Morgan Spurlock, Documentarian Behind Oscar-Nominated ‘Super Size Me,’ Dies at 53

Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, best known for starring in the fast-food documentary “Super Size Me,” died on Thursday at the age of 53.

In a statement, his family said that Spurlock “passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends in New York from complications of cancer.”

Spurlock made a splash with his 2004 film, “Super Size Me” — his first as a director. While visiting his parents for Thanksgiving in 2002, the West Virginia-born director chanced upon a TV news feature that reported on two women who had sued McDonald’s over misinformation about the nutritional value of the Chicago-based chain’s food, leading to pronounced weight gain. And the idea for “Super Size Me” was hatched.

“A spokesman from McDonald’s came on and said, ‘You can’t link their obesity to our food — our food is healthy, it’s nutritious,’” Spurlock told the New York Times in a 2004 interview. “I thought, ‘If it’s so good for me, I should be able to eat it every day, right?’”   

In the documentary, he ate only McDonald’s food for 30 days and chronicled the impact the diet had on his physical and mental well-being. Beyond that, throughout shooting the film, Spurlock didn’t let himself turn down “supersize” options — the largest McDonald’s portions — if a server offered them. Interspersed with clips of his fast food consumption were interviews with various healthcare professionals and his physician. 

By the end of his month-long experiment with McDonald’s, Spurlock, who also exercised less over the course of filmmaking in order to mimic an average American’s activity level, said that he gained 25 pounds and claimed he ended up suffering from both depression and liver dysfunction. Much later, in 2017, he admitted to a drinking problem in a statement — “not being sober for more than a week in 30 years” — that many believed may have potentially contributed to (or caused) the liver issues.

Shortly after the “Super Size Me” release, McDonalds opted to discontinue its “super-size” option. And a backlash against the fast-food industry had started.

At the time of its release, the documentary was credited with raising awareness about the American diet and the obesity epidemic. “Super Size Me,” which had a budget of just $65,000, grossed an astonishing $22 million at the box office and scored an Oscar nomination for the Best Documentary in 2004. It also led to a sequel, “Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!” in 2019, released by Samuel Goldyn Films after it was dropped by YouTube. Much less successful, the movie followed Spurlock as he ran his own fast-food restaurant and looked at ingredient sourcing, plus how the fast-food industry has changed as a whole in the years since his first film.

Since “Super Size Me,” Spurlock produced and directed more than 70 documentaries and television series through his production company, Warrior Poets. Much like “Super Size Me,” his works attempted to address controversial subjects including the minimum wage and immigrant labor in the television series “30 Days” and the war in Afghanistan “Where In the World Is Osama Bin Laden.” He also directed the 3D concert film “One Direction: This Is Us” which was released in 2013.

“It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” Spurlock’s brother Craig said in a statement. “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity. Today the world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.”

According to a statement provided by the family, Spurlock is survived by his two children, Laken and Kallen; his parents; brothers Craig and Barry; multiple nieces and nephews; and his former spouses: Priscilla Sommer, Alexandra Jamieson, and Sara Bernstein.