Michael Curtiz |
Mihaly Kertesz
Born: 24 December 1886
Budapest
Died: 10 April 1962
This is one guy who really did "run away and join the
circus" at the age of 17. Directed Errol Flynn in "Captain Blood",
considered to be his best film, and later with Errol Flynn again in
"The Adventures of Robin Hood". Directed "Casablanca" with Humphrey
Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, which earned his only Academy Award, for
Best Director. Directed Joan Crawford in "Mildred
Pierce", for which she would win a Best Actress Oscar. Directed
"White Christmas" starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, a film which relied
mostly on the music of Irving Berlin. His last film
was "The Comancheros" with John Wayne and Lee Marvin.
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| Blake Edwards |
William Blake Edwards
Born: 26 July 1922
Director and actor. Creator of the "Peter Gunn" TV
series and director of films such as "Breakfast at Tiffany's"
starring Audrey
Hepburn, "The Pink Panther", "The Great Race" and more. He is
married to Julie
Andrews.
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| Samuel Goldwyn |
Samuel Gelbfisz
Born: 17 August 1882 or in July 1879
Warsaw, Poland
Producer and industry pioneer. His name was
anglicised to Goldfish while living with relatives in England, and
in 1919 he changed it to Goldwyn.
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(Sir) Lew Grade
|
Louis Einogradsky
Born: 1906
Warsaw, Poland
Died: 13 December 1998
Entertainment executive who was knighted in 1963 for
his influence in shaping the British television and movie
industries. He also produced several US TV series, including "The
Muppets" (see Frank Oz) and
"The Saint", as well as several movies including "The Exorcist",
"Sophies Choice" and "On Golden Pond".
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| Elia Kazan |
Elia Kazanjoglous
Born: 7 September 1909
Constantinople, Greece
Director, screenwriter, producer, actor. Best known
for his direction of Broadway plays such as "A Streetcar Named
Desire" and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". Winner of 2 Academy Awards for
directing "Gentleman's Agreement" and "On the Waterfront". Also
directed "Baby Doll", "A Face in the Crowd", and "Splendor in the
Grass" starring Natalie
Wood.
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| Alexander Korda |
Sandor Kellner
Born: 16 September 1893
Turkeve, Hungary
Died: 1956
His first attempts at directing received lukewarm
responses, but he risked everything to produce "The Private Life of
Henry VIII". The film became a worldwide blockbuster and was
consequently hailed as the saviour of the British Film Industry. He
married Merle Oberon in
1939.
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| Ang Lee |
Li An
Born: 23 October 1954
Pingtung, Taiwan
Director of "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon", "Sense
and Sensibility" and "The Wedding Banquet".
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| Vincent Minnelli |
Lester Anthony Minnelli
Born: 28 February 1903
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Died: 25 July 1986
Director and husband of Judy Garland.
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| Roger Vadim |
Roger Vadim Plemiannikov
Born: 1928
Paris, France
Died: 11 February 2000 (cancer)
French director who was married five times, two of
his wives were Brigitte
Bardot, Jane Fonda, and he lived with Catherine Deneuve. All of
whom were present at his side when he died.
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| Jack L Warner |
Jack Eichelbaum
Born: 2 August 1892
London, Ontario
Died: 9 September 1978
Los Angeles, California
One of the famous Warner Brothers, producing such
films as: "Casablanca", "Yankee Doodle Dandy", "Arsenic and Old
Lace" (with Cary Grant),
"The Big Sleep" (written by Raymond Chandler), "My Fair Lady" (with
Rex Harrison and
Audrey Hepburn) and
many, many more.
|
| Billy Wilder |
Samuel Wilder
Born: 1906
Vienna
His mother liked all things American, and took to
calling her son "Billy" because it sounded so American. Sadly his
family died in a concentration camp. Won Best Director for "The
Lost Weekend", starring Jane Wyman and Ray Milland, had a major
success with "Some Like it Hot", starring Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis. Wilder's first
directorial effort "The Major and the Minor" starred Ginger Rogers.
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| Gene Wilder |
Jerome (Jerry) Silberman
Born: 11 June 1935
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Actor/Writer/Producer/Director. The frizzy-haired
star of "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein".
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