Cinematographer Gordon Willis has died, aged 82, Digital Spy said.

Willis was best known for his influential photography on the Godfather series.

He helped mould the style of 1970s cinema, and also worked on Woody Allen's Annie Hall and Manhattan.

His nickname was the 'Prince of Darkness' due to his use of shadows, and was the director of photography on classics including Klute, The Paper Chase, The Parallax View and All the President's Men.

In 2009, he received an honorary Academy Award at the first Governors Awards ceremony.

He was Oscar nominated for The Godfather III and Woody Allen's Zelig.

Willis's father worked as a make-up artist at Warner Bros, and he served in the motion picture unit during the Korean War in the Air Force.

His last film was 1997's The Devil's Own.