Critically-acclaimed documentary-maker MARSHALL FLAUM has died at the age of 85.
The Oscar-nominated producer, director and writer passed away on Friday (01Oct10) at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after suffering complications from hip surgery.
Flaum began his career as an actor, appearing on Broadway opposite stars including Basil Rathbone in Julius Caesar and Olivia de Havilland in Romeo and Juliet.
He later moved to TV and kickstarted his involvement with documentaries, which won him five Emmy Awards throughout his long-running career. He also scored two Academy Award nominations for 1963's The Yanks Are Coming and Let My People Go: the Story of Israel in 1965. Flaum also notably worked with famed explorer Jacques Cousteau.
His daughter Erica says, "His flair for drama and entertainment made those documentaries stand out. His view of history was very cultural and not very dry... It was very important to him to have some kind of historical story. You always had the feeling of the times."
Flaum is survived by his wife, Gita. and son, Seth, as well as Erica.