Oscar-winning film producer Jeremy Thomas, known for landmark films such as "The Last Emperor" and "Sexy Beast," died Friday at his home in Oxfordshire. He was 77.
Thomas, a British filmmaker, built an international reputation over a career spanning five decades. He was celebrated for his work with directors including Bernardo Bertolucci, David Cronenberg, Nagisa Oshima, and Nicolas Roeg, and for supporting independent films alongside mainstream successes.
His collaboration with Bertolucci on "The Last Emperor" (1987) resulted in nine Academy Award wins, including best picture. Thomas also received an Oscar for his producing work on the biographical drama about the final monarch of China's Qing dynasty.
Thomas worked repeatedly with Bertolucci, producing other films such as "The Sheltering Sky," "Little Buddha," "Stealing Beauty," and "The Dreamers." He also championed emerging British directors at the start of their careers, including Ben Wheatley, Jonathan Glazer, Stephen Frears, and David Mackenzie.
His extensive filmography includes Oshima's "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence," starring David Bowie; Cronenberg's "A Dangerous Method"; Roeg's "Bad Timing" and "Eureka"; and "Crash," an adaptation of a J.G. Ballard novel. Thomas also produced "Fast Food Nation" and "High-Rise."
Beginning his career in the cutting room, Thomas took on his first production role for the 1976 Australian film "Mad Dog Morgan." In recognition of his contributions to cinema, he received the European Film Academy's award for Outstanding European Achievement in World Cinema in 2006 and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2009.
Thomas's latest project, "Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo" with Japanese director Takashi Miike, was set to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on Monday.