Ace scriptwriter Dennis Joseph, who wrotes for several superhit films in the eighties and nineties that made actors Mammootty and Mohanlal superstars, passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest on Monday night, industry sources said.

Joseph, who began his career in the early eighties as a journalist with a film magazine, later started writing scripts. He penned scripts for 45 films besides directing five movies, of which 'Manu Uncle' fetched him the national award for best children's film in 1988.