Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nora Ephron, best known for directing-writing 'Sleepless in Seattle' and writing 'When Harry Met Sally', has died. She was 71.
Ephron blazed the trail and thrived in the male-dominated world of movies with a distinctive voice and wit.
Along with 1993's 'Sleepless in Seattle', which was her first big hit as a director, her screenwriting credits included 'Heartburn', 'Silkwood' and the romantic comedy 'When Harry Met Sally'. She twice directed Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, in 'Sleepless in Seattle' and 'You've Got Mail'.
Ephron had received three Oscar nominations over her career for best original screenplay for 'Sleepless in Seattle', 'Silkwood' and 'When Harry Met Sally'.
"Nora Ephron was a journalist-artist who knew what was important to know; how things really worked, what was worthwhile, who was fascinating and why," says Tom Hanks. "At a dinner table and on a film set she lifted us all with wisdom and wit mixed with love for us and love for life."
"I am very sad to learn of Nora's passing," Billy Crystal says in a statement. "She was a brilliant writer and humorist. Being her Harry to Meg's Sally will always have a special place in my heart. I was very lucky to get to say her words."
Ephron's most recent movie, 'Julie & Julia', netted an Academy Award nomination for Meryl Streep, for her portrayal of TV chef Julia Child.
"Nora just looked at every situation and cocked her head and thought, 'Hmmmm, how can I make this more fun?,'" says Streep. "You could call on her for anything: doctors, restaurants, recipes, speeches, or just a few jokes, and we all did it, constantly. She was an expert in all the departments of living well."
"She was so, so alive," says her friend Carrie Fisher. "It makes no sense to me that she isn't alive anymore."
Ephron died of leukemia at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nora Ephron, best known for directing-writing 'Sleepless in Seattle' and writing 'When Harry Met Sally', has died. She was 71.
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