Antonia Bird dies at 54

Tributes paid to Ravenous director.

by Jennie Kermode

The film and theatre director Antonia Bird has died at the age of 54 from anaplastic thyroid cancer. Also known for her television work, she was much admired for her intense, realistic films, including Priest, Mad Love and Face, for which she won a BAFTA. She also worked extensively in television, making her mark in series like Casualty.

Best known internationally for Ravenous, Bird worked extensively with Robert Carlyle, with whom she, Mark Cousins and Irvine Welsh set up the production company 4-Way Film. The actor has described her as one of his closest friends and paid tribute to her on Twitter, saying: "Such a sad day today. RIP Antonia Bird. Farewell my beautiful friend."

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