It’s always sad to see talented artists pass away. Nora Ephron was nothing short of being one of Hollywood’s best writers and directors, somone who gave definition to romantic comedies. Nora passed away on Wednesday at a hospital in New York. She died of complications from a blood disorder she got six years ago called myelodysplasia.

If you look at Ephron’s track record, it’s no wonder why the writer-director made such an impact on the industry. Nora didn’t get behind the director’s chair until the early 1990’s. But even before then she was turning heads by writing some of the most iconic films in the romantic comedy genre. Her first big hit came when she wrote When Harry Met Sally in 1989. The movie was very well written and was directed by Rob Reiner.

Nora’s next big success came in the film Sleepless In Seattle, which she wrote and directed. The film was released in 1993 and became a benchmark for romance movies mostly because of its unique story and the perfect chemistry of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. The film was nominated for two academy awards including Best Original Screenplay. The next time that Nora would work with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan would be in 1998 on the film You’ve Got Mail. A very basic, but interesting rom-com that utilized e-mail (a new technology for 1998) and face to face conversation to establish two separate storylines between the lead characters. I personally enjoyed the film a great deal and thought it didn’t get enough credit.

Her last film came in 2009, Julie & Julia, starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. The film received mainly positive reviews and was nominated for two awards including The Satellite and The Golden Globe for ‘Best Picture Musical or Comedy’. Meryl Streep also got a large share of nominations for her praised role of Julia Child.

There are many more noteworthy films that Nora created such as Silkwood, Michael, and Bewitched with Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman. There is no doubt that Nora Ephron will be greatly missed. Her contributions to the film industry as a writer, producer, and director could appear cliché to some, but she simply made romantic films better than anyone else.

What Is Your Favorite Nora Ephron Movie?

Follow Josh on Twitter: @JWingface