Mike Hodges, the British director known for films including Get Carter, Croupier, The Terminal Man and Flash Gordon, has died at the age of 90.
The talented director's close friend, Mike Kaplan – who was a producer on Hodges’ final feature film I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead – confirmed his death on Tuesday.
Hodges died at his home in Dorset on Saturday and the cause of his death has not yet been confirmed.
The movie mogul was best known for his acclaimed crime dramas, such as Get Carter, Pulp, Croupier, and the previously mentioned I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead.
He also directed 1980’s Flash Gordon film, which featured music done by Queen.
In addition to directing, Hodges wrote and produced various projects over the years.
After making his last feature film in 2003 in I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, Hodges made the video documentary, namely, Queen: Greatest Video Hits 2.
The group had contributed the memorable score to Hodges’ Flash Gordon decades earlier and the 2004 feature documentary Murder by Numbers, co-directed by Paul Carlin and addressing the popularity of serial killer movies over the last several decades.
Hodges also wrote plays including Soft Shoe Shuffle (1985) and Shooting Stars and Other Heavenly Pursuits'(2000), the latter of which was adapted for BBC radio.
There was also the radio play King Trash (2004) and his first novel, Watching the Wheels Come Off, which was published in 2010.
Hodges’ career was glittered with British gangster films with the release of Get Carter, Pulp, Croupier, and his final film I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead.
Of course, he was also known as the genius behind his campy cult classic Flash Gordon.
Born in Bristol in 1932, Hodges first worked as a chartered accountant, then spent two years serving on a Royal Navy minesweeper around fishing ports in the north of England before moving into the world of movies.
Hodges is survived by his wife Carol Laws, his sons Ben and Jake, and five grandchildren, Marlon, Honey, Orson, Michael and Gabriel.
