HOLLYWOOD - Hollywood stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey and Ralph Fiennes have paid moving tributes to Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella, who died on Tuesday.
The British filmmaker--who the won Best Director Oscar for his 1996 movie The English Patient--died from complications following surgery for cancer of the tonsils and neck, which he underwent last week at London's Charing Cross Hospital. He was 54 years old.
Paltrow, who starred in the director's Academy Award-nominated film The Talented Mr. Ripley alongside Jude Law and Matt Damon, stated she was "shocked" by the news, calling Minghella "a wonderful man."
American Beauty star Spacey, who was a close friend of the Cold Mountain moviemaker, says, "He was one of the greats and anybody who loves storytelling will realize that he had much more to do and it's an incredibly sad moment. I just found out, and he was a great man and a great friend."
Brit actor Fiennes, who was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his starring role in Minghella's The English Patient, fondly remembers his time working on the hit film with the late director.
He says, "Anthony possessed a sensitivity and alertness to the actor's process that very few directors have.
"He directed most of The English Patient with an ankle in plaster, never losing his gentle humor and precision.
"His films deal with extreme aloneness and the redemptive power of love, even at the moment of death. I will remember him as a man who always wanted to get to the heart of the matter."
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