https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/may/24/super-size-me-director-morgan-spurlock-dies-aged-53 [p] Skip to main contentSkip to navigation Close dialogue1/3Next imagePrevious imageToggle caption Skip to navigation Print subscriptions Sign in Search jobs Search US edition[ ] * US edition * UK edition * Australia edition * Europe edition * International edition The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian [ ] * News * Opinion * Sport * Culture * Lifestyle ShowMoreShow More * [ ]News + View all News + US news + US elections 2024 + Donald Trump trials + World news + Environment + Ukraine + Soccer + Business + Tech + Science + Newsletters + Wellness * [ ]Opinion + View all Opinion + The Guardian view + Columnists + Letters + Opinion videos + Cartoons * [ ]Sport + View all Sport + Soccer + NFL + Tennis + MLB + MLS + NBA + NHL + F1 + Golf * [ ]Culture + View all Culture + Film + Books + Music + Art & design + TV & radio + Stage + Classical + Games * [ ]Lifestyle + View all Lifestyle + Wellness + Fashion + Food + Recipes + Love & sex + Home & garden + Health & fitness + Family + Travel + Money * Search input [ ] google-search Search + Support us + Print subscriptions * [ ]US edition + UK edition + Australia edition + Europe edition + International edition * + Search jobs + Digital Archive + Guardian Licensing + About Us + The Guardian app + Video + Podcasts + Pictures + Inside the Guardian + Guardian Weekly + Crosswords + Wordiply + Corrections * + Search jobs + Digital Archive + Guardian Licensing + About Us * Film * Books * Music * Art & design * TV & radio * Stage * Classical * Games Morgan Spurlock pictured in 2013 [ ] 'A true creative genius' ... Morgan Spurlock, in 2013. Photograph: Victoria Will/Invision/AP View image in fullscreen 'A true creative genius' ... Morgan Spurlock, in 2013. Photograph: Victoria Will/Invision/AP Movies Super Size Me director Morgan Spurlock dies aged 53 Spurlock won acclaim for a series of issue-based documentaries and TV shows, and made a 3D film about boyband One Direction Super Size Me was a terrific cheeky stunt - small wonder Morgan Spurlock never matched it Andrew Pulver Fri 24 May 2024 10.03 EDTLast modified on Fri 24 May 2024 14.28 EDT Share Super Size Me was a terrific cheeky stunt - small wonder Morgan Spurlock never matched it Read more Documentary-maker Morgan Spurlock, the director of films including Super Size Me and Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden? died on Thursday aged 53. His family announced in a statement that he "passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends in New York from complications of cancer." His brother Craig Spurlock said: "It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan. Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity. The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked with him." Super Size Me in which Spurlock ate only McDonald's for a month was nominated for best documentary at the Academy Awards.View image in fullscreen Super Size Me, in which Spurlock ate only McDonald's for a month, was nominated for best documentary at the Academy Awards. Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian Super Size Me, released in 2004, was his first film as director, and marked a new direction in accessible, personalised gimmick-oriented documentary-making. In it, Spurlock said he planned to eat only McDonald's food for a month, and chart the effect on his physical and mental health. It was nominated for the best documentary Oscar and was credited with raising awareness of the US's obesity crisis. A sequel, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!, in 2017, saw Spurlock running his own fast food restaurant to examine the way the food industry had changed since the first film. Spurlock behind bars for his 30 Days series.View image in fullscreen Spurlock behind bars for his 30 Days series. Photograph: Channel 4 Morgan Spurlock: 'I asked cigarette and gun companies for money to make a film' Read more Born and raised in West Virginia, Spurlock earned a BFA at New York university and created the stunt webcast I Bet You Will in 2002, which subsequently became a TV show. After Super Size Me's success, Spurlock made Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?, in which he attempted to track down the then-fugitive leader of al-Qaida. He also contributed to the 2010adaptation of Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner's Freakonomics (with a segment asking if names influence people's lives) and POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold in 2011, investigating product placement. In 2013 Spurlock released One Direction: This Is Us, a film shot in 3D featuring the British boyband in concert and behind the scenes. Spurlock also directed the TV show The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special - In 3-D! On Ice!, shown in 2010. Arguably his most successful TV work was the FX series 30 Days, which ran between 2005 and 2008, in which participants took on an unlikely task or lifestyle, such as a devout Christian living with a Muslim family, or Spurlock himself living on minimum wage. In 2017 Spurlock published an open letter in which he admitted sexual misconduct and resigned from his production company Warrior Poets. Spurlock was formerly married to Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein, and had two sons Laken and Kallen. 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