'Bullitt' director Peter Yates dies

Bullitt director Peter Yates has died at the age of 82.

The British filmmaker, who received four Oscar nominations throughout his 42-year career, passed away in London yesterday following a long illness.

Yates started his career helming episodes of Roger Moore's The Saint before directing Cliff Richard in Summer Holiday.

His Hollywood breakthrough came with Steve McQueen thriller Bullitt, a film whose signature car chase through the streets of San Francisco is often credited as inspiring contemporary action movies.

Yates also directed underwater adventure The Deep - based on the novel by Jaws writer Peter Benchley - and coming-of-age drama Breaking Away, which featured Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern and Jackie Earle Haley in early roles.

The latter won Yates two Oscar nominations for 'Best Picture' and 'Best Producer', while the 1983 movie The Dresser netted him two further nominations in the same categories.

Yates' other works include John And Mary, Murphy's Law, Eyewitness, Krull and Suspect.