Italian screenwriter Scarpelli dies aged 90

Oscar-nominated screenwriter Furio Scarpelli, who penned cinema classics including "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", has died aged 90, Italian media said Wednesday.

Scarpelli died during the night, his grandson Filiberto Scarpelli was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency.

Often working in partnership with Agenore Incrocci, Scarpelli wrote more than 140 films starting from 1949, and was famed for his minimalist, sardonic dialogue.

One of his best-known screenplays was for the 1966 spaghetti western "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", directed by Sergio Leone.

He was nominated for three Oscars, notably for "Il Postino" in 1994.