1. Theatre, Film, and Television Biographies
2. Henry Winkler to Paul Zaza

William Wyler Biography (1902-1981)

Born July 1, 1902, in Muehlhausen, Germany; died July 27, 1981, in Los Angeles, CA; married Margaret Sullivan, November 25, 1934 (divorced, March 13, 1936); married Margaret Tallichet, October 23, 1938; children: (second marriage)four; brother of Robert Wyler (a writer and director). Career: Director and producer. Awards, Honors: Academy Award nominations, all best director, 1936, for Dodsworth, 1939, for Wuthering Heights, 1940,for The Letter, and 1941, for The Little Foxes; Special Recommendation, overall artistic contribution, Venice Film Festival, 1938, for Jezebel; Academy Award, best director, 1942, for Mrs. Miniver; Academy Award, National Board of Review Award, and New York Film Critics Circle Award, all best director, and Bodil Award, best American film, Bodil Festival,all 1946, for The Best Years of Our Lives; Academy Award nominations,best director and best picture, 1949, for The Heiress; Academy Awardnomination, best director, 1951, for Detective Story; Academy Award nominations, best director and best picture, 1953, for Roman Holiday; National Board of Review Award, best director, 1955, for The Desperate Hours; Academy Award nominations, best director and best picture, and Golden Palm Award, Cannes Film Festival, all 1956, for Friendly Persuasion; British Academy Award nomination, best film from any source, British Academy ofFilm and Television Arts, 1958, for The Big Country; Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Directors Guild of America Award, all best director, and British Academy Award, best film from any source, all 1959, for Ben-Hur; Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe Award nomination, best director, 1965, for The Collector; Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 1966; D. W. Griffith Award, DirectorsGuild of America, 1966; Golden Globe Award nomination, best motion picture director, 1968, for Funny Girl; Life Achievement Award, American Film Institute, 1976.

Nationality

American

Gender

Male

Occupation

Director, producer

Birth Details

July 1, 1902

Muehlhausen, Germany

Death Details

July 27, 1981

Los Angeles, California, United States

Famous Works

• CREDITS
• Film Work
• Director, Unless Otherwise Noted
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 1923
• Crook Buster, 1925
• The Gunless Bad Man, 1926
• Ridin' for Love, 1926
• The Fire Barrier, 1926
• Don't Shoot, 1926
• The Pinnacle Rider, 1926
• Martin of the Mounted, 1926
• Lazy Lightning, 1926
• The Stolen Ranch, 1926
• Daze of the West, 1927
• The Two Fister, 1927
• Kelcy Gets His Man, 1927
• Tenderfoot Courage, 1927
• The Silent Partner, 1927
• Blazing Days, 1927
• Shooting Straight (also known as Range Riders and Straight Shootin'), 1927
• Galloping Justice, 1927
• The Haunted Homestead, 1927
• Hard Fists, 1927
• The Lone Star, 1927
• The Ore Raiders, 1927
• The Home Trail, 1927
• Gun Justice, 1927
• The Phantom Outlaw, 1927
• The Square Shooter, 1927
• The Horse Trader, 1927
• The Border Cavalier, 1927
• Desert Dust, 1927
• Thunder Riders, 1928
• Anybody Here Seen Kelly?, 1928
• Hell's Heroes, 1929
• The Shakedown, 1929
• The Love Trap, 1929
• The Storm, 1930
• A House Divided, 1931
• Tom Brown of Culver, 1932
• Her First Mate, 1933
• Counsellor at Law, UN IV, 1933
• Glamour, 1934
• The Good Fairy, Universal, 1935
• The Gay Deception, 1935
• These Three, United Artists, 1936
• Dodsworth, 1936
• Come and Get It, 1936
• Dead End (also known as Cradle of Crime), 1937
• Jezebel, 1938
• Wuthering Heights, United Artists, 1939
• The Westerner, United Artists, 1940
• The Letter, 1940
• The Little Foxes, 1941
• Mrs. Miniver, 1942
• The Memphis Belle, Paramount, 1943
• Glory for Me, 1944
• The Flying Lady, 1944
• Thunderbolt, 1945
• The Best Years of Our Lives, RKO Radio Pictures, 1946
• (And producer) The Heiress, Paramount, 1949
• (And producer) Detective Story, Paramount, 1951
• (And producer) Carrie, Paramount, 1952
• (And producer) Roman Holiday, Paramount, 1953
• (And producer) The Desperate Hours, Paramount, 1955
• (And producer) Friendly Persuasion, Allied Artists, 1956
• (And producer) The Big Country, United Artists, 1958
• Ben-Hur, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1959
• (And producer) The Children's Hour (also known as The Loudest Whisper), United Artists, 1961
• The Collector, Columbia, 1965
• How to Steal a Million (also known as How to Steal a Million Dollars and Live Happily Ever After), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1966
• Funny Girl, Columbia, 1968
• The Liberation of L. B. Jones, Columbia, 1970
• Directed by William Wyler (includes excerpts from Ben-Hur, The Big Country, Counsellor at Law, Crook Buster, Friendly Persuasion, Funny Girl, The Heiress, Jezebel, Roman Holiday, These Three, and Wuthering Heights), 1986
• Film Appearances
• (Uncredited) The Shakedown, Universal, 1929
• Directed by William Wyler, 1986
• Television Appearances
• Miniseries
• Hollywood, HBO, 1980
• WRITINGS
• Screenplays
• Ridin' for Love, 1926

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals:

• New Leader, December 29, 1997, p. 32.*