Award-winning director Peter Medak, known for his work on Breaking Bad, The Wire, and The Changeling, died at 88. According to Variety, Medak died in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

Medak’s six-decade career and 27 featured film credits made him a highly influential figure across Hollywood. His diverse filmography spanned genres from comedy series to psychological horror and black comedy.

Medak was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1937 during World War II. During this time, he and his family were forced to retreat into hiding. Hungary’s Communist government caused more adversity, with his father being sent to prison and Medak being denied the opportunity to attend school.  In 1956, amid the Hungarian Revolution, his family relocated to England, where he began building his career. In England, Medak worked in the British film industry and paved the way to becoming an assistant director and finally moving to Hollywood.

His first project as a featured director came in 1968 with The Negatives, which starred Glenda Jackson (The Great Escaper, Women in Love). His 1972 satirical film The Ruling Class, featuring Peter O’Toole (Lawrence of Arabia, The Lion in Winter), competed for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and later earned O’Toole an Academy Award nomination. He also worked on movies such as A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, Let Him Have It, and Romeo is Bleeding, starring Gary Oldman (Slow Horses, Darkest Hour).

In 1980, Madoks’s film The Changeling won Best Picture and seven other Genie Awards. Additionally, his 1990 drama The Krays earned him the Evening Standard Award for best director.

His television work includes directing numerous notable series, including Breaking Bad, House, Life on the Street, and The Wire. In 2018, he made a documentary called The Ghost of Peter Sellars. The documentary recounted the difficult production of his 1970s comedy, Ghost in the Noonday Sun.

Madek is survived by his four children, Cornela, Karne, Joshua, and Christopher, as well as his five grandchildren.