Anthony Minghella, director of "Mr. Ripley" and "The English Patient", dies at age 54

It's just hit Variety that Anthony Minghella's agent has confirmed that the acclaimed director has died of unspecified causes. Minghella had just completed filming of The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, and was best known for his Oscar-winning work on The English Patient. Minghella's work repeatedly featured gay characters and themes, including a peripheral gay relationship in Patient and of course the troubled gay (or at least gay-seeming) psychopath at the center of The Talented Mr. Ripley. He is survived by children Hannah, a film executive, and Max, an actor.