Bryan Forbes, director of original ‘Stepford Wives,’ dies at 86

Bryan Forbes, the British writer and director best known for the original 1975 version of The Stepford Wives, has died at age 86.

Family friend Matthew D'Ancona confirmed to the BBC that Forbes died at home in England with his family at his side. He was married to actress Nanette Newman, who appeared in Stepford Wives, and the couple had two children, Emma Forbes and Sarah Standing.

The New York Times notes that the family spokesman did not say when Forbes died.

The Stepford Wives was based on Rosemary’s Baby author Ira Levin’s 1972 novel and produced by Edgar J. Scherick, who picked Forbes to get a foreign look at American suburbia. It starred Katharine Ross and Paula Prentiss. The film was later remade in 2004 with Nicole Kidman, but earned poor reviews and Forbes’ original film remains the best known version.

Forbes was also a prolific screenwriter and actor. In 1961, he was nominated for an Oscar for co-writing The Angry Silence. He co-wrote Richard Attenborough’s Chaplin biopic with Robert Downey Jr.

His other credits include Séance on a Wet Afternoon, King Rat, The Whisperers and International Velvet. In 2004, he was named a Commander of the British Empire.