'Two-Lane Blacktop' Director Monte Hellman Dies At 91

Monte Hellman, who directed "Two-Lane Blacktop," "The Shooting" and "Road to Nowhere," died Tuesday at a hospital in California. He was 91.

He was admitted to Eisenhower Medical Center in Palm Desert after he fell down at his own house last week, the director's daughter, Melissa Hellman, said. "He was my best friend," the actress told The Hollywood Reporter.

Hellman was a cult director, who even had fans within the industry, which included the likes of Quentin Tarantino. Hellman received praise from critics for making independent movies. He worked on many low-budget movies and most of them starred actor Jack Nicholson.

His work on the road drama "Two-Lane Blacktop," starring Laurie Bird, Dennis Wilson, James Taylor and Warren Oates, was celebrated by many critics.

"The road itself has a real identity in 'Two-Lane Blacktop,' as if it were a place to live and not just a way to move. There may be homes and gardens hidden behind those interstate terraces, but for the four people in this movie — the road, as the saying goes, is home," film critic Roger Ebert wrote on his blog back in 1971.

Ty Burr, a film critic for the Boston Globe, took to Twitter on Tuesday to pay tribute to the late director.

"Monte Hellman is dead at 91, and if that name means nothing to you, 'The Shooting' is streaming on HBO Max, and 'Ride in the Whirlwind' is on the Criterion Channel and iTunes," he tweeted. "Shot back to back in 1966 with a young Jack Nicholson, they're masterpieces at the dawn of indie cinema."

Actor Bill Moseley also mourned Hellman's death and tweeted, "RIP Monte Hellman! Thank you for hiring me to play Ricky, the Santa Claus Killer, in Silent Night, Deadly Night 3- the first time I ever cried onscreen!"

Journalist David Browne shared a quote from Hellman and said, "RIP director Monte Hellman, who spoke with me about the making of 'Two-Lane Blacktop' -- and James Taylor's lack of acting chops -- for my book 'Fire and Rain.'"

Hellman directed his last movie, "Road to Nowhere," in 2010.