American documentary maker Morgan Spurlock has died. Spurlock had his worldwide breakthrough in 2004 with his film Super Size Me, in which he ate three meals from fast food chain McDonald’s every day for a month. Trade magazine Variety reports that 53-year-old Spurlock died of cancer.
Show editors 24-05-24, 17:23 Last update: 24-05-24, 20:17
Spurlock’s death was confirmed to Variety by his family. His brother Craig Spurlock, who worked with him on several films, said the world has lost a “true creative genius and a special man.”
Spurlock was nominated for an Oscar for best documentary in 2004 for Super Size Me. In the film, he recorded the physical and psychological effects of eating at the chain three times a day. The title of the film refers to the rule that the director had imposed on himself: not to turn down the ‘super size’ option if it was offered to him, though he would not ask for it himself.
Controversial
In the years after Super Size Me, Spurlock made approximately seventy more documentaries with his production company Warrior Poets. They often addressed controversial and current topics. His other films include Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden, about the American war in Afghanistan, and 30 Days, about the minimum wage and migrant workers.
In 2017, he indicated in a social media post that he was “part of the problem” with the MeToo movement and had engaged in sexual misconduct in the past. Spurlock then left his production company, after which his career as a filmmaker also ended.