US director-writer Paul Mazursky dies aged 84

Los Angeles  - Oscar-nominated filmmaker and writer Paul Mazursky, whose credits include An Unmarried Woman and Down and Out in Beverly Hills, has died at age 84, his agent said on Tuesday.

Mazursky, who also appeared on the small screen in The Sopranos and Curb Your Enthusiasm, died on Monday, agent Jeffrey Berg told AFP. Media reports said he died of pulmonary cardiac arrest in Los Angeles.

"He was our American Fellini. I will miss him dearly," director and comic Mel Brooks said on Twitter, calling Mazursky "one of the most talented writer/directors to ever make movies."
Mazursky was first nominated for an Academy Award for the screenplay of 1969's Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice.

He won writing nominations for 1974's Harry and Tonto, 1978's An Unmarried Woman and 1989's Enemies: a Love Story.

He was also shortlisted for the Best Picture Oscar for An Unmarried Woman, which he directed.

Mazursky directed Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986) a film based on his own screenplay, in which he also acted.