Oscar-nominated director Arthur Hiller dies

Oscar-nominated director and former Academy president Arthur Hiller died on Wednesday in Los Angeles of natural causes. He was 92.

The Canadian-born filmmaker enjoyed a movie career spanning five decades which included 1964 comedy “The Americanization of Emily,” ratings smash “Love Story,” for which he was Oscar-nominated in 1970, and 1975’s “The Man in the Glass Booth.”

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of our beloved friend Arthur Hiller,” Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs said in a statement.

“I was a member of the board during his presidency and fortunate enough to witness firsthand his dedication to the Academy and his lifelong passion for visual storytelling.”

Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Hiller served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II, and embarked on a show business career first in Canadian television and then in Hollywood.

A jobbing director at first, he turned out episodes of “Matinee Theatre,” “Playhouse 90” and “The Third Man” in the 1950s.

He his breakthrough into big budget filmmaking came with Disney’s “Miracle of the White Stallions” (1963). Hiller headed the Directors Guild of America from 1989 to 1993 before serving as Academy president from 1993 to 1997.

He was honored in 2001 with the Academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his work with several charities, educationa institutions and civil rights groups.

He is survived by his daughter, Erica Hiller Carpenter, son Henryk and five grandchildren. Gwen Hiller, his wife of 68 years, died in June.