Legendary film director Peter Yates has passed away at the age of 81. Yates was nominated for four Academy Awards. He is, of course, most remembered for his work directing Steve McQueen in the 1968 film, “Bullitt.”
British filmmaker Peter Yates, who sent Steve McQueen screeching through the streets of San Francisco in a Ford Mustang in “Bullitt,” has died at the age of 81. A statement from Yates’ agent, Judy Daish, said he died Sunday in London after an illness. Yates was nominated for four Academy Awards — two as director and two as producer — for cycling tale “Breaking Away” and backstage drama “The Dresser.”
Bullitt is kind of overrated as a whole, in my opinion, but what it’s famous for is the 9 minutes and 42 second car chase in which the bad guys’ Charger actually loses six hubcaps. That chase did for car chase films what Die Hard did for action movies, and has been influencing films ever since.
