Morgan Spurlock, ‘Super Size Me’ Documentary Director, Dies at 53
Morgan Spurlock, the director of the Oscar-nominated documentary ‘Super Size Me’, died at the age of 53. On Friday, his family announced that he had died on May 23 due to complications from cancer.
Craig Spurlock, his brother, said in a statement, “It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan.” He continued, Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity. The world has lost a true creative genius, as well as a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.”
Morgan was born in West Virginia, on November 7, 1970. He attended Tisch School of the Arts, and graduated with a BFA in film in 1993.
He co-founded the production studio, Warrior Poets, in 2004, where he directed and produced the films throughout his career. He released the documentary, Super Size Me, in 2004. He experimented with eating only at McDonald’s for 30 days, during which he gained a lot of weight and suffered from depression and liver problems.
The documentary grabbed the attention of the public and became successful both financially and critically. It earned $22 million at the box office. His documentary led to a discussion regarding the consumption of fast food and its health issues, because of its unhealthy eating habits. It also received an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature.
After the success of Super Size Me, Spurlock continued to explore new relevant subjects in his works. He directed and produced about 70 documentaries on different important topics. In 2008, he released ‘Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?’, which explores US involvement in Afghanistan.
His other documentary works include The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope, and One Direction: This Is Us.
He also executive produced and hosted the reality series 30 Days, which premiered on FX between 2005 and 2008. The show depicts the people thrown into a particular lifestyle for 30 days and observes how it impacted them.
Despite his successful career, he faced some controversies in 2017. In the rise of the #MeToo movement, he acknowledges his past sexual misconduct. He confessed that he had settled a sexual harassment allegation against one of his assistants. He also revealed rape accusations from his college days.
This revelation had an adverse effect on his professional life, and subsequently, he stepped down from his production studio.