Curtis Hanson, Oscar-winning director of LA Confidential, 8 Mile dies at 71

Curtis Hanson, who won an Oscar for the screenplay for LA Confidential and directed Eminem in the movie 8 Mile, has died at age 71.

Curtis Hanson, who won an Oscar for the screenplay for LA Confidential and directed Eminem in the movie 8 Mile, has died at age 71.

Curtis Hanson directed Eminem in 8 Mile, the semi-autobiographical film.

Los Angeles police spokesman Tony Im says paramedics declared Hanson dead Tuesday at his Hollywood Hills home. Im says Hanson died of natural causes, but did not have further details.

A still from LA Confidential, Hanson’s most acclaimed film.

A native of Reno, Nevada who grew up in Los Angeles, Hanson dropped out of high school to work as a photographer.

He began screenwriting and directing in the early 1970s, but didn’t see serious success until directing the 1992 psychological thriller The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. The film starring Rebecca De Mornay as a revenge-seeking nanny became a major hit.

The Wonder Boys was nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay.

Hanson went on to direct 1994’s The River Wild with Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon, and 2000’s Wonder Boys with Tobey Maguire and Michael Douglas.

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