a film and comic book writer, was informed of his passing. shared his condolences Respect and admiration for the director who died.
“Mike Hodges (director of FLASH GORDON) has passed away. This movie brought me joy when I finally saw it during the pandemic. It has been re-watched many times. There is nothing like it. In a tweet, he said “Relax in Peace sir” on Tuesday.
Hodges survived by his wifeCarol Laws, his wife, and two of their sons, Ben, and Jake Hodges. According to The Guardian.