Gary Winick, movie producer, director, dies at 49

[March 01, 2011]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Gary Winick, who produced or directed more than two dozen movies including "Bride Wars" and "13 Going on 30," has died. He was 49.

Winick died Sunday of cancer in New York, Missy Davis, spokeswoman for Creative Artists Agency, which represented Winick, said Monday.

Rosalie Swedlin, Winick's longtime manager, said in a statement he would be remembered for his "extraordinary talents as a mentor, a director, a producer, and a pioneer in the independent cinema world, but perhaps his greatest talents of all was his genius for friendship. He turned professional relationships into lifelong friendships and he gave endless support and enthusiasm to lifelong friends."

Winick also directed the 2006 live-action version of "Charlotte's Web" with Dakota Fanning and last year's "Letters to Juliet," a romance starring Amanda Seyfried.

Winick both produced and directed "Tadpole," which won the 2002 director's award at the Sundance Festival. It starred Aaron Stafford and Sigourney Weaver in a comedy about a teenager who is in love with his stepmother.

Winick also produced episodes of TV's "Ugly Betty" and "Lipstick Jungle."

[Associated Press]

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