His agency confirmed his death to EW, but no additional information was available.
Spacek won the award, for her portrayal of country singer Loretta Lynn.
Apted also served as president of the Directors Guild of America from 2003 to 2009.
Credit: Everett Collection
“His legacy will be forever woven into the fabric of cinema and our Guild.
I will miss him dearly.”
Michael Apted was born Feb. 10, 1941, in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
He went on to study law and history at Downing College, Cambridge.
He began his career in entertainment at Britain’s Granada Television in Manchester, as a researcher trainee.
His fiction debut came via another famous Granada property, the long-running soap operaCoronation Street.
He made his feature directorial debut on 1972’sThe Triple Echo, starring Glenda Jackson and Oliver Reed.
He also received a Career Achievement Award from the International Documentary Association in 1999.
Apted was thrice married, the first time to Jo Apted, the second time to screenwriter Dana Stevens.
One of his sons by Jo Apted, sound editor Paul Apted, died from colon cancer in 2014.
