He made his broad breakthrough with "Midnight Express" in 1978 and over the years has also made major films such as "Mississippi Burns", "The Commitments" and "Evita".
During his long career, Parker was also nominated for a number of major awards - including two Oscars in the Best Direction category (for "Midnight Express" and "Mississippi Burns"). He was also nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival on five occasions.
His last feature film, "The Life of David Gale", came out in 2003.
Alan Parker turned 76 years old.