British director Michael Apted Photo: IC

British director Michael Apted, best known for the generation-spanning TV documentary series Up and a 1990s James Bond film, died on Friday at the age of 79, an industry group said.

He directed many well-loved films including 1980's Coal Miner's Daughter, 1988's Gorillas in the Mist and the 1998 Bond film The World is Not Enough.

However, he was best known for Up, a pioneering documentary series which followed the lives of 14 Britons from different backgrounds, starting from when they were 7 in 1964. 

The series checked in on the 14 every seven years until they turned 63 in 2019, the work spanning an astonishing 56 years.

"Our hearts are heavy today as we mourn the passing of esteemed director, longtime DGA leader and my friend Michael Apted," said Thomas Schlamme, president of the Directors Guild of America, a post that was once held by Apted.

"His legacy will be forever woven into the fabric of cinema," Schlamme said in a statement, praising the "steady hand, acerbic wit" of the "fearless visionary."

Kevin Lygo, head of Britain's ITV which aired Up, said the channel was deeply saddened by the renowned director's passing.

"The Up series demonstrated the possibilities of television at its finest in its ambition and its capacity to hold up a mirror to society and engage with and entertain people while enriching our perspective on the human condition," he said in a statement.