Adam McKay’s last film, “The Great Gatsbys,” opened at the top of the charts in the US and UK, but also won the Best Picture Oscar in 1977 for the story of the rise and fall of the Great Gatz family, who in 1859 fled a brutal slave uprising in their native Georgia.

McKay’s career spanned decades, from a successful film career in the 1960s with the movie “The Manchurian Candidate” to directing a string of movies in the 1970s and 1980s, including “The Princess Bride,” “The Sixth Sense” and “The Usual Suspects.”

In the 1990s, McKay made a triumphant return to screen with “The Shawshank Redemption” and then turned his attention to his next film, a gritty thriller about a man caught up in the drug trade.

McKay died Sunday at age 91.

He had been battling cancer, his son Christopher told The Associated Press.

“I would never ask anyone for any money in return for a movie I couldn’t make,” Christopher McKay said in a statement.

“His movies were all about the people in need of hope, love and compassion.”

Adam McKay, who was born in Georgia and spent most of his childhood in Louisiana, had made two movies with the great GatsBY family, the last being the 1981 thriller “The Six-Hundred Days.”

His last film was the 1999 film “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”

McKay’s credits include “The Three Musketeers” (1935), “The Lion King” (1989) and “American Beauty” (2006).

The “Great Gatz” director, best known for his role as the father in the Oscar-winning “The Maltese Falcon,” died after battling prostate cancer for almost two years.

His daughter, Catherine, said in the statement that her father had been suffering from cancer since April 2016.

McKay made his mark in movies including “Lucky” (1963), “Wuthering Heights” (1970) and the “The Wizard of Oz” (1968).

The late director made several films about his own life, including a 1994 biopic of his father, the late actor/director Richard Linklater, which was adapted into a play by Josephine Brody.

The film was adapted from a novel by his son, David McKay.

Adam McKay was born on May 12, 1919, in Savannah, Georgia, and grew up in Atlanta.

He attended the Georgia Institute of Technology, graduating in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in film.

McKay, now 80, directed more than 40 films, including his last film in 1997’s “The Last Detail.”

He has a lengthy filmography, including numerous credits on television, television movies and commercials.

His credits include the television series “Cougar Town” and the animated feature “The Flintstones.”

His most recent film was “The Boy Next Door,” a remake of his 1967 film “A Boy and His Dog.”

McKay had directed several documentaries, including the HBO docuseries “Porgy and Bess,” which examined the life of American civil rights leader Rosa Parks.