Oscar-winning director Milos Forman, best known for bringing One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and Amadeus to the big screen, has died at 86 near his home in Connecticut. According to Variety, the director passed after a short illness according to a statement from his wife Martina to Czech news agency CTK. She noted that Forman’s “departure was calm, and he was surrounded the whole time by his family and his closest friends.”
The director earned two Best Director Academy Awards for Amadeus and Cuckoo’s Nest respectively but also earned several for Best Foreign Film before fleeing Czechoslovakia ahead of the 1968 Prague Spring. He would return to the country in 1983 while filming Amadeus but became a naturalized U.S. Citizen in 1977. Forman also became a professor of film at Columbia University, becoming the co-chair of the school’s film department in 1978.
Forman found continued success in the ’90s with films like Man On The Moon, the biopic of comedian Andy Kaufman starring Jim Carrey, and The People Versus Larry Flynt with Woody Harrelson in 1996. Larry Karaszewski, the co-writer of both films, was one of the many voices to share their thoughts on Forman following the news of his death. This includes James Mangold — who was mentored by Forman at Columbia — and others like Josh Gad and Edgar Wright sharing their thoughts about the late director:
Milos Forman was our friend and our teacher. He was a master filmmaker – no one better at capturing small unrepeatable moments of human behavior. We made two movies together and every day spent with him was a unique adventure. Milos loved life. I will miss his laughter. pic.twitter.com/1ER5ExUUHx
— Larry Karaszewski (@Karaszewski) April 14, 2018
Crushed tonight to learn of the passing of one of the great teachers in my life, Milos Foreman. He leaves behind a beautiful and moving and artistically daring collection of films and also many other students touched by his generosity, charm and brilliance. RIP.
— Mangold (@mang0ld) April 14, 2018
Just learned the sad new about #milosforman who’s movies are among some of my favorites of all time. A resume that produces both “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and “Amadeus” deserves to be up there alongside the greats. Good bye to an icon. And Bravo. pic.twitter.com/tnNHrEgw8H
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) April 14, 2018
Very sad to hear that the great director Miloš Forman has passed away. He had a tremendous filmography that documented the rebel heart and human spirit. I have seen 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' enough times to be able to silently mouth along with the movie. RIP. pic.twitter.com/4QwOHL7tS4
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) April 14, 2018
RIP #MilosForman, a brilliant filmmaker. He directed my sister Meg Tilly in Valmont. She adored him. Here is Milos, Colin Firth, and Meg relaxing on the set between scenes. pic.twitter.com/p4Ex22pzjU
— Jennifer Tilly (@JenniferTilly) April 14, 2018
RIP to one of cinema’s best and brightest flickering lights #MilosForman pic.twitter.com/V7HJ3L9mLx
— Laurence Fuller (@LaurenceFuller) April 14, 2018
Remembering Milos Forman (LOVES OF A BLONDE, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST, AMADEUS), 1932–2018 https://t.co/fBH1sLJgnJ pic.twitter.com/yaM7Ky9iHm
— The Daily (@CriterionDaily) April 14, 2018
Milos Forman has left us. Genius of cinematography and master in the portrayal of the human condition. RIP pic.twitter.com/pLcXIeEH9h
— Antonio Banderas (@antoniobanderas) April 14, 2018
Director Miloš Forman has died. He was a genius. I can’t say what an impact his astonishing work had on me. Not just Cuckoo’s Nest and Amadeus (surely in anyone’s Top 20) but Man on Moon, Larry Flint, the pioneering Ragtime and biting, satirical Fireman’s Ball. #RIP
— Nick Murphy (@nickmurftweets) April 14, 2018
(Via New York Times / Rolling Stone / Variety / Deadline)
