By Mike Fuller
LONDON (AP) --Peter Brook, a British theater and film director known for an influential and distinguished career which saw him garner worldwide acclaim, has died. He was 97.
The two-time Tony Award winner, who had settled in France decades ago, directed the film adaptations of his best stage works as well as the 1963 movie "Lord of the Flies."
Brook's publisher Nick Hern Books said in a statement Sunday that he "leaves behind an incredible artistic legacy." French media reports said that Brook died in Paris on Saturday.
Born in London in 1925, Brook would go on to study at Oxford University and direct his first London show "Doctor Faustus" while he was still a teenager.
After serving as director of productions at the Royal Opera House, he gained further notoriety through his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, or RSC, including "Titus Andronicus" starring Laurence Olivier.
He was a Tony Award winner for Best Direction in 1966 for his interpretation of Peter Weiss' "Marat/Sade," and in 1970 for the production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Brook was also the recipient of an Olivier Award, an Emmy and an International Emmy during his seven-decade career.
After settling in Paris in the 1970s, the director founded the International Center for Theater Research, for which he would regenerate the rundown Bouffes du Nord theater in the French capital.
Worldwide recognition also saw him honored with art prizes including Japan's Praemium Imperiale, Italy's Prix Italia, and most recently Spain's Princess of Asturias in 2019.
British actor Adrian Lester, who worked with Brook across RSC productions of Hamlet, tweeted he had been a "giant in our field."
Brook was married to actress Natasha Parry from 1951 before she died following a stroke in 2015. They are survived by two children, Irina and Simon, both of whom are directors.
Jean Smart, Ariana Grande, Michael Keaton among hosts for “SNL” season 50
Fresh off her Emmys win, Jean Smart will kick off the landmark 50th season of "Saturday Night Live."
NBC on Thursday announced the lineup of hosts for the season, which premieres Sept. 28. Joining Smart on the first show will be Jelly Roll as the musical act. He was also at the Emmys, singing during the ceremony's in memoriam segment.
It will be Smart's first time hosting "SNL."
Comedian Nate Bargatze will host on Oct. 5, with Coldplay as the musical guest.
Ariana Grande will host Oct. 12, with musical guest Stevie Nicks.
"Beetlejuice" star Michael Keaton will host on Oct. 19, the last show before Halloween, and Billie Eilish will be that night's musical guest.
The host on Nov. 2 will be "SNL" alum John Mulaney, with breakout sensation Chappell Roan as the music guest.
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