John Irvin obituary

‘I hate being pigeonholed, and I like to do the unexpected’: John Irvin, pictured in 1986. Photograph: Alex Bowie/Getty Images

Bouncing from war zone reportage to cold war espionage, Hollywood horror to Sherwood Forest swashbuckler, Harold Pinter to Arnold Schwarzenegger, the director John Irvin, who has died aged 86, was nothing if not eclectic.

“I’m a bit split,” he said. “I like playing with expensive toys, yet I also like the miniatures. I hate being pigeonholed, and I like to do the unexpected.”