'To Kill a Mockingbird' Director Robert Mulligan Dead at 83

Mulligan died early Saturday at his home in Lyme, Connecticut, after a battle with heart disease, his wife, Sandy, said Monday.

Mulligan was nominated for an Oscar for "Mockingbird," the adaptation of Harper Lee's best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

The 1962 film starred Gregory Peck, who won the best-actor Oscar for his portrayal of Atticus Finch, the small town lawyer who defends a black man falsely accused of rape.

The book was made into the well-received 1962 film with the same title, starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch. The film's producer, Alan J. Pakula, remembered Paramount Studios executives questioning him about a potential script: "They said, 'What story do you plan to tell for the film?' I said, 'Have you read the book?' They said, 'Yes.' I said, 'That's the story.'" The movie won three Oscars: Best Actor for Gregory Peck, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White, and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium for Horton Foote. It was nominated for five more Oscars including Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Mary Badham, the actress who played Scout.