British filmmaker John Guillermin, known for directing the 1976 hit ‘King Kong’ and the disaster classic ‘The Towering Inferno’, has died. He was 89. He is survived by his wife and a daughter. As a director, Guillermin was best known for action and adventure tales such as ‘Shaft in Africa’, ‘Death on the Nile’, ‘El Condor’, ‘Skyjacked’, ‘Sheena’, and the sequel to his 1976 hit, ‘King Kong Lives’.
Over the course of his career, he worked with actors including Orson Welles, Paul Newman, Jessica Lange, Fred Astaire, Peter O’Toole, and Faye Dunaway.
Points to Note
- Born in London, Guillermin studied at the University of Cambridge and served in the Royal Air Force before beginning his directing career in France, as a documentary filmmaker.
- ‘The Towering Inferno’, which released in 1973, won Oscars for Best Original Song, Best Film Editing and Best Cinematography, in addition to Golden Globes for Fred Astaire and Susan Flannery.
- Guillermin dabbled in writing and production with ‘Melody in the Dark’, ‘High Jinks in Society’ and ‘Paper Gallows’.
- His other writing credits include ‘Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure’ and ‘Tarzan Goes to India’.
