Film director Pakula dies

New York - Director Alan Pakula, who turned topics such as Watergate and the Holocaust into hit movies including All the President…

New York - Director Alan Pakula, who turned topics such as Watergate and the Holocaust into hit movies including All the President's Men and Sophie's Choice, was killed in a car accident in New York yesterday, police said.

Pakula (70) was driving on a suburban highway when a metal bar crashed through the windscreen and struck him on the head, Suffolk County, NY police said.

Pakula, whose last movie was The Devil's Own, was one of Hollywood's top directors for decades. Although Bronx-born Pakula was nominated, he never won an Academy Award. But under his direction, Jane Fonda won an Oscar for best actress for Klute, Jason Robards won an supporting actor Oscar for All the President's Men and Meryl Streep won the best actress award for Sophie's Choice.