Norman Jewison, the acclaimed director of lauded films like In the Heat of the Night, Fiddler on the Roof, and Moonstruck has passed away at the grand age of 97.

The multi-Oscar-nominated filmmaker died peacefully at his home on Saturday with the news confirmed by his publicist Jeff Sanderson.

Jewison’s directing career brought a wide range of socially important films in various genres while also tackling issues such as racism and civil rights.

Born in Toronto, Canada in 1926, he served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II and later attended Victoria College in the University of Toronto.

Jewison’s break in the industry came when he landed a production role at CBLT where he then stepped up to become an assistant director. During that period, he worked on a variety of television specials that included The Big Revue (1952), The Wayne & Shuster Show (1955) and The Chevy Showroom Starring Andy Williams (1958). He also found love with his first wife Margaret Dixon in a marriage that would go on to last over fifty years.

His most successful work at that time came when he collaborated with Judy Garland on her comeback special The Judy Garland Show (1962) in what proved to be a pivotal moment for his career. Later that year, Jewison made the big leap into film by directing the romantic comedy 40 Pounds of Trouble (1962) which starred Tony Curtis.

Shortly after, he worked with Doris Day on two romantic comedies; The Thrill of It All (1963) and Send Me No Flowers (1964) before making The Art of Love (1965) with Dick Van Dyke, and the gambling-based drama The Cincinnati Kid (1965) starring Steve McQueen and an alluring Ann-Margret.

The following year, Jewison tackled comedy again in the form of The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming (1966), a witty Cold War satire which went on to land two Golden Globe wins and four Oscar nominations including Best Picture.

Continuing the string of successes, Jewison then directed the gritty crime drama In the Heat of the Night (1967) starring Sidney Poitier as a New York-based detective who is forced to work with Rod Steiger’s bigoted chief in solving a murder in a racist Southern town.

Heralded for its stance on racism and iconic moment including “They call me MR. Tibbs!”, the film was a critical success and later scored five Oscar wins including Best Picture with Jewison receiving the first of three nominations for directing. He also received the UN Award at BAFTA for his achievements on the project.

The following year, he then reunited with Steve McQueen alongside Faye Dunaway on the romantic thriller The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) only to hit a stumbling block with the period comedy Gailey, Gailey (1969). Having become disenchanted with the political climate in the United States, Jewison moved his family to England.

During that time, his next two films came in the form of the musical starting with Fiddler on the Roof (1971). The big-screen adaptation of the Broadway hit picked up three Academy Awards with Jewison nominated for his second directing Oscar.

Shortly after, Jewison then helmed the cinematic adaptation of Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) which also received strong praise despite a more muted reception to Fiddler.

Over the next decade, Jewison worked with several more high-profile stars on a variety of films including the sci-fi thriller Rollerball (1975) with James Caan, the crime drama F.I.S.T (1978) with Sylvester Stallone, and the romantic comedy Best Friends (1982) with Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn.

During that period, he also directed a number of actors to Oscar nominations including Al Pacino in the courtroom thriller …And Justice for All (1979), Adolph Caesar in the mystery drama A Soldier’s Story (1984) and Anne Bancroft and Meg Tilly in the crime drama Agnes of God (1985).

However, Jewison then struck gold with his unlikely collaboration with musician-turned-actor Cher. The pair worked on the romantic comedy Moonstruck (1987) which proved a universal success with critics and audiences.

For her performance as feisty Brooklyn bookkeeper Loretta Castorini, Cher won the Best Actress Oscar while Jewison scored the last of his three nominations in the directing category.

He later went on to make a variety of big studio films that continued to include a number of famous stars including Bruce Willis in the war drama In Country (1989), Danny DeVito and Gregory Peck in the dark comedy Other People’s Money (1991), Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr. in the romantic comedy Only You (1994) and Whoopi Goldberg in the fantasy drama Bogus (1996).

Jewison’s last successful feature came when he directed Denzel Washington to a Golden Globe win and a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal of convicted boxer Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter in the factual drama The Hurricane (1999). His directing career then concluded in 2003 with the drama The Statement starring Michael Caine as a former Nazi executioner.

Despite never winning an Academy Award, Jewison would receive the Irving G. Thalbery Memorial Award in 1999 for his contribution to film as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of America in 2011.

He is survived by his second wife and three children.