A former industrial and documentary filmmaker who made his feature debut with "Evidence in Concrete" (1957), Molinaro's fluid camera technique and light directorial touch were put to good use in his sensitive, humorous portrait of gay life, "La Cage aux folles" (1978), for which he earned a Best Director Oscar nod. He also helmed the first of the two sequels ("La cage aux folles II" 1980) as well as wrote and directed "Love on the Quiet" (1984), "The Supper" (1993) and "Beaumarchais l'insolent" (1996).