On April 26th, veteran director Jonathan Demme quietly passed away after a battle with esophageal cancer and heart disease at age 73. At his peak, he was one of the best filmmakers in the world, and the proof is pictured above- an Academy Award win for Best Director for his 1991 masterpiece "Silence of the Lambs". Yes, Demme cast Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter and Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, as the whole world said 'thank you'. He was truly an actors' director, and left a long line of beneficiaries- Mary Steenburgen has been a go-to girl for supporting roles ever since appearing in 1980's "Melvin and Howard", Ray Liotta landed his breakout role in 1986's "Something Wild" and he gave a gorgeous 29 year old Michelle Pfeiffer her first starring role in the madcap comedy "Married to the Mob". In 1993, a socially-conscious Demme introduced the dramatic acting talents of none-other-than Tom Hanks in the Oscar-winning "Philadelphia". My only complaint is that he didn't work more. Hollywood needs more auteurs as caring and diverse as Jonathan Demme.
