William Wyler
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| William Wyler | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 July 1902 Mülhausen, Alsace, Germany (now Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, France) |
| Died | 27 July 1981 Los Angeles, California, USA |
William Wyler (July 1, 1902–July 27, 1981) was a prolific, Oscar-winning motion picture director. He was known to require tens of takes for every shot in his films and for demanding control over the story, location and crew of each production, yet his exacting nature and attention to detail paid off in the form of both popular and critical success.
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[edit] Career
Wyler was born Willi Weiller to a Jewish family in Mulhouse in the French region of Alsace (then part of the German Empire). He was related to Carl Laemmle, founder of Universal Pictures, through his mother (a cousin of Laemmle's). His family connections served him well, as he became the youngest director on the Universal lot in 1925. He soon proved himself an able craftsman, and in the early 1930s became one of Universal's greatest assets, directing such solid films as The Love Trap, Hell's Heroes, and Tom Brown of Culver.
He later signed with Samuel Goldwyn and directed such quality films as These Three, Come and Get It, Dodsworth, Dead End, Jezebel, Wuthering Heights, The Letter, The Westerner, and The Little Foxes.
Between 1942 and 1945, Wyler served as a major in the U.S. Army Air Corps and directed the documentary Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress. He also directed two key films which first captured the mood of the nation as it prepared for battle and, four years later, peace. Mrs. Miniver (1942), a story of a middle class English family adjusting to the war in Europe, helped condition American audiences to life in wartime (and galvanized support for the British). The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), the story of three veterans arriving home and adjusting to civilian life, dramatized the problems of returning veterans for those who had remained on the homefront. Wyler won Best Director Oscars for both films (which also won Best Picture Oscars).
During the 1950s and 1960s, Wyler directed a handful of critically acclaimed and influential films, most notably Roman Holiday (1953) for introducing Audrey Hepburn to American audiences and leading to her first Oscar, The Heiress earning Olivia de Havilland her second Oscar, and Ben-Hur (1959) for its eleven Oscar wins (matched only twice, by Titanic in 1997 and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2003).
In 1965, Wyler won the Irving Thalberg Award for career achievement. Eleven years later, he received the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award. In addition to his Best Picture and Best Director Oscar wins, ten of Wyler's films earned Best Picture nominations. He received twelve Oscar nominations for Best Director, winning three times, while three dozen of his actors won Oscars or were nominated.
On July 24, 1981, Wyler gave an interview with his daughter, producer Catherine Wyler for Directed by William Wyler, a PBS documentary about his life and career. A mere three days later, Wyler died from a heart attack. Wyler's last words on film concern a vision of directing his "next picture...Going Home". Wyler is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Wyler was briefly married to Margaret Sullavan (25 November 1934 - 13 March 1936) and married Margaret Tallichet on 23 October 1938 until his death; they had four children.
[edit] Trivia
- Wyler has the distinction of having directed three Best Picture Oscar winners, more than any other director except for John Ford: Ben Hur, The Best Years of Our Lives, and Mrs. Miniver. There are twelve other directors who have directed two.
[edit] Academy Awards and Nominations
- 1937 Nominated Dodsworth
- 1940 Nominated Wuthering Heights
- 1941 Nominated The Letter
- 1942 Nominated The Little Foxes
- 1943 Won Mrs. Miniver
- 1947 Won The Best Years of Our Lives
- 1950 Nominated The Heiress
- 1952 Nominated Detective Story
- 1954 Nominated Roman Holiday
- 1957 Nominated Friendly Persuasion
- 1959 Won Ben-Hur
- 1966 Nominated The Collector
| Preceded by John Ford for How Green Was My Valley |
Academy Award for Best Director 1942 for Mrs. Miniver |
Succeeded by Michael Curtiz for Casablanca |
| Preceded by Billy Wilder for The Lost Weekend |
Academy Award for Best Director 1946 for The Best Years of Our Lives |
Succeeded by Elia Kazan for Gentleman's Agreement |
| Preceded by Vincente Minnelli for Gigi |
Academy Award for Best Director 1959 for Ben-Hur |
Succeeded by Billy Wilder for The Apartment |
[edit] Filmography (as a director)
- The Liberation of L.B. Jones
- Funny Girl
- How to Steal a Million
- The Collector
- The Children's Hour
- Ben-Hur
- The Big Country
- Friendly Persuasion
- The Desperate Hours
- Roman Holiday
- Carrie (based on Theodore Dreiser's novel Sister Carrie)
- Detective Story
- The Heiress
- The Best Years of Our Lives
- Thunderbolt
- The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress
- Mrs. Miniver
- The Little Foxes
- The Letter
- The Westerner
- Wuthering Heights
- Jezebel
- Dead End
- Come and Get It
- Dodsworth
- These Three
- Barbary Coast (uncredited; replaced by Howard Hawks)
- The Gay Deception
- The Good Fairy
- Glamour
- Counsellor at Law
- Her First Mate
- Tom Brown of Culver
- A House Divided
- Hell's Heroes
- The Storm
- The Love Trap
- The Shakedown
- Anybody Here Seen Kelly?
- Thunder Riders
- Daze of the West
- Desert Dust
- The Border Cavalier
- The Horse Trader
- The Square Shooter
- The Phantom Outlaw
- Gun Justice
- The Home Trail
- The Ore Raiders
- The Lone Star
- Hard Fists
- The Haunted Homestead
- Galloping Justice
- Shooting Straight
- Blazing Days
- The Silent Partner
- Tenderfoot Courage
- Kelcy Gets His Man
- The Two Fister
- The Stolen Ranch
- Lazy Lightning
- Martin of the Mounted
- The Pinnacle Rider
- Don't Shoot
- The Fire Barrier
- Ridin' for Love
- The Gunless Bad Man
- Crook Buster
