John Guillermin: John Guillermin. Director: The Towering Inferno. John Guillermin was born on 11 November 1925 in London, England, UK. He was a director and writer, known for The Towering Inferno (1974), Death on the Nile (1978) and King Kong (1976). He was married to Mary Guillermin and Maureen Connell. He died on 27 September 2015 in Topanga Canyon, California, USA.