Gary Winick, 49, Directed Indie Hit “Tadpole”

Gary Winick, a popular presence in the New York indie film scene, died on Sunday at age 49. Shaggy haired and always smiling and upbeat, Gary had been battling brain cancer. I met Gary in 2002 when he directed a terrific indie film, “Tadpole,” starring John Ritter, Sigourney Weaver, Bebe Neuwirth, and introduced Aaron Stanford and Kate Mara. “Tadpole” must be on DVD or on a service like Netflix, it’s worth seeing now. Ritter, who died tragically not long after, really loved being in it. Gary was part of InDiGent films, which was really independent and trying to do interesting things in film. But to make money he also made some studio films like “Letters to Juliet” with Amanda Seyfried, and “Charlotte’s Web.” More importantly, Gary was a producer on many very fine indie titles including the wonderful “Lonesome Jim” with Casey Affleck and Liv Tyler, and “Pieces of April” with Patricia Clarkson and Katie Holmes. He was a lovely guy and will really be missed.