Tributes to director Schlesinger

John Schlesinger had been on a life support machine

Oscar-winning director John Schlesinger has died at a hospital in Palm Springs, California, aged 77.

Some of Hollywood's biggest names paid tribute to the British-born film-maker, who directed films including Midnight Cowboy and Billy Liar.

Dustin Hoffman said Schlesinger was one of a kind while Richard Gere described him as "an original".

Schlesinger suffered a stroke in December 2000 and his condition had worsened in recent weeks.

He was taken off his life support machine on Thursday at the Desert Regional Medical Center. He died on Friday morning.

In 1988, he underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery.

JOHN SCHLESINGER FILMOGRAPHY Billy Liar - 1963 Darling - 1965 Midnight Cowboy - 1969 Sunday Bloody Sunday - 1971 Marathon Man - 1976 Yanks - 1979 Pacific Heights - 1990 Cold Comfort Farm - 1995 The Next Best Thing - 2000 Listen to John Schlesinger talk about his career

The film-maker directed movies for more than four decades.

Schlesinger's last film was the 2000 comedy The Next Best Thing starring Madonna and Rupert Everett.

But his most celebrated work is Midnight Cowboy, with Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight.

It received seven Oscar nominations and won three, for best picture, best direction and best adapted screenplay.

Hoffman said: "Shakespeare said it best in Hamlet, 'We will never see the likes of him again.'"

Schlesinger's other well-known Oscar-nominated movies included Darling, starring Julie Christie, and Sunday Bloody Sunday.

He was one of the most charming, generous and hilarious people I ever knew. On top of that he was an authentically brilliant film-maker. Stephen Fry Click here for your tributes

Christie credited him with bringing out the best in her, saying: "He was clever enough to see in this awkward, terrified creature something that perhaps would never have been seen if it wasn't for him."

Richard Gere, who was directed Schlesinger in 1979's Yanks, also paid tribute.

"John's string of films in the 60s and 70s are as astonishingly good as any films made - anytime, anywhere.

"Audacious, challenging, irascible, moving, witty, wise and deeply personal."

Sean Penn, who starred in The Falcon and the Snowman, said: "John left us some magic and I'm proud to have known him and worked with him."

And Sally Field, who worked with the director in 1996, said he was a "groundbreaking director and a wonderful man".

'Caring person'

Director Michael Winner added to the tributes, saying everybody in the film industry loved him.

John left us some magic and I'm proud to have known him Sean Penn

"I never knew anybody who had a bad word to say about John Schlesinger and his movies reflected the kind of person he was - a very caring person," he told BBC News 24.

And the director of the British Film Institute, Amanda Nevill, said: "John Schlesinger was one of the greats of British filmmaking."

Schlesinger had lived in Palm Springs for a number of years but was born in London.

'Drama master'

He started out as a character actor for stage, film and TV.

He had small roles as a doctor in the TV movie The Twilight of the Gold and The Battle of the River Plate.

But as a director, Schlesinger became known as the master of ground-breaking gritty drama.

He also made documentaries such as Terminus, about a day in the life of a train station.

In 2002 he was honoured with a special Bafta tribute show in Los Angeles.