Jamie Christopher, Marvel and Harry Potter director, dies at 52

Jamie Christopher, a vital first assistant director whose accomplishments included Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and all eight Harry Potter films, has died. He was 52.

Christopher died in Los Angeles on Tuesday as a result of heart issues.

Christopher grew up in a filmmaking household, with his father working as a production manager on Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon and his mother as a production coordinator, and he rose through the ranks to become a sought-after crewmember of studio franchises and directors, running and arranging shoots.

He worked for and formed excellent ties with Rian Johnson, James Gunn, David Yates, and Sam Raimi, among others, and became the industry's second-highest-earning AD.

“Jamie was a good friend, and he loved making movies,” Johnson, who worked with Christopher on Last Jedi and Knives Out, said in a statement. “He loved his crew, loved his job, the process of it, and the history of it. He was truly one of the greats, and this is a heartbreaking loss for everyone who was lucky enough to work with him.”

Gunn, who teamed with Christopher on Guardians of the Galaxy, added: “Jamie was one of the best in the film business, period, much less in his field. When I first met him, I didn’t know they made ADs like him, and he changed my view of them entirely. I loved him as a friend and a collaborator, and I’ll miss his laugh. I’m heartbroken to have lost him.”