James Foley passes away, here's all you need to know about ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ and ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ director

James Foley was one of the most well-known and renowned directors in the world of cinema. He has passed away at the age of 71. Known for doing a diverse range of films, his work stays with the world as his legacy after his tragic passing. The director was part of some of the most famous films in the industry, such as ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ and ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’; however, his debut began much earlier in small-scale cinema.The director was born in December 1953 and grew up in the state of New York. His first official introduction to film came from studying about film when he went to pursue higher education. The man completed his education and studied film at New York University and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.Later, when Foley was nearing the end of his course in the final year, he ended up meeting the late Hal Ashby, a famous director and writer who introduced him to the industry and guided him. In an old interview done with Film Freak Central, the director talked about his experience with Ashby and shared that “Because Hal Ashby had hired me, I became known to other people in Hollywood and got kind of viable in that weird calculus of Hollywood just because someone else, respected, thought I was viable.”Foley’s directorial debut was also a major hit upon release. He started his career as a director in the year 1984 when he started working on the film ‘Reckless’. The film was a classic high school drama about romance and love between a cheerleader and a rebellious kid who rode a motorcycle and played football.The rest was history, as Foley developed his career and moved forth to direct movies, TV shows, music videos and more. After his directorial debut, Foley also ended up getting the chance to work with Madonna to direct her music video for ‘Dress You Up’ in 1985. He then went on to work with the singer on various other music videos like ‘Live to Tell’, ‘True Blue’, and ‘The Look of Love’.While James Foley has worked on directing countless films, music videos, and TV shows, some stood out better than the rest and helped the man leave a mark on society. One of his most renowned pieces, which also became the reason why he grew famous and had his ‘big break’ in the industry, was ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’. Based off of David Mamet’s famous stage play, the film became a huge hit upon release. It starred Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, and Alec Baldwin.Other than that, the director has worked on various films like ‘The Corruptor’, ‘Fear’, and the crime and thriller drama ‘Confidence’. His major break in recent years came from the movie ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ when he returned to the big screen after a much-needed short break.The director had been suffering from brain cancer for a while and ended up losing the battle against the disease. He is survived by his brother Kevin, his sisters Eileen and Jo Ann, and his nephew Quinn.