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Michael Anderson: Oscar-Nominated Film Director Of ‘Logan’s Run’ And ‘Around The World In 80 Days’ Dies At 98

By Trisha Faulkner
Published on: 14:50 PST, Apr 29, 2018

Sad news out of Hollywood this weekend as Oscar-nominated film director Michael Anderson has passed away at the age of 98.

According to USA Today, his family confirmed that Anderson passed away of heart disease on April 25. He was in his home on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia at the time of his death.

His obituary in The Guardian notes the director is best known for his films, The Dam Busters, Around the World in 80 Days, and Logan’s Run.

It was Anderson’s 1955 war epic hit titled The Dam Busters that really spearheaded his career as a director. Even though Michael went on to direct the multimillion-dollar production Around the World in 80 Days, which was released a year after his war epic, it was The Dam Busters that he was most proud of directing.

Michael was destined for a future in Hollywood from the moment he was born into a theatrical family in the 1920s in London. Both his mother, Beatrice, and his father, Lawrence, were actors. He worked his way up the ladder to becoming an Oscar-nominated director. After appearing in a few films, he worked as a production runner for Elstree Studios. He moved on to assistant director and unit production manager.

He even took a break from his way up the Hollywood ladder to serve in the army during World War II.

Michael’s first solo run as a director was the film titled Waterfront in 1950. Many speculated the reason Waterfront was not successful wasn’t because it was Anderson’s first solo run as a director, but because he was given such poor material to begin with. Other films Anderson directed included:

  • Yangtse Incident (1957)
  • Chase a Crooked Shadow (1958)
  • Shake Hands with the Devil (1959)
  • The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959)
  • The Naked Edge (1961)
  • Operation Crossbow (1965)
  • The Quiller Memorandum (1966)
  • Pope Joan (1972)
  • Martian Chronicles (1980)
  • 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1997)

He is survived by his third wife, Adrienne, her two children, Laurie and Christopher; his five children from his first marriage to Betty Jordan, Michael, David, Peter, Jan, and Sally; and his stepdaughter, Emilie, with his second wife, Vera Carlisle.

His family plans to host a private memorial service in his home.

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