Towering Inferno director John Guillermin dies aged 89

British-born film director John Guillermin has died at the age of 89.

The filmmaker, who is best known for The Towering Inferno and King Kong, passed away at his home in LA, friend Nick Redman has confirmed.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Redman said: “He was a tough man but a very charming man.

“He was every inch the Hollywood director, the Hollywood figure, but he had very much a European sensibility. “

He added: “He was a very urbane person, and he made some great movies.

In a statement his wife Mary called him “sensitive and passionate, full of a fierce rapture himself.”

Guillermin was born in London to French parents in 1925 and started his filmmaking career making French documentaries.

He moved to Hollywood in 1950 and later became known for directing big-budget action films including The Blue Max .

Guillermin’s last film was King Kong Lives in 1986.