Franco Zeffirelli, Film and Stage Director Known For ROMEO AND JULIET, Dies at 96

Italian director Franco Zeffirelli was died at age 96, according to AP.

Zeffirelli was perhaps best known for directing the Romeo and Juliet film in 1968. The film set box-office records in the United States, grossing $52 million and becoming the most successful Shakespearian movie ever.

Though his work was primarily in film and opera, Zeffirelli also worked on Broadway, as director and scenic designer of The Lady of the Carnellias in 1963 and Saturday Sunday Monday in 1974.

In 1967, Zeffirelli took on a film adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. He directed the miniseries Jesus of Nazareth in 1977, which is still shown during Holy holidays in many countries.

Throughout his career, Zeffirelli worked with opera greats such as Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and Maria Callas, as well as stars such as Elizabeth Taylor, Mel Gibson, Cher and Judi Dench.

Zeffirelli received an honorary knighthood from the British government in 2004 when he was created a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Read more on AP.