'Birdman of Alcatraz' director dies

John Frankenheimer, director of such Hollywood classics as "The Manchurian Candidate" and "Birdman of Alcatraz," died last night…

John Frankenheimer, director of such Hollywood classics as "The Manchurian Candidate" and "Birdman of Alcatraz," died last night. He was 72.

Frankenheimer died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center of a stroke due to complications following spinal surgery, said his business manager.

Frankenheimer was nominated for 14 Emmy Awards in a career that spanned nearly five decades. His work ranged from social dramas to political thrillers, and included a highly regarded run of feature films in the 1960s, and a string of 152 live television dramas in the '50s.

"John Frankenheimer chose a camera as his form of expression. For those of us who love movies, thank God he did," former Paramount and MGM head Mr Frank Mancuso said in a statement. "His passionate commitment to filmmaking provided the world with many treasures."

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Frankenheimer made his name with "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962), a dark conspiracy thriller about a Korean War brainwashing victim. The same year he made the stirring social drama "Birdman of Alcatraz," starring Burt Lancaster as a prisoner who becomes an expert on birds.

AFP