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Updated Oct 28, 2026 · 22:45
Hollywood News Updated Oct 28, 2026

Director Peter Medak, of The Changeling, dies at 88

Peter Medak, the Hungarian-born director behind The Changeling and The Krays, has died in Los Angeles at 88. His six-decade career moved between psychological horror, black comedy and crime dramas, and included television work on The Wire and Breaking Bad. He is survived by his four children and five grandchildren.

'The Changeling' director Peter Medak passes away at 88

Washington DC, October 28

Peter Medak, the Hungarian-born director and actor best known for films including 'The Changeling,' 'The Krays' and 'The Ruling Class' passed away on Tuesday in Los Angeles at the age of 88, reported Variety.

According to the outlet, in a career spanning six decades, Medak directed 27 feature films, moving between psychological horror, black comedy and crime dramas.

His 1980 supernatural thriller "The Changeling," starring George C. Scott, won eight Genie Awards, including best motion picture. He also directed the 1990 British gangster drama "The Krays," for which he received the Evening Standard Award for best director.

Medak made his feature directorial debut with 1968's 'Negatives,' starring Glenda Jackson. His 1972 satire 'The Ruling Class,' starring Peter O' Toole, competed for the Palme d'Or at Cannes and earned an Oscar nomination for Toole.

Other credits include 'A Day in the Death of Joe Egg,' 'Let Him Have It' and the Gary Oldman-led 'Romeo Is Bleeding.'

Medak also worked extensively in television, directing episodes of 'Homicide: Life on the Street,' 'The Wire,' 'Breaking Bad' and 'House.'

His 2018 documentary "The Ghost of Peter Sellers" revisited his troubled production of the 1970s comedy "Ghost in the Noonday Sun."

He is survived by his four children, Christopher, Joshua, Karen and Cornela, and five grandchildren.

— ANI

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