A judge Thursday named the widow of Oscar-winning film director Michael Cimino as the administrator of his estate.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lesley Green also admitted the filmmaker’s will to probate. The will was created in December 2008 and names Cimino’s widow, Joan Carelli, and her daughter, Calantha Carelli Mansfield, as the two beneficiaries of his multimillion-dollar estate.
A large part of Cimino’s assets consists of two apartments in New York City and an 80 percent interest in a limited liability company, according to Carelli’s court papers.
The body of the 77-year-old director was found July 2 at his Los Angeles home after friends said they were unable to reach him by phone.
Cimino is remembered for two late-1970s films that met with drastically opposite receptions.
“The Deer Hunter” — a Vietnam film released in 1978 — was an unqualified triumph, winning best picture honors in addition to best director honors for Cimino.
Flush with the success of that film, Cimino set off to make the epic western morality tale “Heaven’s Gate.” Released in 1980 by United Artists, the film ended up more than three times over budget, flopped at the box office and is blamed by many for helping to bring down the studio.
—City News Service