George Andrew Romero Jr. (; February 4, 1940 – July 16, 2017) was an American-Canadian film director, writer, editor and actor. Widely regarded as an influential pioneer of the horror film genre and in particular zombie films, he has been called an "icon" and the "Father of the Zombie Film". The first half of his Night of the Living Dead series, Night of the Living Dead (1968), Dawn of the Dead (1978), and Day of the Dead (1985), are considered three of the best and most influencial horror films ever made, and were major contributors to the image of the zombie in modern culture.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_A._Romero