John Guillermin was a British filmmaker best known for his work directing 1974’s The Towering Inferno, about the world's tallest building catching on fire with no way out for those inside.

The film featured an all-star cast including Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, William Holden, Faye Dunaway and Fred Astaire and was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including best picture, winning the Oscars for best cinematography, editing and original song.

Guillermin also directed the 1976 version of King Kong, starring Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin and Jessica Lange, as well as the sequel King Kong Lives, both produced by Dino De Laurentiis. Additionally, Guillermin directed Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile; The Blue Max, P.J. and House of Cards, with George Peppard; The Day They Robbed the Bank of England and its seque;l Shaft in Africa; Never Let Go and Waltz of the Toreadors, both starring Peter Sellers; and the disaster film Skyjacked, starring Charlton Heston.

Guillermin, who received his film training in France and served as a pilot during World War II, also directed the war-themed films Hell, Heaven or Hoboken; Guns at Basai and The Bridge at Remagen.

While his work in film was more extensive, he also helmed several episodes of Your Favorite Story, a TV anthology series that aired from 1953 through 1955. He also worked on the UK series Aggie and Sailor of Fortune. In 1988 he directed the telefilm The Tracker, starring Kris Kristofferson as Noble Adams, a tracker who is pulled out of retirement to find a renegade group of cowboys.

Guillermin died September 27, 2015, in Topanga, California. He was 89.