Four time Oscar-winning director Robert Wise died of heart failure at UCLA Medical Centre on Wednesday, leaving behind a body of work that spanned 65 years. Wise was best known for helming The Sound Of Music, which saw him scoop Best Picture and Best Director statuettes at the 1966 Academy Awards. He also directed West Side Story, which earned him two Oscars in 1962, and was nominated 20 years earlier for editing Citizen Kane.
British director Michael Apted, president of the Directors Guild of America, was one of the first to pay tribute: “Bob's devotion to the craft of filmmaking and his wealth of head-and-heart knowledge about what we do and how we do it was a special gift to his fellow directors.”
Despite his undoubted talent and unquestionable impact on the film world, some still question whether or not he brought a style of his own into movies. “Some critics claim that there's no Robert Wise stamp,” Wise said in 1998. “My answer to that is that I've tried to approach each genre in a cinematic style that I think is right for that genre.”
