The Big Sleep Filmmaker, Restaurant Critic Michael Winner Dies at 77

British filmmaker and restaurant critic Michael Winner died Monday at his home in London after an illness. He was 77.

Born in London, Winner got his start in journalism as a teenager, writing an entertainment column for his local paper and later becoming the student editor of Cambridge University's newspaper, according to the Associated Press.

Professionally, he worked briefly as a film critic and then began making short films and documentaries. After he graduated to features in the 1970s, Winner directed 30 films, including Scorpio, a remake of The Big Sleep, and his best-known work, the Death Wishtrilogy. He worked with legendary actors including Burt Lancaster, Charles Bronson, Faye Dunaway and Marlon Brando.

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Later in life, Winner became a restaurant critic, penning the "Winner's Dinners" column for London's Sunday Times. He wrote his final installment in December, but did not officially retire.

"Who knows, after Christmas I might make a comeback," he wrote, according to the AP. "How many times did Sinatra do it?"

Winner met his wife, Geraldine, in the late 1950s, but the couple only married in September 2011.