Joel Schumacher<\/strong> \u2014 the famed director behind \u201cPhantom of the Opera\u201d and a series of \u2018Batman\u2019 films \u2014 has died.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Schumacher died Monday morning in New York City after a long cancer battle \u2026 according to a rep.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n The American director rose to stardom with \u201cSt. Elmo\u2019s Fire,\u201d \u201cThe Lost Boys\u201d and \u201cFlatliners.\u201d He also adapted two John Grisham<\/strong><\/a> adaptations \u2014 \u201cThe Client\u201d in 1994 and \u201cA Time to Kill\u201d in 1996. He also earned critical acclaim for \u201cFalling Down\u201d and \u201c8mm.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n A younger audience may know him best when Schumacher signed up in the early \u201990s to direct a series of \u2018Batman\u2019 films. He directed \u201cBatman Forever\u201d in 1995 and \u201cBatman & Robin\u201d in 1997.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n He\u2019d go on to direct \u201cThe Phantom of the Opera\u201d in 2004 \u2026 which earned 3 Oscar nominations for Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Best Original Song. The film also earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Musical or Comedy \u2013 Motion Picture.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n Schumacher initially thought he\u2019d go into fashion \u2026 studying at Parsons The New School for Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. He ultimately realized filmmaking is his passion and moved to L.A. where he worked as a costume designer for Woody Allen<\/strong><\/a> before earning an MFA from UCLA. He wrote several screenplays before making his directorial debut in 1981 with \u201cThe Incredible Shrinking Woman.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n The director was openly gay throughout his career in Hollywood. He was once described by a friend as a \u201csexual outlaw\u201d and when asked during a 2019 interview with New York Magazine<\/strong><\/a> to guestimate how many people he\u2019s slept, Schumacher replied, \u201cIt would be in the double-digit thousands, but that is not unusual.\u201d When the reporter replied, \u201cdouble-digit thousands, like 2,000 or 3,000?\u201d Schumacher replied, \u201cThat\u2019s not double digits, that\u2019s single digits\u201d before Schumacher confirmed 10,000 to 20,000.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n