Oscar winner Jason Robards dies aged 78 after cancer battle

Jason Robards, an actor of tremendous range and versatility admired by his peers as one of the greatest of his generation, has died of cancer at the age of 78.</p>A performer who could handle anything from high tragedy to low comedy, he was most admired for his performances in the works of Eugene O'Neill, helping to elevate such plays as The Iceman Cometh</i> and A Long Day's Journey Into Night</i> into modern classics.</p>Despite a healthy disdain for Hollywood, he appeared in some 50 films, winning Oscars in consecutive years for his roles in All The President's Men</i> and Julia</i>. In his last film, Magnolia</i>, which came out last year, he played a corrupt television mogul dying of cancer - a bravura performance of bitterness, rage, mortal fear and self-pity delivered from the bed where his character is left to die alone.</p>Mr Robards was himself fighting cancer at the time. He died in a hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on Tuesday afternoon. He was married four times, including an eight-year union with Lauren Bacall, and had six children.</p>