Oscar-nominated producer and assistant director Adam Somner died on November 27 from anaplastic thyroid cancer at 57 as per a family spokesperson.
Somner was assistant director for 12 films of Steven Spielberg, six of Paul Thomas Anderson and six of Ridley Scott. He also worked with Scott's brother, Tony, Alejandro G. Inarritu and James Mangold.
Some of Somner's well known movies throughout his career include West Side Story, Lincoln, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Ready Player One, Bridge of Spies and Munich.
In a tribute, Spielberg called him a "cheerleader."
"The job title 'assistant director' is insufficient to describe what Adam Somner was to me and the contribution he made to my films."
and went on to add,
"He was a cheerleader and a ball carrier, and at times I couldn't tell if he was following my lead or I was following his."
Somner bagged an Oscar nomination for his work on 2021's Licorice Pizza and won a DGA Award for outstanding directorial achievement in a feature for 2015's The Revenant.
His most recent movies include Blitz and Anderson's upcoming untitled Warner Bros. film starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
Adam Somner's career explored
Adam Somner's career began in the UK where he worked as a production assistant before becoming an assistant director. At the start of his career, he worked on a range of projects, including the animated film Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Somner was well-known for managing large-scale productions, and his work on Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade helped launch his career. From there he went on to work with other prominent directors such as Ridley Scott and Martin Scorsese.
While speaking to Deadline of Somner's passing, Scorsese said,
"Adam Somner was credited as an Assistant Director and Producer on three of my pictures, but his presence meant more to me and to the films than any credits could really even indicate. Adam had a very special and very particular set of qualities."
He also went on to add,
"I would never have been able to make The Wolf of Wall Street or Killers of the Flower Moon without him and we were in the middle of planning another project. He passed away too early, and I will miss him terribly."
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Licorice Pizza writer-director Anderson, while paying tribute to Somner, said making films was 'food and drink to him.'
He leaves behind his wife, Carmen Ruiz de Huidobro, along with their two children, Olivia and Bosco.
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