British director Howard Davies died at age 71

This March 13, 2011 file photo shows British director Howard Davies at the Olivier Awards in London. (AP)

Award-winning British theater director Howard Davies has died. He was 71.

His family said in a statement Wednesday that Davies died of cancer Tuesday.

He was active for many years in both London and New York, directing a series of well-received plays.

In Britain he won the coveted Best Director Laurence Olivier Awards three times for his work on "The Iceman Cometh," ''All My Sons" and "The White Guard."

He was nominated three times for prestigious Tony Awards for his work on Broadway.

A National Theatre statement calls him "one of the very greatest" directors of his generation.