Bullitt director Peter Yates dies, aged 81

British film-maker Peter Yates, whose eclectic output included Bullitt and Breaking Away, has died at the age of 81. His agent, Judy Daish, said he died yesterday in London after an illness. Mr Yates was responsible for one of the most famous sequences...

British film-maker Peter Yates, whose eclectic output included Bullitt and Breaking Away, has died at the age of 81.

His agent, Judy Daish, said he died yesterday in London after an illness.

Mr Yates was responsible for one of the most famous sequences in cinema – actor Steve McQueen’s Ford Mustang car chase through the hilly streets of San Francisco – in the 1968 police thriller Bullitt.

He was nominated for four Academy Awards – two as director and two as producer – for cycling tale Breaking Away and backstage drama The Dresser.

He is survived by his wife, Virginia Pope, a son and a daughter.

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