WASHINGTON: Sidney Lumet, the American film director known for inspiring top-notch performances from actors in a stream of classic films including “12 Angry Men,” “Dog Day Afternoon”, “Network” and “Fail-Safe,” died on Saturday at age 86.

Lumet was one of the leading film directors of the second half of the 20th century. He was prolific, directing more than 40 movies, and versatile, dabbling in many different film genres. Lumet often shot his movies in his native New York.

In 2005, he received an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement. He previously had been nominated for Oscars five times without winning: as best director for “12 Angry Men” (1957), “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975), “Network” (1976) and “The Verdict” (1982); and for best screenplay as co-writer of “Prince Of The City” (1981).

His films, nominated for more than 50 Oscars, typically were unsentimental and extremely well crafted, exploring intelligent and complicated themes. —Reuters