Oscar-winning actors Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto recently paid tribute to ace director Jean-Marc Vallee after the news of his untimely demise.
The 58-year-old director, widely known for projects like ‘Wild’, ‘Big Little Lies’ and ‘Sharp Objects’, died unexpectedly on Sunday at his cabin outside Quebec City, reported People magazine. McConaughey and Leto both starred in the 2013 hit film ‘Dallas Buyers Club’, which Vallee helmed. They both won Academy Awards (for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively) for the movie, which also starred Jennifer Garner, Steve Zahn and Denis O’Hare.
Paying tribute to the late star, McConaughey took to his Instagram account and wrote, “With a gentle hand and heart Jean-Marc was a true receiver– he didn’t romanticize life so much as he saw life romantic–from the struggle to the pain to the wink and the whisper, love stories were everywhere in his eye.”
Leto also took to his Instagram handle and shared a post dedicated to Vallee, “A filmmaking force and a true artist who changed my life with a beautiful movie called Dallas Buyers Club. Much love to everyone who knew him. Life is precious.”
‘Dallas Buyers Club’ also won an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling and was nominated for Best Editing, Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture.
A year later, Vallee’s 2014 film ‘Wild’ based on Cheryl Strayed’s memoir earned stars Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. They also worked with him on season one of HBO’s Emmy-winning series ‘Big Little Lies’.
Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Vallee studied filmmaking at the College Ahuntsic and the Universite du Quebec a Montreal. His breakout feature film was ‘C.R.A.Z.Y.’, which he wrote and directed.
Vallee is survived by his sons Alex and Emile, plus siblings Marie-Josee Vallee, Stephanie Tousignant and Gerald Vallee.
