Acclaimed Canadian filmmaker and TV producer Jean-Marc Vallee unexpectedly passed away at the age of 58. His work includes ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ and the hit series ‘Big Little Lies’.
Vallee died at his cabin outside Quebec City, Canada, his publicist, Bumble Ward, confirmed to the media on Sunday. The cause of death was not immediately revealed.
“Jean-Marc stood for creativity, authenticity and trying things differently. He was a true artist and a generous, loving guy,” Vallee’s producing partner, Nathan Ross, said in a statement. “The maestro will sorely be missed but it comforts knowing his beautiful style and impactful work he shared with the world will live on.”
Born in Montreal, Vallee began his career by shooting music videos, later moving to acclaimed work in feature films and TV. He directed ‘Dallas Buyers Club’, a 2013 drama about the AIDS crisis, which earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. The stars of the film, Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, won Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor respectively.
Vallee directed the first seven episodes of the murder mystery series ‘Big Little Lies’, which premiered on HBO in 2017, and was the show’s executive producer. The show’s ensemble cast included Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Reese Witherspoon, Zoe Kravitz, Shailene Woodley, and Alexander Skarsgard.
The show’s first season received 16 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won eight.