---
name: "Michael Apted"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/michael-apted"
fi1m_id: "michael-apted"
imdb_id: "nm0000776"
tmdb_id: 10781
wikidata_id: "Q350717"
roles: ["Director","Producer"]
born: "10 February 1941"
died: "8 January 2021"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 8
average_fi1m_score: 70
average_as: "director"
average_over: 6
updated: "2026-10-07T10:38:24.250799+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Michael Apted

## Identity

Michael Apted

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/michael-apted
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** michael-apted
- **IMDb ID:** nm0000776
- **TMDB ID:** 10781
- **Wikidata ID:** Q350717
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Apted, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q350717, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000776/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/10781

Director and producer. Born 10 February 1941 in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, UK. Died 8 January 2021.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Producer
- **Born:** 10 February 1941, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
- **Died:** 8 January 2021
- **Active:** 1970–2013
- **Also known as:** Michael David Apted, 迈克尔·阿普特德
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 8: 1 acting, 6 directing, 1 producing
- **Frequently works with:** [Adam Davidson](https://film.one/person/adam-davidson.md), [Colin Bucksey](https://film.one/person/colin-bucksey.md), [Jack Rosenthal](https://film.one/person/jack-rosenthal.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 70, as director, over 6 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 67 (3), 1990s 68 (2), 2000s 82 (1), 2010s 65 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 68 to 63 across 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 2 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Adventure 2, Action 1, Action & Adventure 1, Comedy 1, Family 1
- **Screen time:** 7 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $845m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Apted, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q350717, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000776/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/10781

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*Rome*](https://film.one/tv/rome.md) (82)
- **Disney+:** [*The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader*](https://film.one/film/the-chronicles-of-narnia-the-voyage-of-the-dawn-treader.md) (56)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Michael Apted

> Michael Apted is most persuasive when he pays attention to how people live and where they stand in society. We value that patience, though his willingness to adapt can leave the larger studio films looking anonymous.

In *Rome* (2005), the city has not been tidied for the benefit of a historical drama. Apted directed the first three episodes, helping establish ordinary life as something against which the scenes of privilege can be measured. We warmed to the series because that attention made its brutal society feel inhabited. It is an effective use of the naturalism he brought from documentary into fiction. We rate him most highly when he takes this care with people's circumstances; a recognisable visual flourish would add little here.

That habit has its clearest basis in the *Up* documentaries, which he took over as director in 1970 and continued directing through 2019. Returning to the same British participants every seven years gives observation time to correct an easy judgement about how a life will go. With producer Claire Lewis among his collaborators, he sustained an attention to individuals that makes the study of class worth following. The early films have a serious limitation, though: the gender imbalance and questions reinforcing domestic stereotypes restrict what women get to tell us.

His move into features in the early 1970s led to the American breakthrough of *Coal Miner’s Daughter* (1980), with its grounded performances. *Gorillas in the Mist* (1988) likewise benefited from his documentary-influenced realism. The later move to *The World Is Not Enough* (1999) and *The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader* (2010) makes sense for a director willing to adapt to the job. In the latter, though, that willingness leaves too little that feels particular to him.

The opening of *Rome* shows why we would not dismiss such adaptability. April Ferry's costumes make social position readable, while Jeff Beal's music gives private disputes the seriousness they have for the people involved. Apted's attention to ordinary life belongs alongside those contributions: together they help us follow a crowded story without constant explanations of rank. The opening is uneven, and the cruelty demands a tolerance we would not assume everyone shares. Try *Rome* for his ability to make a complicated society legible, provided the brutality will not spoil the evening.

## Biography

Michael Apted was an English television and film director and producer. Born on 10 February 1941 in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, he was educated at the City of London School and Downing College, Cambridge. He began his career at Granada Television as a researcher before directing programmes including episodes of Coronation Street.

Apted directed the Up documentary series from 1970 to 2019. His feature films include Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), Gorillas in the Mist (1988), Nell (1994) and the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough (1999). He directed the first three episodes of the series Rome (2005), on which he was also credited as writer. He served as president of the Directors Guild of America from 2003 to 2009 and was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 2008.

Apted died on 7 January 2021 in Los Angeles, California.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, nytimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (8)

### Performed in (1)

- *Spies Like Us* (1985), Fi1m 47, as Ace Tomato Agent — [page](https://film.one/film/spies-like-us.md)

### Directed (6) — the average rests on these

- *Masters of Sex* (2013), Fi1m 74, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/masters-of-sex.md)
- *The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader* (2010), Fi1m 56, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-chronicles-of-narnia-the-voyage-of-the-dawn-treader.md)
- *Rome* (2005), Fi1m 82, Director, Writer, Producer — [page](https://film.one/tv/rome.md)
- *The World Is Not Enough* (1999), Fi1m 58, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-world-is-not-enough.md)
- *P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang* (1982), Fi1m 72, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/ptang-yang-kipperbang.md)
- *Coal Miner's Daughter* (1980), Fi1m 81, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/coal-miners-daughter.md)

### Produced (1)

- *Bram Stoker's Dracula* (1992), Fi1m 79, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/bram-stokers-dracula.md)

## Complete filmography (99)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *63 Up* (2019), series, Director
- *63 Up* (2019), Director
- *Unlocked* (2017), Director
- *Bloodline* (2015), series, Director
- *Bending the Light* (2014), Director
- *Masters of Sex* (2013), series, Director — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/tv/masters-of-sex.md)
- *Ray Donovan* (2013), series, Director
- *Chasing Mavericks* (2012), Director
- *56 Up* (2012), as Interviewer/Narrator (voice) · Director, Producer
- *The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader* (2010), Director — Fi1m 56, [page](https://film.one/film/the-chronicles-of-narnia-the-voyage-of-the-dawn-treader.md)
- *The Power of the Game* (2007), Director
- *The Grand Finale* (2006), Director
- *Married in America 2* (2006), Director
- *49 Up* (2006), as Interviewer/Narrator (voice) · Director, Producer
- *Amazing Grace* (2006), Director
- *What About Brian* (2006), series, Director
- *Rome* (2005), series, Writer, Director, Producer — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/rome.md)
- *Blind Justice* (2005), series, Director
- *Lipstick* (2002), Director
- *Married in America* (2002), Director
- *Enough* (2002), Director
- *Enigma* (2001), Director
- *Me & Isaac Newton* (2000), Director
- *The World Is Not Enough* (1999), Director — Fi1m 58, [page](https://film.one/film/the-world-is-not-enough.md)
- *42 Up* (1999), as Interviewer/Narrator (voice) · Director, Producer
- *Always Outnumbered* (1998), Director
- *Inspirations* (1997), Director
- *Extreme Measures* (1996), Director
- *New York News* (1995), series, Director
- *Typically British: A Personal History of British Cinema* (1995), Actor
- *Nell* (1994), Director
- *Moving the Mountain* (1994), Director
- *Blink* (1993), Director
- *Bram Stoker's Dracula* (1992), Executive Producer — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/bram-stokers-dracula.md)
- *Crossroads* (1992), series, Producer
- *Incident at Oglala* (1992), Director
- *Thunderheart* (1992), Director
- *35 Up* (1991), as Interviewer/Narrator (voice)(uncredited) · Director, Producer
- *Age 7 in America* (1991), Producer
- *My Life and Times* (1991), series, Director
- *Class Action* (1991), Director
- *Criminal Justice* (1990), Executive Producer
- *The Long Way Home* (1989), Director, Cinematography
- *Gorillas in the Mist* (1988), Director
- *Point of View* (1988), series, Director
- *Critical Condition* (1987), Director
- *Spies Like Us* (1985), as Ace Tomato Agent — Fi1m 47, [page](https://film.one/film/spies-like-us.md)
- *Sting - Bring on the Night* (1985), Director, Writer
- *28 Up* (1984), as Interviewer/Narrator (voice) · Director, Producer
- *Firstborn* (1984), Director
- *The River Rat* (1984), Executive Producer
- *Gorky Park* (1983), Director
- *P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang* (1982), Director — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/ptang-yang-kipperbang.md)
- *Continental Divide* (1981), Director
- *Coal Miner's Daughter* (1980), Director — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/coal-miners-daughter.md)
- *Agatha* (1979), Director
- *Stronger Than the Sun* (1978), Director
- *21 Up* (1977), as Interviewer/Narrator (voice) · Director, Producer
- *The Squeeze* (1977), Director
- *Childhood* (1977), series, Director
- *Laurence Olivier Presents* (1976), series, Director
- *Plays for Britain* (1976), series, Director
- *The Paradise Run* (1976), Director
- *The Collection* (1976), Director
- *Shades of Greene* (1975), series, Director
- *Wednesday Love* (1975), Director
- *Haunted: Poor Girl* (1974), Director
- *Stardust* (1974), Director
- *Jack Point* (1973), Director
- *Black and Blue* (1973), series, Director
- *Highway Robbery* (1973), Director
- *Kisses at Fifty* (1973), Director
- *The Triple Echo* (1972), Director
- *The Reporters* (1972), Director
- *Said the Preacher* (1972), Director
- *Another Sunday and Sweet F.A.* (1972), Director
- *Follyfoot* (1971), series, Director
- *The Mosedale Horseshoe* (1971), Director
- *7 Plus Seven* (1970), as Interviewer/Narrator (voice) · Director
- *The Day They Buried Cleaver* (1970), Director
- *Play for Today* (1970), series, Director
- *The Sinners* (1970), series, Director
- *Don't Touch Him, He Might Resent It* (1970), Director
- *Big Breadwinner Hog* (1969), series, Director
- *ITV Saturday Night Theatre* (1969), series, Director
- *Your Name's Not God, It's Edgar* (1968), Director
- *Number Ten* (1968), Director
- *There's a Hole in Your Dustbin, Delilah* (1968), Director
- *It’s Dearer After Midnight* (1968), Director
- *Who Pays?* (1968), Director
- *Son of the City* (1967), Director
- *City '68* (1967), series, Director
- *ITV Playhouse* (1967), series, Director
- *Escape* (1967), series, Director
- *Thirty-Minute Theatre* (1965), series, Director
- *Seven Up!* (1964), Researcher
- *The Up Series* (1964), series, Director, Producer
- *Married in America*, series, Creator
- *Section 1591*, Executive Producer

## Gallery

- ![Michael Apted](https://film.one/media/person/101953/gallery-7d36027e2cbe.jpg) Michael Apted — The Peabody Awards, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Michael_Apted_at_the_72nd_Annual_Peabody_Awards_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![PHOTO CREDIT: ANDERS KRUSBERG / PEABODY AWARDS Alexander Gardiner, Michael Apted, Ian Squires, and Horace Newcomb, 72nd Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf-A (2013)](https://film.one/media/person/101953/gallery-8866ab02fd79.jpg) PHOTO CREDIT: ANDERS KRUSBERG / PEABODY AWARDS Alexander Gardiner, Michael Apted, Ian Squires, and Horace Newcomb, 72nd Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf-A (2013) — Peabody Awards, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Alexander_Gardiner%2C_Michael_Apted%2C_Ian_Squires%2C_and_Horace_Newcomb%2C_May_2013_%281%29.jpg/1280px-Alexander_Gardiner%2C_Michael_Apted%2C_Ian_Squires%2C_and_Horace_Newcomb%2C_May_2013_%281%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![PHOTO CREDIT: ANDERS KRUSBERG / PEABODY AWARDS Alexander Gardiner, Michael Apted and Ian Squires, 72nd Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf-Astoria Hotel May  (2013)](https://film.one/media/person/101953/gallery-14956da1e81b.jpg) PHOTO CREDIT: ANDERS KRUSBERG / PEABODY AWARDS Alexander Gardiner, Michael Apted and Ian Squires, 72nd Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf-Astoria Hotel May  (2013) — Peabody Awards, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Alexander_Gardiner%2C_Michael_Apted_and_Ian_Squires%2C_May_2013_%281%29.jpg/1280px-Alexander_Gardiner%2C_Michael_Apted_and_Ian_Squires%2C_May_2013_%281%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![PHOTO CREDIT: ANDERS KRUSBERG / PEABODY AWARDS Alexander Gardiner, Michael Apted and Ian Squires, 72nd Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf-Astoria Hotel May  (2013)](https://film.one/media/person/101953/gallery-23006c3c7be3.jpg) PHOTO CREDIT: ANDERS KRUSBERG / PEABODY AWARDS Alexander Gardiner, Michael Apted and Ian Squires, 72nd Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf-Astoria Hotel May  (2013) — Peabody Awards, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Alexander_Gardiner%2C_Michael_Apted_and_Ian_Squires%2C_May_2013_%282%29.jpg/1280px-Alexander_Gardiner%2C_Michael_Apted_and_Ian_Squires%2C_May_2013_%282%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![PHOTO CREDIT: ANDERS KRUSBERG / PEABODY AWARDS Jeffrey P. Jones, Lorne Michaels, and Michael Apted, 72nd Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf-Astoria Hotel Ma (2013)](https://film.one/media/person/101953/gallery-12df81f0a817.jpg) PHOTO CREDIT: ANDERS KRUSBERG / PEABODY AWARDS Jeffrey P. Jones, Lorne Michaels, and Michael Apted, 72nd Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf-Astoria Hotel Ma (2013) — Peabody Awards, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/Jeffrey_P._Jones%2C_Lorne_Michaels%2C_and_Michael_Apted%2C_May_2013.jpg/1280px-Jeffrey_P._Jones%2C_Lorne_Michaels%2C_and_Michael_Apted%2C_May_2013.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![PHOTO CREDIT: ANDERS KRUSBERG / PEABODY AWARDS 72nd Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf-Astoria Hotel May 20, 2013](https://film.one/media/person/101953/gallery-495da2f35d4b.jpg) PHOTO CREDIT: ANDERS KRUSBERG / PEABODY AWARDS 72nd Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon Waldorf-Astoria Hotel May 20, 2013 — Peabody Awards, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Lorne_Michaels_and_Michael_Apted_%288895439223%29.jpg/1280px-Lorne_Michaels_and_Michael_Apted_%288895439223%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Other awards — 1 won

- Grammy Award for Best New New Jack Swing Artist 1987: Grammy Award for Best New New Jack Swing Artist (won), for *Bring on the Night*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/michael-apted