Taken as a whole, the films of director James Foley expertly examined the dark, conflicting edges of human morality and the dubious characters that occupy our world. As a reliable and stylish visionary of distinctly American films such as “At Close Range” (1984) and the starkly comic adaptation of David Mamet’s fierce salesman drama “Glengarry Glen Ross” (1992), Foley impressed audiences with his mastery of character betrayals. But it was “Glengarry Glen Ross” that put the director on the map, affording him the reputation as a nuanced interpreter of verbally rich material.

Born on Dec. 28,