Nicolas Roeg dead: Don’t Look Now director dies aged 90

Acclaimed filmmaker's credits include ‘Walkabout’ and ‘The Witches’

(Getty)

British film director Nicolas Roeg has died at the age of 90.

His son, Nicolas Roeg Jr, confirmed that the filmmaker died on Friday night (23 November).

Roeg’s career spanned six decades with his most famous credits including Walkabout (1971), Don’t Look Now (1973) and Roald Dahl adaptation The Witches (1990).

His other films included the 1970 film Performance, starring Mick Jagger, and The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), which stars David Bowie.

“He was a genuine dad,” Mr Roeg Jr said, adding: “He just had his 90th birthday in August.”

Roeg is regarded as one of Britain’s most important filmmakers. He started out as a cinematographer before directing, swiftly becoming known for his idiosyncratic visual flair and disjointed narratives.

He is regularly cited as an inspiration by other directors with Ridley Scott, Danny Boyle and Christopher Nolan naming him as such.

As cinematographer, he worked with David Lean on classic films Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965), although a creative clash with Lean on the latter saw him fired from the role.

Over his career, he directed several notable actors to acclaimed including Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie in Don’t Look Now, which is considered one of the greatest horror films ever made.