The director and film aficionado made over 100 movies including Mysteries of Lisbon, Klimt, Time Regained, Shattered Image and The Golden Boat.
He made his feature film debut in 1968 with the movie Tres tristes tigres, and he quickly became a leading figure in Chilean cinema.
Ruiz was forced to flee his homeland for political reasons in the mid-1970s and he spent the rest of his life living in exile in France.
Often described as a cinematic genius, Ruiz was also a theatre director and playwright, and he taught at Harvard University.
Among his many accolades, the director was awarded the title of Docteur Honoris Causa by the Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon in 2005 and he also holds a Professorship at the University of Aberdeen and a Doctor Honoris Causa honour from the Universidad de Valparaiso, which he received earlier this year (11).
Ruiz was also presented with Chile’s National Prize of Arts.
He is survived by his wife, Valeria Sarmiento, a Chilean writer-director.
