(SOUNDBITE OF VANGELIS' "CHARIOTS OF FIRE")

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

The British film director Hugh Hudson has died. He was best known for his first feature film, "Chariots Of Fire," which won Best Picture at the 1982 Academy Awards. It was based on the true story of British athletes running track at the 1924 Olympics. Hudson went on to direct more than a dozen other films, but it only seems fitting to play him out on the unforgettable theme to "Chariots Of Fire." Hugh Hudson was 86 years old.

(SOUNDBITE OF VANGELIS' "CHARIOTS OF FIRE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.