Anthony Minghella was a British film director, playwright and screenwriter. He was Chairman of the Board of Governors at the British Film Institute between 2003 and 2007. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for The English Patient (1996), the BAFTA Award for Best Film and Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama. Minghella died of a haemorrhage on March 18, 2008 following an operation the previous week to remove cancer of the tonsils and neck.