Peter Yates

British director Peter Yates was known in the first half of his career as an action director, but later transitioned into character-driven films such as "Breaking Away" and "The Dresser." Yates made his feature directing debut in 1963 with the Cliff Richard romp "Summer Holiday," but moved on to U.K. television action fare, helming several episodes of "The Saint" and "Secret Agent," as well as "Robbery," a 1967 feature version of the "Great Train Robbery." His first Hollywood gig was the Steve McQueen classic "Bullitt," which won two Oscar nominations and was a major box office and critical hit.

In the 1970s, Yates added comedy to his repertoire with Robert Redford caper flick "The Hot Rock" and Barbra Streisand screwball farce "For Pete's Sake," but the unlikely 1979 hit "Breaking Away," about a group of "townie" teen boys in an Indiana college town, one of whom is obsessed with bicycle racing, brought Yates new respect and his first Best Director Oscar nomination. Even more acclaimed was 1983's "The Dresser," a character study starring Albert Finney as a doddering actor and Tom Courtenay as the assistant trying to coax his charge through a performance of "King Lear" during the London Blitz. The movie was nominated for five Oscars, five Golden Globes, and seven BAFTA Film Awards. 2004's television movie "A Separate Peace," based on the novel by John Knowles, marked Yates' last outing as a director. He succumbed to a long illness and passed away in 2011.