Taylor Hackford, Director of “Ray” and “An Officer and a Gentleman,”

Taylor Hackford, a renowned film director and former president of the Director’s Guild, has had a long and successful career in Hollywood. Over the past 40 years, he has directed some of the biggest films in the industry, winning an Academy Award for his short film “Teenage Father” in 1979.

Hackford’s success continued with his second film, 1982’s “An Officer and a Gentleman,” which was another Oscar-nominated blockbuster. He went on to direct the 1980s megahit “Against All Odds” and the Ray Charles biopic “Ray,” for which he won two Grammy Awards for the soundtrack.

In a 2016 interview with DGA Quarterly Magazine, Hackford revealed that he majored in international relations at the University of Southern California before joining the Peace Corps. He discovered his love for the film while working in the mailroom at a PBS station in Los Angeles, where he began doing on-camera reporting. He eventually made his way into directing after producing an educational short film called “Teenage Father.”

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Hackford’s personal life has been just as eventful as his professional one. Before meeting his current wife, actress Helen Mirren, he had two earlier marriages, each of which produced sons. In 1970, he welcomed his son Rio with his first wife, Georgie Lowres, and later had another son, Alex, with his second wife, Lynne Littman. Although Mirren never wanted children of her own, she embraced her stepsons and admired Hackford’s commitment to his children.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck Hackford’s family in April 2022 when his eldest son, Rio, died at the age of 51 from a rare form of melanoma. The news was confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, leaving Hackford and his family to mourn the loss of their beloved son and brother.

Despite this heartbreaking loss, Hackford’s legacy in the film industry continues to shine bright. His contributions to Hollywood have not gone unnoticed, and his impressive list of accomplishments will undoubtedly inspire generations of filmmakers to come.