Socially conscious director whose films generally deal with the British socio-economic order and the problems of the working class. A member of the British "Free Cinema" movement of the 1950s and 60s, Loach helped develop the docudrama genre. He is well-known for his political outspokenness, feisty integrity, and the compassion with which he treats his subject matter. An uncompromising maverick, Loach was a role model for the second generation of BBC-TV directors like Stephen Frears, Mike Leigh and Roland Joffe.