'The Last Emperor' director Bernardo Bertolucci dead at 77

Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci, best known for helming The Last Emperor and Last Tango in Paris, has died at the age of 77.

Bertolucci died Monday at his home in Rome following a battle with cancer, his publicist Flavia Schiavi confirmed to Variety and Deadline.

Bertolucci made his directorial debut with 1962's The Grim Reaper. He also helmed Before the Revolution, The Spider's Stratagem, 1900, The Sheltering Sky, Stealing Beauty, The Dreamers and The Conformist which earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Adapted Screenplay.

Bertolucci's last film, titled Io E Te (Me And You) based on a novel by Niccolo Ammaniti, was released in 2012.

The Last Emperor, released in 1987, won nine Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director. The film, starring John Lone and Joan Chen, was an adaptation of the autobiography of China's last imperial ruler, Pu Yi.

Bertolucci is survived by his wife, filmmaker Clare Peploe whom he married in 1978.

Notable deaths of 2018