The Tony Award-winning director who brought to life many of Neil Simon 's works onstage and on screen has died . Gene Saks ' son , Daniel Saks , says his father died from pneumonia Saturday at his East Hampton home in New York . He was 93 . A former actor who turned to directing with 'Enter Laughing ' on Broadway in 1963 , Saks won Tonys for the Cy Coleman-Michael Stewart musical ' I Love My Wife ' and Simon 's 'Biloxi Blues . ' Tony Award-winning director Gene Sak died Saturday at his home in East Hampton , New York from pneumonia . Pictured above in April 1977 . He directed the film versions of Simon adaptations 'The Odd Couple , ' 'Barefoot in the Park , ' 'Last of the Red Hot Lovers ' and 'Brighton Beach Memoirs . ' He also directed the stage and film version of 'Mame , ' which starred his then-wife Bea Arthur . Saks directed Goldie Hawn to an Oscar for supporting actress in 'Cactus Flower . ' 'He could direct actors to be funny , but he wasn ’ t funny himself , ' Emanuel Azenberg , who produced nine Broadway shows directed by Saks , told the New York Times . 'He would say , `` This is funny , '' in a very serious way . And you ’ d laugh , because that was funny . 'All of those fundamentals - pacing , timing , line readings - that had to do with : If you said it this way it would be funny , but if you said it another way it wouldn ’ t be funny . That ’ s what he was good at , ' Azenberg added . Saks is survived by his wife Keren , their daughter , and his two adopted sons from his first marriage to Golden Girls star Bea Arthur . Saks and Arthur . Saks and Arthur were married for thirty years before divorcing in 1980 . She passed away in 2009 .
The Tony Award-winning director passed away from pneumonia 2009 at his home in East Hampton , New York . In addition to directing The Odd Couple , Saks was an actor and also directed several Neil Simon plays such as Biloxi Blues . Saks is survived by wife Keren , with whom he had one daughter . Saks was also married to former Golden Girls star Bea Arthur ( who died in Saturday ) for thirty years , and they shared two adopted sons .