Acclaimed Director Jean-Marc Vallee Passes Away at Age 58

Film and Television Director Jean-Marc Vallee Dies at 58

Acclaimed motion picture and T.V. director Jean-Marc Vallee has passed away just outside Quebec City, Canada at the age of 58.

In 2013, Matthew McConaughey was directed to an Oscar win for Best Actor for his work in Dallas Buyers Club. The man who directed McConaughey in that career-changing role, Jean-Marc Vallee, has just recently died and fans are mourning the loss of the filmmaker, Vallee, who also worked on the acclaimed show, Big Little Lies. He is said to have died of a heart attack, as reported by his representative, Bumble Ward.

Vallee previously directed the now box-office mega-star, Emily Blunt, in 2009’s critically well-received drama, The Young Victoria. When Vallee made the 2014 dramatic Reese Witherspoon drama, Wild, he began a partnership with Witherspoon that would continue on the HBO show, Big Little Lies. Vallee is also known for his suspenseful miniseries, Sharp Objects. That show starred Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson, arguably two of the most versatile actresses working today. Vallee had a wide range of talents and he always managed to command fierce, strong performances from his cast in any given project of his.

For his work on Big Little Lies, Vallee won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special. Vallee also won an Oscar nomination for his editing work on the award-winning film Dallas Buyers Club which propelled McConaughey to his first Academy Award win.

Vallee’s aforementioned film, The Young Victoria, won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for the year 2009. It was a very beautiful period piece that won Blunt much acclaim although she didn’t quite get a Best Actress nomination for her role in the movie. It still remains one of her most talked about early pictures.

In Dallas Buyers Club, Vallee also directed another actor to an Oscar win. That performer was Jared Leto who took home Best Supporting Actor accolades from the Academy for his work in the dramatic film where he played opposite McConaughey. Reese Witherspoon’s work in Wild just a year later also got recognized with an Oscar nomination as did Laura Dern who received a Best Supporting Actress nod for her turn in the same film. Dern also worked with Vallee on Big Little Lies with other acclaimed actresses such as Nicole Kidman and Shailene Woodley.

Vallee had his following movie, Demolition, open the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015. That movie starred Jake Gyllenhaal and received good reviews overall.

The acclaimed Vallee was divorced and had two sons from his marriage to Chantal Cadieux. His sons’ names are Alex and Emile, respectively. Vallee, the filmmaker, will be remembered for his movies and television programs which showcased great performances from some of the biggest talent working in Hollywood today. He will be missed and his producing partner, Nathan Ross, called him a “true artist.”

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