Hollywood director George Roy Hill, best known for the films 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' and 'The Sting', has died. He was 81.
Hill received an Oscar nomination for 1969's 'Butch Cassidy...', which starred Paul Newman and Robert Redford, but was awarded an Oscar in 1973 for 'The Sting', a complex tale of plot to fleece a criminal banker.
Hill flew transport planes during World War II. After the war he attended Trinity College Dublin where he studied music and literature and began to act professionally.
After service during the Korean War he became a television writer in the 1950s, winning Emmys for writing and directing the Titanic story, 'A Night to Remember'.
He also directed the Pulitzer Prize winning 'Look Homeward' on Broadway and Tennessee Williams' 'A Period of Adjustment'.
Hill, who had been suffering from Parkinson's disease died at his home in New York. He is survived by two sons, two daughters and 12 grandchildren.
Actor Paul Newman described Hill as "the best friend that anyone could have - friend, mentor, enemy." He said, "He gave everyone a hell of a ride, himself included."
