D.A. PENNEBAKER, a director and cinematographer known for his documentaries, including the classic “Dont Look Back” (1967), “Monterey Pop” (1968) “The War Room” (1993) and “Elaine Stritch at Liberty” (2002), died Thursday night of natural causes, Variety has confirmed. He was 94.

Pennebaker’s many other films included the 1973 David Bowie concert film “Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars,” 1989 Depeche Mode road movie “101” and “Down From the Mountain” (2000), about the musicians who performed the songs in the Coen Brothers’ film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

Pennebaker won an honorary Oscar in 2013.

In a 1997 article the U.K.’s The Independent described Pennebaker as arguably the preeminent chronicler of ’60s counterculture.

Pennebaker did not reserve his camera exclusively for the musical arena, however.

He and his wife, Chris Hegedus, with whom he made most of his films in the past several decades, were Oscar nominated in 1994 for best documentary for “The War Room,” a witty, behind-the-scenes look at Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign.

They shared a 2004 Emmy nomination for outstanding directing for a variety, music or comedy program for documentary “Elaine Stritch at Liberty.”

Most recently Pennebaker and Hegedus directed the BBC-HBO documentary “Unlocking the Cage,” following animal rights attorney Steven Wise on his quest to break through the legal wall that separates animals from humans. Other recent films include “Al Franken: God Spoke” (2006) and “Kings of Pastry” (2009).

In 1977 the pair turned out the five-hour “Energy War,” about then-President Jimmy Carter’s gas deregulation bill.

Pennebaker was a member of the media panel for the National Endowment for the Arts from 1971–76 and later taught a workshop on documentary films at Yale.

He won a career achievement award from the International Documentary Association in 2005.

Pennebaker was thrice married, the first time to Sylvia Bell from 1950-68, the second time to Kate Taylor, who did sound work on some of Pennebaker’s documentaries in the 1970s, from 1972-80. Both marriages ended in divorce.

He is survived by third wife Chris Hegedus, whom he married in 1982, and eight children.

(SD-Agencies)