Julia Roberts delivered a touching tribute to Roger Mitchell, who directed her in Notting Hill, following his recent death.
The South Africa-born British director of the popular 1999 romantic comedy-drama film died on Wednesday, Sept. 22, at age 65, his family said in a statement.
And in her own statement to E! News, the Oscar winner described Mitchell as “such a kind and gentle man. He always had a sweet grin on his face and a perfect piece of direction to share. I feel so fortunate to have had such a fantastic opportunity to work with him. Roberts also offered her condolences to his kids Harry, Rosie, Maggie and Sparrow, “the true lights of his life.”
In addition to Notting Hill, which also starred Hugh Grant, Michell, whose cause of death has not been shared, was known for directing several other A-list heavy films.
The list included the 2006 romantic comedy-drama Venus, which earned an Oscar nomination for actor Peter O’Toole, the 2002 thriller Changing Lanes with Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson, the 2010 romantic comedy-drama Morning Glory with Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton, the 2012 biographical comedy drama Hyde Park on Hudson with Bill Murray as former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the 2019 drama film Blackbird—starring Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet and Rainn Wilson.