‘Deer Hunter,’ ‘Heaven’s Gate’ director Michael Cimino dies at 77; the film community reacts

The first tweet came in French, from Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Fremaux – that director Michael Cimino had passed away. Fremaux wrote that Cimino “died peacefully, surrounded by his family and the two women who loved him. We loved him, too.”

Reactions to Cimino’s death spanned the highs and lows of the Oscar-winning director’s career, from 1978’s “The Deer Hunter,” which won five Academy Awards, to 1980’s financially disastrous “Heaven’s Gate.” Cimino was 77.  

Michael Cimino directs Robert De Niro in a scene from “The Deer Hunter” in 1978. ( 1978 Universal City Studios, Inc.)

(Test)

“Our work together is something I will always remember. He will be missed,” Robert De Niro, said in an email to the L.A. Times. The actor was nominated for an Oscar for his leading role in “The Deer Hunter.”

Others took to Twitter to express their appreciation for the late director.

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