British film director Bryan Forbes, whose work includes the original 1970s horror classic “The Stepford Wives,” has died at age 86 after a long illness, a family spokesman said Wednesday.
Matthew D’Ancona said Forbes died surrounded by his family at his home in Surrey.
Forbes was born John Theobald Clarke in 1926 in London. He began his film career as an actor, playing a number of supporting roles in British films in the 1940s and 1950s, but he soon found more success in screenwriting, and later directing.
Forbes went on to make films such as “King Rat,” a tale of survival in a prisoner-of-war camp, and “The Stepford Wives,” a thriller about sinisterly perfect suburban housewives.
Forbes was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2004 for services to the arts.
