Biography
Michael David Apted, CMG (10 February 1941 – January 8, 2021) was a British director, producer, writer and actor. One of the most prolific English film directors of his generation, he is known for directing: the Up series (1964–2019), the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough (1999), and the American film, Coal Miner's Daughter (1980); the latter being nominated for seven Academy Awards, including for the Best Picture. He also directed Nell (1994), which received three Golden Globe Award nomin...
Known For
Complete Filmography

Belushi
2020
as Self (archive footage)
Using previously unheard audiotapes recorded shortly after John Belushi’s death, director R.J. Cutler’s documentary feature examines the too-short lif...

63 Up
2019
as Himself - Interviewer/Narrator (voice)(uncredited)
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have oc...

63 Up
2019
Director
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have oc...

7 Up & Me
2019
as Self
In celebration of the release of 63 Up, the 2019 installment of Michael Apted's groundbreaking documentary series that began in 1964, a number of Brit...

CinemAbility: The Art of Inclusion
2018
as Self
An investigation into the way media portrayals impact the actual inclusion of people with disabilities in society.

Hillbilly
2018
as Self
A documentary that examines the cultural stereotype of the people of Appalachia and how that has affected America's relationship with its rural commun...

Unlocked
2017
Director
After failing to apprehend the terrorist behind a Paris attack that claimed dozens of lives, CIA agent Alice Racine is forced to live in London as a c...

Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl
2016
as Self - Director, Coal Miner's Daughter
Explore the country legend's hard-fought road to stardom. From her Appalachian roots to the Oscar-winning biopic of her life, Coal Miner's Daughter, L...

Bending the Light
2014
as Himself (voice)
From acclaimed director Michael Apted (The Up Series, Masters of Sex, The World is Not Enough) comes a revealing look at the art of filmmaking and pho...

Bending the Light
2014
Director
From acclaimed director Michael Apted (The Up Series, Masters of Sex, The World is Not Enough) comes a revealing look at the art of filmmaking and pho...

Chasing Mavericks
2012
Director
Surfer Jay Moriarity sets out to ride the Northern California break known as Mavericks.

56 Up
2012
as Interviewer/Narrator (voice)
When a cross-section of seven-year-olds were interviewed for 7 Up in 1964 it was immediately evident that their social backgrounds influenced their at...

56 Up
2012
Director, Producer
When a cross-section of seven-year-olds were interviewed for 7 Up in 1964 it was immediately evident that their social backgrounds influenced their at...

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
2010
Director
This time around Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their pesky cousin Eustace Scrubb find themselves swallowed into a painting and on to a fantasti...

The Power of the Game
2007
Director
Six intertwining stories showcase the social impact of football across the world.

The Grand Finale
2006
Director
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to ...
Married in America 2
2006
Director
From award-winning director Michael Apted, MARRIED IN AMERICA 2 is the second film in an ongoing documentary about the challenges of marriage in the 2...

49 Up
2006
as Interviewer/Narrator (voice)
49 Up is the seventh film in a series of landmark documentaries that began 42 years ago when UK-based Granada's World in Action team, inspired by the ...

49 Up
2006
Director, Producer
49 Up is the seventh film in a series of landmark documentaries that began 42 years ago when UK-based Granada's World in Action team, inspired by the ...

Amazing Grace
2006
Director
The true story of William Wilberforce and his courageous quest to end the British slave trade. Along the way, Wilberforce meets intense opposition, bu...
Best Ever Bond
2002
as Self
Roger Moore presents the ten best sequences ever to have appeared in the James Bond series, and cast members recall their favourite moments.

Lipstick
2002
Director
Emily hangs with her friends, plays soccer and looks forward to graduation. She also has a secret girlfriend. Will her friends still love her when she...

Married in America
2002
Director
Following the experiences of a handful of couples over the course of a decade, producer Michael Apted shows how this ancient institution expresses its...

Enough
2002
Director
Working-class waitress Slim thought she was entering a life of domestic bliss when she married Mitch, the man of her dreams. After the arrival of thei...

Enigma
2001
Director
The story of the WWII project to crack the code behind the Enigma machine, used by the Germans to encrypt messages sent to their submarines.

Me & Isaac Newton
2000
Director
Seven of today's top scientist/researchers are the subject of this humourous exploration of real people behind the white lab coats; more about what ma...
James Bond Down River
2000
as Self
Promotional documentary filmed at the London East End Docklands area and River Thames for the filming of the opening boat chase for The World Is Not E...

Now Pay Attention 007: A Tribute to Actor Desmond Llewelyn
2000
as Self

42 Up
1999
as Interviewer/Narrator (voice)
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have oc...

42 Up
1999
Director, Producer
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have oc...

The World Is Not Enough
1999
Director
Greed, revenge, world dominance and high-tech terrorism – it's all in a day's work for Bond, who's on a mission to protect a beautiful oil heiress fro...

Always Outnumbered
1998
Director
An ex-con moves to L.A. to find work and creates a disturbance by fighting for a position. More importantly he touches the lives of many of his neighb...
Inspirations
1997
Director
This latest documentary film by Michael Apted explores the creative process through candid discussion with seven artists from diverse media. David Bow...

Extreme Measures
1996
Director
Guy Luthan, a British doctor working at a hospital in New York, starts making unwelcome enquiries when the body of a man who died in his emergency roo...

Typically British: A Personal History of British Cinema
1995
Stephen Frears and a quartet of film industry notables - representing different cinematic periods - drink tea and discuss ups and downs of British cin...

Nell
1994
Director
In a remote woodland cabin, a small town doctor discovers Nell — a beautiful young hermit woman with many secrets.
Moving the Mountain
1994
Director
ON JUNE 4th 1989, CHINA WAS CHANGED FOREVER. Beijing, May, 1989. the world watched as a hundred students became a thousand, as thousands became a mil...

Blink
1993
Director
Emma is an attractive girl in her 20s who has been blind for 20 years. A new type of eye operation partially restores her sight, but she is having pro...

Bram Stoker's Dracula
1992
Executive Producer
In 19th century England, Count Dracula travels to London and meets Mina Harker, a young woman who appears as the reincarnation of his lost love.

Incident at Oglala
1992
Director
On June 26, 1975, during a period of high tensions on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, two FBI agents were killed in a shootout with a grou...

Thunderheart
1992
Director
A young mixed-blood FBI agent is assigned to work with a cynical veteran investigator on a murder on a poverty-stricken Sioux reservation.

35 Up
1991
as Interviewer/Narrator (voice)(uncredited)
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have oc...

35 Up
1991
Director, Producer
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have oc...

Class Action
1991
Director
A liberal activist lawyer alienated his daughter Maggie years ago when she discovered his many affairs. Now a conservative corporate lawyer, Maggie ag...

Criminal Justice
1990
Executive Producer
A knife-scarred victim must identify her assailant beyond a reasonable doubt. Meanwhile the accused is offered a deal if he pleads guilty. Is he as in...
The Long Way Home
1989
Director, Cinematography
A documentary about Boris Grebenshikov, frontman of the legendary Russian art-rock band Akvarium ("Аквариум"). It was filmed as part of promo campaign...

Gorillas in the Mist
1988
Director
The story of Dian Fossey, a scientist who came to Africa to study the vanishing mountain gorillas, and later fought to protect them.

Critical Condition
1987
Director
Eddie is a con artist. When he's framed and comes before a judge, he hopes to get off the hook by climbing insanity—but instead ends up in a hospital ...

Spies Like Us
1985
as Ace Tomato Agent
Two bumbling government employees think they are U.S. spies, only to discover that they are actually decoys for nuclear war.

Sting - Bring on the Night
1985
Writer, Director
Bring on the Night is a 1985 documentary film, that focuses on the jazz-inspired project and band led by the British musician Sting during the early s...

28 Up
1984
as Interviewer/Narrator (voice)
Just two years away from turning 30, participants in Michael Apted's documentary series are facing serious questions of identity and purpose, wonderin...

28 Up
1984
Director, Producer
Just two years away from turning 30, participants in Michael Apted's documentary series are facing serious questions of identity and purpose, wonderin...

Firstborn
1984
Director
Because he's the oldest, Jake has been the man of the house, since his parents divorce. When Mom starts seeing Sam, who always seems to be trying some...

The River Rat
1984
Executive Producer
On the lazy banks of the Mississippi, a young girl is reunited with her time-served but innocent father. But the reunion is tainted with the whereabou...

Gorky Park
1983
Director
Police Inspector Renko tries to solve the case of three bodies found in Moscow's Gorky Park but finds his attempts to solve the crime impeded by his s...

P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang
1982
Director
Summer, 1948. 14-year-old Alan has just three wishes: that there will be lasting peace, that England will win the Ashes, and that he will finally kiss...

Continental Divide
1981
Director
A hard-nosed Chicago journalist has an unlikely love affair with an eagle researcher.

Coal Miner's Daughter
1980
Director
Biography of Loretta Lynn, a country and western singer that came from poverty to fame.

Agatha
1979
Director
England, 1926. An American journalist looks for mystery writer Agatha Christie when she suddenly disappears without explanation, leaving no trace.

Stronger Than the Sun
1978
Director
Kate works in the nuclear industry. She is concerned about the way things are being run. So she smuggles out some Plutonium to prove how easy it is. S...

21 Up
1977
as Interviewer/Narrator (voice)
After another 7 year wait, director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born children from Seven Up! and 7 Plus Seven. The subjects are i...

21 Up
1977
Director, Producer
After another 7 year wait, director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born children from Seven Up! and 7 Plus Seven. The subjects are i...

The Squeeze
1977
Director
An alcoholic London ex-cop becomes involved in a kidnapping drama and tries to free the daughter of a friend from a brutal gangster mob.
The Paradise Run
1976
Director
Johnny has joined the army because he likes canoeing, but ends up in a war-torn city and is compromised into helping the enemy. However, desertion wil...

The Collection
1976
Director
Set in the rarefied world of West End boutique owners and fashion designers, The Collection takes as its departure point the moment when four elegant ...

Wednesday Love
1975
Director
Two women, looking for amusement on their afternoons off, visit a drinking club.

Haunted: Poor Girl
1974
Director
An Edwardian governess finds herself trapped inside a haunted house.

Stardust
1974
Director
Jim MacLaine is now enjoying the nomadic 'gigs and groupies' life on tour with his band. When he achieves all his wildest dreams of international star...

Jack Point
1973
Director
Rivalry at a local Gilbert and Sullivan Society over who will play Jack Point in the Silver Jubilee production. Rowland Matthews has always been the m...

Highway Robbery
1973
Director
Terry and his family fight against a planned eviction when the council decides on a road building programme and their house is in its path.

Kisses at Fifty
1973
Director
A father leaves his grown-up family to move in with his lover in the south, alienating himself from his four children.

The Triple Echo
1972
Director
After her husband is captured during WWII, homesteader Alice is forced to maintain their land herself. One day, a wandering soldier named Barton stops...

The Reporters
1972
Director
Two provincial newspaper reporters - one a young idealist starting out on his career, the other an embittered man who previously wrote for a failed na...
Said the Preacher
1972
Director
"I like preaching... Only two things in my life have ever excited me as much: playing football and making love." But his congregation feel he's gone ...

Another Sunday and Sweet F.A.
1972
Director
Mr. Armistead is the referee for an amateur league Sunday Football match. Disliked and abused by all the players he tries to play fair and ensure they...
The Mosedale Horseshoe
1971
Director
The story of four Lakeland walkers who attempt to climb a fell. The fells represent the highlight of their year. They all have dull and uninteresting ...

7 Plus Seven
1970
as Interviewer/Narrator (voice)
After a 7 year wait, director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born children from Seven Up! The subjects are interviewed as to the cha...

7 Plus Seven
1970
Director
After a 7 year wait, director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born children from Seven Up! The subjects are interviewed as to the cha...
The Day They Buried Cleaver
1970
Director
The Chief Constable of a grimy northern town runs it his particular way with all natural human failings, bending the rules for the benefit of the majo...
Don't Touch Him, He Might Resent It
1970
Director
A group of business enjoying a lavish night on expenses at the Atlantis Hotel fear it is the end of the road for their fradulent collaboration when th...

Your Name's Not God, It's Edgar
1968
Director
Edgar Lunt lives his life by scientific principles, that is, for every action there is a reaction. He believes that any pleasure he might have, will m...
Number Ten
1968
Director
The Prime Minister heads a cabinet divided on the question of either using force against an African state, or referring the matter to the United Natio...

There's a Hole in Your Dustbin, Delilah
1968
Director
A skiving bin gang are on high alert when their new inspector takes an interest.

It’s Dearer After Midnight
1968
Director
A two-hander, set in a fictional Northern city, featuring Keith Barron as a taxi driver and Sian Phillips as the customer he takes to a strip club in ...
Who Pays?
1968
Director
After a scout troupe is tragically mowed down by a truck, responsibility passes around the driver, the poorly sited roadworks and the scout master for...
Son of the City
1967
Director
Welfare worker Carol is attacked in a swimming pool by the attendant George Lease.

Seven Up!
1964
Researcher
A group of British children aged 7 from widely ranging backgrounds are interviewed about a range of subjects. The filmmakers plan to re-interview them...

Section 1591
N/A
Executive Producer
Victims trafficked for sex, advocates who assist the victims, and the hunter. A retired Delta Force operative, puts in place systems to assist those w...