LOS ANGELES — Richard Sarafian, an influential film director whose 1971 countercultural car-chase thriller “Vanishing Point” brought him a decades-long cult following, died in Southern California. Richard Sarafian died at on Wednesday of pneumonia He was 83.

Sarafian worked primarily in television in his early career, directing episodes of 1960s shows like “Gunsmoke” and “I Spy.”

He also directed 1963’s “Living Doll” episode of “The Twilight Zone,” a tale whose demonic main character Talky Tina terrified children for decades.

But Richard Sarafian was best known for “Vanishing Point,” a dark story of a drug-fueled auto pursuit through the desert. The film and director had a major influence on the generation of maverick moviemakers and actors, often referred to as “Easy Riders, Raging Bulls,” who would come to dominate Hollywood in the 1970s.