British director Mike Hodges, known for films like "Flash Gordon" and "Croupier", has died at 90.

British director Mike Hodges, known for films like Flash Gordon and Croupier, has died. He was 90.

His death was confirmed by producer and I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead collaborator Mike Kaplan. According to Kaplan, Hodges died at his home in Dorset, England, due to heart failure. Hodges’ long standing career dates back to the 1950s. Before getting a start in films, he spent two years in mandatory national service on a royal navy minesweeper, which he credits as the inspiration for his first film, Get Carter.

In a letter published by The Guardian in May, he said: “For two years, my middle-class eyes were forced to witness horrendous poverty and deprivation…” His second film, Pulp came only a year after Get Carter released in 1971, with Hodges’ directorial talent rising to prominence with 1980’s Flash Gordon. —IANS