Iconic Canadian filmmaker Denis Héroux passed away on Dec. 10 in Montreal, at the age of 75.

Héroux got his start in the film industry in 1962, co-directing Seul ou avec d’autres, the debut feature for himself, Denis Arcand and Stephane Venne which was selected to screen in the Cannes’ Critic Week program. Héroux then spent the ’70s producing a number of comedies and popular movies, such as the Jodie Foster horror film The Little Girl who Lives Downstairs and films by French New Wave icon Claude Chabrol, including Blood Relatives and Violette Noziere. Atlantic City, which Heroux produced  with John Kemeny, received five Oscar nominations in 1982.

His lengthy credit list also features Canadian classic films Quest for Fire, The Bay Boy and the Quebecois family story Les Plouffe, which won seven Genies including Best Direction and Best Screenplay. Héroux’s collaborators throughout his career included author Brian Moore, Robert Lantos, Michel Brault and Donald Sutherland, and he received the Order of Canada in 1984. Heroux was also one of the co-founders of producer and distributor Alliance, along with Lantos, Stephen Roth and John Kemney. Heroux was inducted into Playback’s Canadian Film and Television Hall of Fame in 2011.

“For your immense contribution to Quebec and Canadian cinema, we thank you, Denis,” said Telefilm executive director Carolle Brabant in a statement distributed Monday. “Telefilm Canada’s Board and entire team join me in extending sincere condolences to his family, which has extensive ties to cinema, to his friends, and to the Canadian film industry.”