Patricio Guzmán: key obituary facts
Is Patricio Guzmán dead? Yes. Patricio Guzmán died on September 15, 2026, at age 85.
Cause of death: Patricio Guzmán's cause of death was reported as cardiorespiratory arrest.
What was Patricio Guzmán known for?
He was a Chilean film director (born 1941).
More about Patricio Guzmán
Born: 11 August 1941.
Place of birth: Santiago.
Place of death: Paris.
Gender: male.
Occupation: film director, film producer, film editor, actor, screenwriter, director, soundman, executive producer.
Nationality: Chile, Spain.
Education: Instituto Nacional General José Miguel Carrera, University of Chile, Escuela Oficial de Cine.
Awards: Prix du meilleur court métrage du syndicat français de la critique de cinéma, Hot Docs Award for Best Political Documentary, Hot Docs Award for Best Canadian Feature Documentary, European Film Award for Best Documentary, Silver Bear for Best Screenplay, Hot Docs Outstanding Achievement Award, Lumière Award for Best Documentary, Platino Award for Best Documentary.
Occupations: director, screenwriter, cinematographer, actor.
Years active: 1964–2026.
Patricio Guzmán, the Chilean film director known for The Battle of Chile, Nostalgia for the Light and The Pearl Button, died on September 15, 2026, at age 85.
His death followed cardiorespiratory arrest. Born Patricio Guzmán Lozanes in Santiago on August 11, 1941, he built a career in documentary film that stretched from the 1960s to 2026 and included work as a screenwriter, producer, editor and actor.
Guzmán became closely associated with The Battle of Chile, his landmark film project from 1975 to 1979, and later with a second trilogy comprising Nostalgia for the Light, The Pearl Button and The Cordillera of Dreams. He also taught documentary film classes in Europe and Latin America and founded and directed the International Documentary Festival of Santiago, known as FIDOCS. He died in Paris.