Movie Legend Billy Williams Has Died

Oscar-winning cinematographer Billy Williams has died. He was 96.

A cause of death has not been revealed. His passing was revealed in the latest issue of the magazine British Cinematographer.

The British filmmaker, known for filming acclaimed movies like Sunday Bloody Sunday, The Exorcist, and On Golden Pond, was well-known for his innovative style, especially for his work with director Ken Russell, also an Academy Award winner.

“I was soon to learn working with Ken Russell that he was likely to ask for the sort of thing that hadn’t been done before, and there was no such thing that it couldn’t be done,” he said in a 2003 interview with Web of Stories. “You had to find a way of doing it. It was a great challenge.”

His best-known work was for Gandhi, Richard Attenborough’s 1982 biopic about the life of Mahatma Gandhi, whose activism made him the face of India’s independence movement in the early to mid-1900s. Ben Kingsley played the world leader.

The film went on to gross $127.8 million and nearly sweep the Oscars, with eight wins on eleven nominations—including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and a Best Cinematography win for Williams.

Williams also served as the president of the British Society of Cinematographers and taught at the National Film Theatre during his life. He was also named an Officer of the British Empire for his contributions to the film world.