Helen Hunt's father has died aged 87.

Gordon Hunt, who directed animated productions such as 'The Jetsons', 'The Smurfs' and 'Scooby-Doo', passed away on Saturday (17.12.16) at his home in Los Angeles as a result of complications from Parkinson's disease.

Paying tribute to her dad, Helen told The Hollywood Reporter: ''He was a master of reinvention, a journeyman artist.

''He knew and taught that the work doesn't always find you. You need to create and re-create the work every day.''

Helen revealed Gordon had been teaching his decades-long acting class up until very recently.

She added: ''If you asked 100 people who knew him, 100 of them would say he was the kindest man they ever knew.''

Gordon also helmed several TV sitcoms, including episodes of 'Frasier' and long-running NBC show 'Mad About You', for which Helen won four Emmy Awards.

He received a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Comedy Series for the 'Mad About You' episode 'The Alan Brady Show'.

Gordon worked for a decade at Hanna-Barbera and was recording director on a number of shows, including 'Richie Rich' and 'The Flintstones', and he even lent his voice to roles at times, such as Wally on series 'Dilbert'.

He taught acting for more than four decades and had several star pupils along the way, including Jimmy Fallon, Jonathan Banks, Robert Morse and Robert David Hall.

What's more, he voice directed several video games, including 'God of War', 'Final Fantasy XIV', and the 'Uncharted' series.

As well as Helen, Gordon is survived by his wife, voice actress B.J. Ward, who is the 'Twister' star's stepmother, his daughter Colleen, brothers George and Peter, and three grandchildren.