Flamboyant director Michael Winner dies

Michael Winner, the highly successful British film director, was a flamboyant, larger-than-life character who could never be accused of being a shrinking violet.

He was a multimillionaire, totally unashamed of his wealth, and a man who revelled in expensive holidays — only too happy to be photographed romping on tropical beaches with bikini-clad ladies less than half his age.

Winner, who died yesterday at the age of 77 after an illness, was a cigar-chomping bon viveur, who occasionally delighted in pricking the pompous with a few acerbic comments. He developed into an argumentative and often infuriating newspaper columnist, as well as an uncompromising restaurant critic for the Sunday Times.

His films were usually violent and invariably controversial and sometimes said to be in bad taste, particularly his most famous offerings, the Death Wish series.

The films were usually attacked by the critics but attracted filmgoers in their thousands.

Winner’s great skill was as a publicity manipulator — he was always able to make headlines.

Just before he went into hospital for triple heart bypass surgery in 1993, he was making headlines because of his involvement with the opposite sex. Former girlfriends Catherine Neilson and Jenny Seagrove were more than two decades his junior. Winner was accused of engineering the split with Seagrove to achieve maximum publicity for his latest film.

He was best known for his Death Wish films. When he offered Charles Bronson the lead role about a hero who kills citizens, Bronson said: “Oh, I’d like to do that.”

“Play the role?” asked Winner.

“No, shoot muggers,” said Bronson.

In all, he made more than 30 films, becoming one of the most successful British directors of his generation.

Winner finally gave up his bachelorhood when he became engaged to Geraldine Lynton-Edwards in 2007.

They had known each other since 1957. They married in Sept 2011.

Paying tribute to her husband Mrs Winner said in a statement last night: “Michael was a wonderful man, brilliant, funny and generous. A light has gone out in my life.”