Jean-Marc Vallée, a Canadian filmmaker known for Dallas Buyers Club and Wild has died at the age of 58. He is an Oscar-nominated director who won an Emmy award for his work on the HBO series, Big Little Lies.
In a statement released to The Hollywood Reporter, his longtime producing partner Nathan Ross revealed that he died over the past weekend in Quebec City; no cause of death was given.
“Vallée was all about creativity and authenticity,” says John Ross. He called him “a real artist and a wonderful, caring person.” Every person who worked with him was struck by his ability and vision.
He was a good friend, creative collaborator, and older brother to me. The world will miss him greatly and his wonderful style and the significant contribution he made to the world will live on.
Justin Trudeau, the current Canadian Prime Minister, stated that Vallée’s “unstinting love for filmmaking and storytelling was matched by his talent.” “Through his efforts and his art, he left a mark on Quebec, Canada, and the world.”
Jean-Marc Vallée, who was born in Montreal and began his career as a music video director before moving into film in 1995 with Black List, 2005’s critically praised coming-of-age drama C.R.A.Z.Y.
In 2009, he directed the biopic The Young Victoria about Queen Victoria. Emily Blunt played the title role in this historical drama, which earned three Oscar nominations.
His most renowned work, however, came in 2013 with Dallas Buyers Club – the inspirational love story of Ron Woodroof, who made a deal on drugs for Aids patients in Texas.
In the film, which was nominated for six Academy Awards, including best picture and best original screenplay, Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto both delivered Oscar-winning performances.
Vallée directed Reese Witherspoon in Wild, a film based on the best-selling book about a former drug addict who tries to rediscover herself by backpacking and hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.
He previously collaborated with her on HBO’s Big Little Lies, where he won the Emmy for outstanding directing in a limited series, mini-series, or movie/special.
The critically acclaimed television series, a film adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s best book, starred Witherspoon, Dern, Kidman, Kravitz, and Woodley as five California-based women who get caught up in a murder case.
The world has lost one of its greatest and purest artists and dreamers, Dern wrote on Instagram. We have also lost our cherished friend, she added.
He then went on to shoot the HBO miniseries Sharp Objects and executive produced it alongside Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson.
He was also praised by the New York Times, which called him a “brilliantly committed filmmaker” who “imbued every scene with a deeply passionate, emotional truth.”
According to HBO, he was also “a tremendously caring individual who put his whole self into every actor he directed.”
“The dream,” he stated. “Dreams can come true,” Vallée added in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter last year. “Right now, I’m living the dream.”
The director’s long list of accomplishments was celebrated by the Toronto International Film Festival‘s Cameron Bailey, who called him “an amazing creative force.”