British filmmaker John Irvin, best known for directing the Vietnam War drama Hamburger Hill, the Arnold Schwarzenegger action thriller Raw Deal, and the acclaimed BBC adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, has died at 86.
According to his producers, Irvin died peacefully on August 11 at the home of his sister-in-law in the UK.
Born in Newcastle upon Tyne and a graduate of the London Film School, Irvin began his career directing documentaries and short subjects in the 1960s, earning a BAFTA nomination for his short Mafia No! in 1967.
He spent much of the 1970s working in British television, directing episodes of the drama series Hard Times before his breakthrough with the seven-part 1979 adaptation of John le Carré’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which brought him further BAFTA recognition and established his reputation for handling complex, layered narratives.
Irvin transitioned into Hollywood filmmaking in the 1980s, making his feature debut with The Dogs of War (1980), starring Christopher Walken, before directing the supernatural ensemble film Ghost Story (1981) and the jockey biopic Champions (1984), starring John Hurt.
He adapted Harold Pinter’s screenplay for Turtle Diary (1985) with Ben Kingsley, Glenda Jackson and Michael Gambon, then helmed Raw Deal (1986) with Schwarzenegger and Hamburger Hill (1987), an early film role for Don Cheadle and the film debut of Dylan McDermott.
He continued working steadily into the 1990s and 2000s with credits including Robin Hood (1991), When Trumpets Fade (1998) and Shiner (2000), with his final directing credit coming on the 2016 biopic Mandela’s Gun.
