Directing

William Wyler

Born July 1, 1902 · Mülhausen, Alsace-Lorraine, German Empire [now Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, France]

Died July 27, 1981 · aged 79

William Wyler (July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a German-born film director, producer, and screenwriter. Notable works include Ben-Hur (1959), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and Mrs. Miniver (1942), all which won Wyler Academy Awards for Best Director, and also won Best Picture. He earned his first Oscar nomination for directing Dodsworth in 1936, sparking a 20-year run of almost unbroken g…

Known For

Roman Holiday

Roman Holiday · 1953

MovieRomanceComedy

Overwhelmed by her suffocating schedule, touring European princess Ann takes off for a night while in Rome. When a sedative she took from her doctor kicks in, however, she falls asleep on a park bench and is found by an American reporter, Joe Bradley, who takes her back to his apartment for safety. At work the next morning, Joe finds out Ann's regal identity and bets his editor he can get exclusive interview with her, but romance soon gets in the way.

Ben-Hur

Ben-Hur · 1959

MovieHistoryDrama

In ancient Judea, a Jewish aristocrat opposing Roman occupation of his homeland reunites with his childhood friend, now a Roman commander — setting in motion a saga of betrayal, adventure, tragedy, revenge, and faith.

Friendly Persuasion

Friendly Persuasion · 1956

Friendly Persuasion

The story of a family of Quakers in Indiana in 1862. Their religious sect is strongly opposed to violence and war. It's not easy for them to meet the rules of their religion in everyday life but when Southern troops pass the area they are in real trouble. Should they fight, despite their peaceful attitude?

The Collector

The Collector · 1965

A man kidnaps a woman and holds her hostage just for the pleasure of having her there.

The Best Years of Our Lives

The Best Years of Our Lives · 1946

The Best Years of Our Lives

MovieDramaRomance

It's the hope that sustains the spirit of every GI: the dream of the day when he will finally return home. For three WWII veterans, the day has arrived. But for each man, the dream is about to become a nightmare.

Funny Girl

Funny Girl · 1968

MovieComedyDrama

The life of famed 1930s comedienne Fanny Brice, from her early days in the Jewish slums of New York, to the height of her career with the Ziegfeld Follies, as well as her marriage to the rakish gambler Nick Arnstein.

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights · 1939

Wuthering Heights

MovieDramaRomance

Young orphan Heathcliff is adopted by the wealthy Earnshaw family and moves into their estate, Wuthering Heights. Soon, the new resident falls for his compassionate foster sister, Cathy. The two share a remarkable bond that seems unbreakable until Cathy, feeling the pressure of social convention, suppresses her feelings and marries Edgar Linton, a man of means who befits her stature. Heathcliff vows to win her back.

How to Steal a Million

How to Steal a Million · 1966

How to Steal a Million

MovieComedyCrime

A woman must steal a statue from a Paris museum to help conceal her father's art forgeries.

Filmography

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Roman Holiday

Roman Holiday · 1953

MovieRomanceComedy

Overwhelmed by her suffocating schedule, touring European princess Ann takes off for a night while in Rome. When a sedative she took from her doctor kicks in, however, she falls asleep on a park bench and is found by an American reporter, Joe Bradley, who takes her back to his apartment for safety. At work the next morning, Joe finds out Ann's regal identity and bets his editor he can get exclusive interview with her, but romance soon gets in the way.

Producer

Ben-Hur

Ben-Hur · 1959

MovieHistoryDrama

In ancient Judea, a Jewish aristocrat opposing Roman occupation of his homeland reunites with his childhood friend, now a Roman commander — setting in motion a saga of betrayal, adventure, tragedy, revenge, and faith.

Director

Friendly Persuasion

Friendly Persuasion · 1956

Friendly Persuasion

The story of a family of Quakers in Indiana in 1862. Their religious sect is strongly opposed to violence and war. It's not easy for them to meet the rules of their religion in everyday life but when Southern troops pass the area they are in real trouble. Should they fight, despite their peaceful attitude?

Director

The Collector

The Collector · 1965

A man kidnaps a woman and holds her hostage just for the pleasure of having her there.

Director

The Best Years of Our Lives

The Best Years of Our Lives · 1946

The Best Years of Our Lives

MovieDramaRomance

It's the hope that sustains the spirit of every GI: the dream of the day when he will finally return home. For three WWII veterans, the day has arrived. But for each man, the dream is about to become a nightmare.

Director

Funny Girl

Funny Girl · 1968

MovieComedyDrama

The life of famed 1930s comedienne Fanny Brice, from her early days in the Jewish slums of New York, to the height of her career with the Ziegfeld Follies, as well as her marriage to the rakish gambler Nick Arnstein.

Director

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights · 1939

Wuthering Heights

MovieDramaRomance

Young orphan Heathcliff is adopted by the wealthy Earnshaw family and moves into their estate, Wuthering Heights. Soon, the new resident falls for his compassionate foster sister, Cathy. The two share a remarkable bond that seems unbreakable until Cathy, feeling the pressure of social convention, suppresses her feelings and marries Edgar Linton, a man of means who befits her stature. Heathcliff vows to win her back.

Director

How to Steal a Million

How to Steal a Million · 1966

How to Steal a Million

MovieComedyCrime

A woman must steal a statue from a Paris museum to help conceal her father's art forgeries.

Director

Mrs. Miniver

Mrs. Miniver · 1942

MovieDramaRomance

Middle-class housewife Kay Miniver deals with petty problems. She and her husband Clem watch her Oxford-educated son Vin court Carol Beldon, the charming granddaughter of the local nobility as represented by Lady Beldon. Then the war comes and Vin joins the RAF.

Director

Jezebel

Jezebel · 1938

MovieDramaRomance

In 1850s Louisiana, the willfulness of a tempestuous Southern belle threatens to destroy all who care for her.

Director

The Children's Hour

The Children's Hour · 1961

The Children's Hour

An unruly student at a private all-girls boarding school scandalously accuses the two women who run it of having a romantic relationship.

Director

The Big Country

The Big Country · 1958

The Big Country

MovieDramaWestern

Retired wealthy sea captain Jim McKay arrives in the Old West, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between his future father-in-law, Major Terrill, and the rough and lawless Hannasseys over a valuable patch of land.

Director

The Liberation of L.B. Jones

The Liberation of L.B. Jones · 1970

The Liberation of L.B. Jones

MovieDramaCrime

A successful African American businessman has a quarrel with a white policeman, suspecting that he is having an affair with his wife. The policeman's colleagues are seeking to avoid publicity.

Director

Detective Story

Detective Story · 1951

Detective Story

MovieCrimeDrama

Tells the story of one day in the lives of the various people who populate a police detective squad. An embittered cop, Det. Jim McLeod, leads a precinct of characters in their grim daily battle with the city's lowlife. The characters who pass through the precinct over the course of the day include a young petty embezzler, a pair of burglars, and a naive shoplifter.

Director

The Heiress

The Heiress · 1949

MovieDramaRomance

In 1840s New York, the uneventful and boring days of the daughter of a wealthy doctor come to an end when she meets a dashing poorer man — who may or may not be after her inheritance.

Director

The Shakedown

The Shakedown · 1929

MovieDramaRomance

A grifter in a boxing scam learns a better way from an orphan and a beautiful girl.

Director

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame · 1923

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

MovieRomanceDrama

In 15th century France, a gypsy girl is framed for murder by the infatuated Chief Justice, and only the deformed bellringer of Notre Dame Cathedral can save her.

Assistant Director

The Little Foxes

The Little Foxes · 1941

The Little Foxes

In 1900, a clan attempts to strike a deal with a Chicago industrialist to get him to build cotton mills in their Deep South town.

Director

The Desperate Hours

The Desperate Hours · 1955

The Desperate Hours

MovieCrimeThriller

Escaped convicts terrorize a suburban family they're holding hostage.

Director

Dead End

Dead End · 1937

MovieCrimeDrama

The lives of a young man and woman, an infamous gangster and a group of street kids converge one day in a volatile New York City slum.

Director

The Letter

The Letter · 1940

MovieCrimeDrama

After a woman shoots a man to death, a damning letter she wrote raises suspicions.

Producer

The Westerner

The Westerner · 1940

Drifter Cole Harden is accused of stealing a horse and faces hanging by self-appointed Judge Roy Bean, but Harden manages to talk his way out of it by claiming to be a friend of stage star Lillie Langtry, with whom the judge is obsessed, even though he has never met her. Tensions rise when Harden comes to the defense of a group of struggling homesteaders who Judge Bean is trying to drive away.

Director

Carrie

MovieDramaRomance

In the late 1890s, the ambitious, innocent Carrie arrives in Chicago’s South Side and stays with her nagging, dullish married sister. She then runs for help to traveling salesman Charles Drouet. She soon becomes his mistress, but falls in love with married restaurant manager George Hurstwood.

Director

The Cowboy and the Lady

The Cowboy and the Lady · 1938

The Cowboy and the Lady

MovieComedyRomance

Mary Smith decides after a lifetime of being a shut-in to do something wild while her father is out campaigning for the presidency, so she takes off for the family's home in West Palm Beach and inadvertently becomes romantically entangled with earnest cowboy Stretch Willoughby. Neither the dalliance nor the cowboy fit with the upper class image projected by her esteemed father, forcing her to choose.

Co-Director